So, this happened. Thoughts?

[Astro]

Hey all,

I have a 96 Sierra k1500, 5.7. So I was sitting in my engine compartment cleaning the valley and heads for an intake manifold gasket job. This could only have happened in a movie, man. Behind me, on my bench, was a dirty blue shop paper towel that I'd already used and was partially torn up. A small gust of wind blew and I saw out of the corner of my eye, this tiny dime sized piece of paper towel float by my head and directly into the hole in the valley, at the back drivers side across from the distributor hole.

I mean, it was nothing but net; almost as if it had been vacuumed into the hole. I saw it in there so I took some wire and wrapped some tape around it. I managed to bring it up to the hole and it of course fell again, but vanished this time.

Ultimately, I drained the oil and dumped 2 quarts of oil down that hole. I'm not entirely sure if it came out, but I was wondering what you guys thought of this. It's so small that I'm thinking I could just let it be, but damn it it bothers me so much that it may still be in there and I can't verify it unless I take the oil pan off.

 

[HotWheelsBurban]

Hate to be a bearer of bad news...but the only way you'll be sure it's gone...is to drop the pan. And you'll have to pull or at least loosen the timing cover to do that. The oil filter will catch this piece, but what it can do before it gets to the filter, can be catastrophic for the engine (and your wallet).

 

[SpitShine_PL]

Can this be flushed out safely with Diesel?

 

[0xDEADBEEF]

If it went down into the pan, it will probably end up stuck to the screen on the oil pickup tube. Not ideal, but not fatal if it's as small as you say.

 

[Erik the Awful]

Blue paper towel? The oil pump will chew it up and shove it straight into the filter. There's a small chance it might go through the bypass and end up stuck somewhere, but not likely. I'd run it.

 

[Supercharged111]

I'd run it.

If it is that small a piece I wouldn't want to tear it down either. I'd dump some diesel through it and if that doesn't get it out send it.

 

[Jeepwalker]

THAT sounds like my luck! Sorry it happened to you.

I'd personally run it if it were my truck and it's as small as you say. It would have to be light (and thin) if it blew over from the bench. It'll get beat up by the crank, rolled into a ball, if it gets onto the oil screen, it'll fall off most likely at some point or errode away. If it falls off it'll get churned around again, eventually into more bits. Cut your next filter change open ...maybe you'll see parts of it (???)

Or if it bugs you a whole lot, you can always remove the oil pan ..well at this point, maybe you ought to pull the entire engine if you have the top end off ...and do whatever else you were thinking of doing (if you had the engine out).

 

[Erik the Awful]

Oh, yeah. Duh. It'll probably just get stuck in the screen. Meh. No worries there.

 

[j 1985 chevy]

Hey all,

I have a 96 Sierra k1500, 5.7. So I was sitting in my engine compartment cleaning the valley and heads for an intake manifold gasket job. This could only have happened in a movie, man. Behind me, on my bench, was a dirty blue shop paper towel that I'd already used and was partially torn up. A small gust of wind blew and I saw out of the corner of my eye, this tiny dime sized piece of paper towel float by my head and directly into the hole in the valley, at the back drivers side across from the distributor hole.

I mean, it was nothing but net; almost as if it had been vacuumed into the hole. I saw it in there so I took some wire and wrapped some tape around it. I managed to bring it up to the hole and it of course fell again, but vanished this time.

Ultimately, I drained the oil and dumped 2 quarts of oil down that hole. I'm not entirely sure if it came out, but I was wondering what you guys thought of this. It's so small that I'm thinking I could just let it be, but damn it it bothers me so much that it may still be in there and I can't verify it unless I take the oil pan off.

You got to options here run it or pull the pan or you could go full motor er and get a bore scope and them long flexible three fingers thang and try to pull it out

 

[Astro]

Thanks for all the replies guys. Been running her now since Oct and it's been ok. Blew the transmission last week though so on to new things I suppose!