Help! Van nightmare

Ronnie Beck

Hi lads,
While changing my cam belt last week I accidentally dropped a set of shims, same as below, into the oil return passage in the head marked with the red arrow.





Spent a day playing with a telescopic magnet down the passageway without any joy as this oil passageway, unlike the others that go direct to the sump, takes a left turn about an inch into the block and the magnet just sticks to the block at this point. So after a day under the van in the rain I got the sump off hoping to see the shims sitting in it. What I found was that unlike the other passageways this one seems to wind through the block and exit through the opening marked with the arrow below. I only know this from pouring some oil in the passage the shims fell into.



You can see the daylight from one of the other direct passageways from the head.

I was wondering if anyone knows where this passageway goes between the top and bottom of the block?

I poured five litres of oil down the passageway with a funnel hoping to flush it but nothing except oil came out.

Any advice on what to do with regard to getting it out would be very helpfull.

Thanks,
Brian

The engine is the 2.5 TDI in a 2002 T4 VW Transporter. Engine code AJT (88hp).

efier698

So after a day day under the van in the rain I got the sump off hoping to see the shims sitting in it.

kneemos

efier698 wrote: »

So after a day day under the van in the rain I got the sump off hoping to see the shims sitting in it.

Helpfull?

Row

Sorry but not sure what the layout of the oil ports are on the 2.5 TDI.
i wonder if you fished a strong wire with a small magnet attached to it from the bottom of the oil port (sumpside)..this may pick it up on its way tru...

Also maybe one of these would work...
http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product/DURATOOL-D00272-/22-9724

John J. Lyons

could you get a 3 leg claw type thing - cant think of the name of it , local motor factors would have one for about €10/€15 and do a bit of time fishing?

Ronnie Beck

The problem is at the passage seem to wind through the block taking some sharp turns so magnets just stick to the block and cant go around the corners. Even the head of that claw snake thing probably wouldn't make the first turn at the bottom of the head. I think I'll get one and try it anyway though. Worth a shot.

Ded_Zebra

You could try blowing them out with compressed air.......

Really don't know what else to suggest...

Ronnie Beck

Ded_Zebra wrote: »

You could try blowing them out with compressed air.......

Really don't know what else to suggest...

I was chatting to a lad tonight who does some scuba diving. He has some tanks and hoses. Going to try push it back up as far as a magnet with a bicycle brake cable first.

dgt

Ded_Zebra wrote: »

You could try blowing them out with compressed air.......

Really don't know what else to suggest...

Exactly what I was thinking.

Find someone with one of these and a blow gun

Ronnie Beck

Got them out this morning using to tiny neodymium magnets stuck into the end of air line for a fish tank. Worked perfect. Made its way through 19 inches of head and block to get the shims out .

Ye I know plug the holes next time:pac:

Thanks everyone for your help!

aujopimur

McGiyver makes the day.

doctorchopper

Try and find someone with a borescope inspection kit, then you can see whats going on in there

Tea drinker

Ronnie Beck wrote: »

Got them out this morning using to tiny neodymium magnets stuck into the end of air line for a fish tank. Worked perfect. Made its way through 19 inches of head and block to get the shims out .

Ye I know plug the holes next time:pac:

Thanks everyone for your help!

Nice one, where did you get those magnets, from some speakers?
I got one of those telescopic magnets from tesco, saved my bacon once already after dropping a nut at the back of a scuttle panel.

Ronnie Beck

Tea drinker wrote: »

Nice one, where did you get those magnets, from some speakers?
I got one of those telescopic magnets from tesco, saved my bacon once already after dropping a nut at the back of a scuttle panel.

I got the magnets of a lad on a T4forum. He suggested superglueing them into the end of a straw but it wasn't strong enough to push the magnets through the block. About a week later and all this talk of airlines got me thinking about the air line on my fish tank.


2 neodyium magnets in the end of the air line. Each is 8mm diameter and 0.5mm thick. Available in many sizes on amazon etc.


You can stick a coat hanger down the line too for extra strength if you wanted to get it down to the under tray or something. It can pick up a 13 spanner. The further into the line the magnets are pushed the easier it was to push through the block.