| Author |
Message |
Nick Morris (Nick3751) (65.117.139.135)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, March 28, 2004 - 8:46 am: | |
In the process of taking my alternator off yesterday to have it checked I droped on of the bolts. It fell down behing the compressor and I didn't think much about it at the time. I figure I get it when I got back from the parts store. Well when I got back from the parts store, the alternator was fine, and in the process of putting it back on I started hunting for the bolt, I found where it WENT. In the top of the bell housing there is a small hole just big enough for a half-inch bolt and washer to fall into. I think I heard the bolt hit the bottom of the bell housing but I wouldn't bet on it. The washer was at the top and I knocked it down with my magnet trying to get it out. Soooooooooo do I need to pull the thing apart to get it out or is there some trick to getting in there? I can't get under it now, too muddy, but from what I can see there is no inspection plate to remove at the bottom and I can't see the bottom through the hole in the top or the one in the side near the started.
Thanks in advance.
Nick |
Jimmci9 (209.240.205.68)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, March 28, 2004 - 10:44 am: | |
if you have a "dry' flywheel housing, chances are that you have an acess plate on the bottom... remove this plate and find the bolts/washers that you dropped... if you have a "wet" housing, then you got some problems... i'd recommend that you not run the engine 'till you find the stuff you dropped.... |
BrianMCI96A3 (65.40.153.32)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, March 28, 2004 - 11:06 am: | |
If it's a dry cluth, like jim says, it should have an inspection plate.
You might try a different type of magnet, one with a flexible shaft.... and try to snake it along the inside of the bell housing.
Brian |
Donn (67.82.157.176)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, March 28, 2004 - 5:55 pm: | |
The flywheel is on the outside of the housing you dropped the bolt into,so it can't be accessed from an inspection port.The bolt is in the timing gear chamber.If it were to get picked up into the timing gears it wouldn't be pretty.Chances are,that it would lay on the bottom and not cause a problem,but if it were mine I wouldn't take the chance.It is a big job to remove the bellhousing,even bigger to rebuild the motor.
Donn |
DonTX/KS (66.82.9.83)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, March 28, 2004 - 10:30 pm: | |
Speculation: If there was a hole in the top of the bell housing, then of course it is a dry clutch, and therefore should be an inspection plate.
Donn seems to think you dropped it someplace OTHER than into the bell housing area where the clutch is, like into the gear area, which is definitly a big headache coming on. |
jjj (172.131.121.76)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, March 28, 2004 - 10:49 pm: | |
Greetings,
By the way, after you take care of the lost parts, you may want to do some research before you remount the alternator. I have no firsthand experiance with this, as mine is belt driven, but the gear driven ones are best mounted by an experianced detroit technician. They will fail if not shimmed properly. Perhaps someone with firsthand experiance will jump in here with comments.
jjj |
Nick Morris (Nick3751) (65.117.139.135)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, March 28, 2004 - 10:49 pm: | |
It's in the bell housing I can see part of the clutch and the ring gear. |
califbob (209.86.9.141)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, March 28, 2004 - 11:05 pm: | |
Nick
This may be the dumbest suggestion yet.
But how about drilling a bigger hole in the top.
Get a couple of real good magnets to catch the shavings as you drill and when done use your magnet "on a stick" to clean up and pick out your dropped bolt. |
BrianMCI96A3 (65.40.153.32)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, March 28, 2004 - 11:29 pm: | |
In all honesty, your best bet is to raise it up with enough room to manuver underneath and remove the access plate.
I've had to do just that before.
But tough to do in mud...
Brian |
Phil Dumpster (24.16.243.37)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, March 29, 2004 - 6:18 am: | |
Guys, he has a 3751. It's a dry clutch.
Nick, you're going to have to get underneath it and remove the inspection plate to retrieve those parts. No way around it. Perhaps some work with a shovel will get you the needed access if the ground is soft. (you said mud, after all...) |
Nick Morris (Nick3751) (65.117.139.135)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, March 29, 2004 - 6:09 pm: | |
Thanks everyone, I couldn't see the inspection plate until I was on my back on my trusty county boy creaper but there it was and I got the bolt and the washer. Thanks again. |