I'm doin the valve springs on my engine atm and workin on 3 hours sleep I was bein a kluts, using a air inlet from a compression guage set I backed out the valvestem in fitting to allow air to leak past and thus fill up the cylinders to replace my springs. well instead of removing the entire stem i left it in there backed out. of coarse the stem worked it's way loose and on my third cylinder i discovered it was missing. most likely in the cylinder!!!

it's a tiny thing like 1mm wide by 1cm long. should I be worryed about this and pull my head to get it out or will it likely just bounce harmlessly inside and eventually discharge out the exhaust???

gah I'm stupid!!

 

It's enough to embed itself in the top of a piston or mess up a valve.

 

try using a magnet or something to pull it out. If you run the engine with it in there, you'll screw it up for sure.

 

Im guessing you are refering to a valve lock piece? One of the half cirlces?

if so, yep, get it out. Go to a parts store and get one of those magnet on a stick tools. The ones with the extend-a-stick design with the little magnet on the end. Remove the plug if it isnt out already and go fishin' and pray you land a keeper.

 

yea tryed the magnet trick, tryed using a vaccum cleaner to suck it out. nothing. so i pulled the head and there it was.

at least i noticed it!

and i got some good head torquing practise in :P

 

Sucks you had to pull the head.

Hell if you knew you were gonna have to that would have made the valve spring install easier on that side lol.

Oh well least its out.

 

you aint seen nothing tell you hear what my friend did building his 454. A rag was left in the intake manifold and when the engine was started it ran kinda iffy but for like 30 sec, then it blew. We found a piece of chewed up rag behind the exaust and upon taking the motor apart found the rest of it wrapped around the valves. It held them open and smashed the piston to pieces, bent a rod about 30* and cracked the head.

 

Ouch.

I had set a towel in my lifter valley before replacing the intake right. I stuck the new intake on and bolted it up. I don't know why but suddenly I just felt like I remembered something and I was like damnit. So I pulled it off and there was a huge bathroom towel in my lifter valley.

 

dang... I don't feel quite so bad now.. thanks