Ill admit it. im an idiot. i was about to re-instal my starter and i dropped a mounting bolt in the spot where the gear engages the engine.
i can see it with a mirror but BARLEY. i want to try and remove it with a magnet but its such a horrible angle and i dont wanna EDIT it up and drop it even deeper.
any suggestions? i dont really wanna remove the trans or worse.
thanx in advance!

 

Try one of those flexible magnets they saved my butt a few times. What year is the truck? do you have a removable cover on bell housing?

 

Sears sells them I think.


http://www.google.com/products/catal...CBUQ8wIwATgA#p

 

Not nice, but if you are veeeeeerrrrrry careful you can still pull it up. You are probably going to have to chance pushing it deeper, but what do you have to lose if you don't try? A strong magnet may grab it, but it will of course also try to stick to the flywheel, so you are going to have to somehow work the magnet down until it reaches the bolt. Try to measure how far down the bolt is and whatever the magnet is attached to, make a mark on it so that you don't push on the bolt. This is going to take care and patience.

Another possibility is to place a big glob of thick grease on the flywheel and slowly turn the engine to always move the bolt UP and hope that once the grease gets to the bolt that it will stick enough to bring it up with the flywheel. If you do grease the flywheel, make sure you clean off all the grease afterwords

Let us what you did to get the bolt out..

Edit. Had another thought. Push the magnet down until you think it has hit the bolt. If you are very lucky you will hear the bolt 'click' to the magnet. Do not try to pull the magnet and the bolt out, but let the magnet lock the bolt to the flywheel. Now s-l-o-w-l-y rotate the engine up so the bolt and the magnet come out together.

 

man that was scary!!!
So at first, using a mirror i could see it down in there and i was gonna try and grab it but i was scared that doing that blindly would knock it further. So i thought a magnet would be best. i got a microwave magnet and cracked it in half so it would fit. then my plan was to slide it down the flywheel until it grabs it then pull out the magnet. but i was scared i wouldnt be able to get it out after. but i tried it anyway and ended up knocking it deeper because the bolt was half under the curve of the flywheel and it would come straight up.

So i got one of those flexible magnetic tools. using a tiny mirror taped to a stick, i figured out exaclty where the bolt was located because there wasnt enough room to use the magnet and the mirror at the same time.

i bent the flexible magnet shaft to as close to the shape of the housing as i could, then slowly slid it down the case wall. VERY SLOWLY and listed for the click of it grabbing the bolt. then after i thought i might have it, SLOOOWWLY pulled the magnet out. and it worked!

Stupidest mistake ever!
Mexstan, thats an even better idea, rotating the wheel while pulling the magnet out so as not to get it wedged or anything. wish i read that befor i tried it.

but yeah thanx again everyone!!

 

Glad to hear that everything worked out for you. Thanks for updating us.

 

Wheeeew!