1999 5.7 350 vortec P0304 cylinder 4 misfire

[Road Trip]

Got everything back together, but it won’t start, put the dizzy in exactly as it came out but it was cranking strong but back firing so I swapped the dizzy 180* still nothing.

Q: Are you hearing the 2 second fuel pump prime when you first turn the key
to RUN but haven't attempted to start it yet?

Please verify that your distributor rotor is pointing to #1 spark plug wire
after bringing #1 cylinder to TDC *on the compression stroke*.

Let's be sure to cover the basics before we start down the garden path.
(Speaking from personal experience. :0)

 

[Road Trip]

By the way, not to jump ahead, but I've been thinking about your situation.

I would strongly recommend that since you didn't find anything with that
exploratory surgery on the intake manifold gaskets, you really should fix
the coolant/air heat exchanger (radiator) before retesting for that #4
cylinder misfire when climbing a grade.

At least pull the radiator for a professional flushing? Assuming you have any
radiator specialty shops still doing business in your area?

Bonus points for going all @L31MaxExpress on the cooling system.
(7.4 radiator upgrade, HD clutch fan, 11-bladed fan, etc. Out of necessity those
Texans have really got the cooling system figured out.)

In English, instead of spending money to get a $$$$ pair of heads installed
to be able to work at the high end of the temperature range, why not see
if we can just avoid heat building up in the existing heads. (ie: Allow your
engine to cool while climbing a grade as if it was still on level ground?)

I keep thinking about that photo you took of the inside of your radiator.
If that was under my hood I would be watching the temp gauge like a
hawk -- there just can't be much BTU headroom in your cooling system as-is.

Food for thought. Fingers crossed you get this no-start figured out
in short order.

 

[socal k1500]

in my rush to find TDC I put a flathead screwdriver in the number one spark plug hole and the tip of the flathead snapped off inside…..

 

[Orpedcrow]

Oh no!!!! Got a magnet? Vacuum? I wouldn’t rotate the engine anymore

 

[socal k1500]

Oh no!!!! Got a magnet? Vacuum? I wouldn’t rotate the engine anymore

Yeah exploring some options here. Shop vaccum down to the hole size I’ve heard is decent and small magnets

 

[Orpedcrow]

Ugh. Well, if you can’t fish it out, you’ve now acquired 90% of the experience needed to pull a head off

 

[Road Trip]

in my rush to find TDC I put a flathead screwdriver in the number one spark plug hole and the tip of the flathead snapped off inside…..

Not to panic. Crazy strong yet small rare earth magnets are available that will fit
through a spark plug hole: (Amazon example of Rare Earth magnets)

Also, sometimes a ball of super-sticky putty on the end of a sturdy wooden/bamboo
chopstick can (with a bit of luck & holding your tongue just right) drag that showstopper
out into the open for ya. (Don't ask how I know this.)

Think of it as the zen of FOD retrieval. And down the road these episodes
make for wonderful Thanksgiving Dinner yarns once your hair turns white --
it's the gift that keeps on giving. :0)

 

[socal k1500]

Ugh. Well, if you can’t fish it out, you’ve now acquired 90% of the experience needed to pull a head off

Not to panic. Crazy strong yet small rare earth magnets are available that will fit
through a spark plug hole: (Amazon example of Rare Earth magnets)

Also, sometimes a ball of super-sticky putty on the end of a sturdy wooden/bamboo
chopstick can (with a bit of luck & holding your tongue just right) drag that showstopper
out into the open for ya. (Don't ask how I know this.)

Think of it as the zen of FOD retrieval. And down the road these episodes
make for wonderful Thanksgiving Dinner yarns once your hair turns white --
it's the gift that keeps on giving. :0)

I ordered a small camera on amazon that comes with a magnet attachment thats perfect for this situation. My plan of attack and please chime in if this sounds correct

1. Use the camera to confirm the position of the piston. I may need to rotate the engine back to bring the piston down so i can see the top.
2. try and use the camera to look for the bit and any damage(hopefully the bit isnt stuck and its just loose)

3. if i confirm the bit is in there loose but i cant get it with the magnet i will use my shop vac and some fittings to suck it out. From my research this method is actually pretty good as long as the object is loose.

I feel pretty upset about sucha boneheaded move. Im a pipefitter apprentice with a 1 year old baby so my finances and time are extremely limited. I have school this week which includes 4 - 10 hour days so you may not hear from me for awhile but rest assured ill give you guys an update when something happens.

 

[Orpedcrow]

That sounds like a good plan. I would try the vacuum FIRST before attempting to rotate the engine.

 

[Road Trip]

I ordered a small camera on amazon that comes with a magnet attachment thats perfect for this situation. My plan of attack and please chime in if this sounds correct

1. Use the camera to confirm the position of the piston. I may need to rotate the engine back to bring the piston down so i can see the top.
2. try and use the camera to look for the bit and any damage(hopefully the bit isnt stuck and its just loose)

3. if i confirm the bit is in there loose but i cant get it with the magnet i will use my shop vac and some fittings to suck it out. From my research this method is actually pretty good as long as the object is loose.

I feel pretty upset about sucha boneheaded move. Im a pipefitter apprentice with a 1 year old baby so my finances and time are extremely limited. I have school this week which includes 4 - 10 hour days so you may not hear from me for awhile but rest assured ill give you guys an update when something happens.

Hey socal K1500,

Don't be too hard on yourself. Every single one of us in here can (& do) admit to
self-induced setbacks like this while trying to do the right thing. All learning has
a tuition cost...so as long as we learn from our mistakes, it's an investment, not
a wasted expenditure. (!)

Whenever I've found myself in your situation, my mantra has always been, "I will never make
that mistake again. I will make other new & different mistakes...but not that one." :0)

****

I like your camera/magnet recovery plan. I also think that the shop vac is an intelligent
recovery attempt. IMPORTANT NOTE: Recovering that part but at the same time not
being able to *prove* it would be a bad thing -- it's no fun having that nagging feeling
what if that foreign object eluded your retrieval efforts?

Given this, here's my serious suggestion. Inside the shop vac prep it in the following manner
prior to it's use:

* Clean the interior of the shop vac back to new condition. Nothing worse than losing the
proof inside a dirty shop vac. And having to sift through fully ripened yak in order to
retrieve it. Been there, since then I actively avoid repeating that level of funk-sifting. :-(
* Temporarily install a small parts catch device where the debris enters the shop vac case.
I may be dating myself, but this is where a sheer stocking rubber banded to the case inlet would be ideal:

You must be registered for see images attach

In a previous life I used to work in a 'zero-tolerance for foreign objects' arena.
Since we were never mistake-free, we got plenty of practice in finding the stray
bits/proving that we were back in control of the situation.

And in a perfect world, you will not only find the part, but show others how
you did it with a photo or 2. Fingers crossed the engine gives the part back
without making you jump through too many hoops.

Just remember that we are here in solidarity with you. Great to see a member
of the next generation learning the craft. (!)

Standing by patiently awaiting your next status update. No time pressure, savor
the learning experience. And enjoy the little one, they grow up so fast!