Inconvenient or disasterous?

[LoHo]

My ratcheting cam chain tensioner experiment failed and I jumped a tooth on both cams. I started doing my usual half-ass, hope-this-works repair and then decide to do it right the second or third time. While taking the nuts off the cam guides, starting at #3 in the middle, the VERY FIRST thing I did was drop the nut down the cam chain cavern. I think this goes all the way down to the oil sump. My plan is to lean the bike over and drain the (freshly changed, of course) oil, then fish around with a magnet. I'd like to avoid dropping the pipes and the oil pan, at least at first.

Any bright ideas? I know I can't be the first inept mechanic to do this.

[Guy_b_g]

You have discovered one of Murphy's laws of mechanics..."you will only drop an item into the sump when the oil is freshly changed".

I haven't done that yet so I'll leave the helpful advice to the experts.

[fredintoon]

- - - While taking the nuts off the cam guides, starting at #3 in the middle, the VERY FIRST thing I did was drop the nut down the cam chain cavern. - - - Any bright ideas? I know I can't be the first inept mechanic to do this.

Hi LoHo,
even ept mechanics have bad days.
A story from back in the day. Racer was rebuilding his AJS 7R for track day when the last fastener went rattling down into the crankcase.
Hearing the terrible words, the lad's mother asked what was the matter?
He'd dropped a nut down inside, the motor had to be totally torn down again to get it out, it was late and track day was tomorrow.
Call three friends, turn the bike upside down and shake it.
Mother always knows best.
Mind you, with an XS11, best you call six friends.

[randy]

Just replace the nut and move on. Unless it's laying ON the crank gear, and that's a stretch, it won't hurt anything to leave it in there until some day when you HAVE to pull the oil pan. If you're really paranoid, get a magnetic drain plug and if you're lucky, the nut will be stuck to the bolt during some future oil change.

[psycoreefer]

why not go in through the drain plug hole with a flexy magnetic wand and see if you can get it that way? I'm not familiar with the size of said nut but it could maybe fit? Still have to drain the oil but at least you don't have to drop the pipes and pan.

[LoHo]

Psycho, that was my plan. Lay the bike over, drain the oil, and fish around. Going down from the top looks next to impossible.

[LoHo]

Randy, so far "lucky" hasn't been the pattern....

[randy]

You've got a bunch of ferrous things in the pan. Three windage pieces and the oil pump screen. Your magnet is going to hang up on those parts, IMHO, fishing around is an exercise in futility.

[psycoreefer]

What about a large magnet (like a speaker magnet or something) on the outside of the pan to drag the nut over to the drain hole. Ever seen one of those kids toys with the magnet on the underside of the table and the cars that you can move (via the magnets) on the top? Then you wouldn't get hung up on the other magnetic bits in the pan.

[randy]

Sounds like a good plan. I think first you'll have to run it for a while to wash the nut down to the bottom. (see above where it says to replace to nut)

[tarzan]

I dropped a nut down the chain tunnel when I was replacing the chain.
I was able to fish it out with a long stick magnet.It was a PITA.It took several tries.I would get hold of it, then it would get caught on metal as I brought it up.The magnet kept wanting to latch on any thing it went past.I dropped it back down a few times before it finally came out.Patience persevered.

[Ken Talbot]

Hey LoHo, check it out here

[motoman]

You didn't happen to try and start it, did you LoHo?

[XSokieSPECIAL]

Stray nuts.....

...... Some of you might remember back last winter ( early 2009 ) when I found the cam bearing nuts loose on the okie SPECIAL. And you might remember that one of them was missing when I discovered the problem.

Well....it's still missing....and more than likely down in the rust free environment of the oil pan.

From my automotive experience, that is where it will live a full nutlike life there in the oil pan without interferering with anything UNLESS the engine,or the bike, is turned upside down.

The magnetic plug might be a good idea and you could get lucky with the fishing but I just wouldn't worry about it.

If it bothers you that much just pull the pan. You can have it off and back on in about an hour.

[LoHo]

Motoman: Heck no, I'm going to run it through by hand several times to make sure eevrything stays in place.

Meanwhile, I have a really stupid idea about fishing her out. I'll take pics so you can all point and laugh.