Today i replaced my drain ****, but the piece inside the rad fell inside it.. is this going to be a problem? I just dont wanna start it up before i know if this is an issue or not.. the old piece was really soft and cruddy so, its not "hard and new".. should i try and get it out?? it looks impossible without taking the whole radiator out.. any ideas?? thanks

 

If it were my car, the radiator would have to come out.
Do you want to trash the water pump? Not worth being lazy.

 

You start it now=You'll probably mess up your car.

The stock drain **** is plastic so you can't use a magnet pickup BUT you can use "flexible claw" things. You can buy them at almost any car parts store and I know kragen/shucks/checkers has them for $4.99 as Alltrade Tools 410329 and pull the sucker out easy. You have a manual, but even if you had an auto radiator the cooler is only a 1 plate so I won't get in the way. Worst case, you have to undo 5 mounts on the upper shrowd, a few for the fans just on the top, disconnect the battery take off all the hoses. A beginner with some common sense and hand tools should be able to take it out and put it back in about 3 hours. It really isn't hard at all, and you've done the worst step already, which is draining the coolant.

BTW, starting the car now would mean it would be immediately sucked up by the water pump, nothing stopping it. Imagine what that little piece might do in the coolant passages, the thermostat, and the water pump.

 

Be gentle with the A.C. hoses, as they may be laying on top of the upper radiator shroud. Do not force the coolant hoses off the radiator nipples. If they are real stubborn, it is cheaper to slit the hose and then peel it off the nipple. Good excuse to replace the hoses/flush the system.

 

You should be able to remove the drain ****.I broke the handle of mine some 2 years ago & the other piece fell inward.When i bought the replacement i saw by the design its a 2 piece item.You remove the old part from your rad by pinching/squeezing the squarded part that just sticks out of the rad.The broken part might still be held in by the square part of the drain ****(mine was).I didnt have to remove my radiator either.Just jacked up the front end...