nut in oil journal

i found 3 of those nuts in the oil pan one time. They were sitting there not bothering anyone. But if you want to remove the pan, find a short adjustable wrench and break loose that big nut around the tube, It does come out.

 

Robert, this is from the 1978 OM. I figure you're talking about those two oil drains I've highlighted in blue? If so, seems they go down to the oil pan.
Guess for your peace of mind you'll need to find that bugger! Hoping it made it's way down to the pan wouldn't do it for me, only with it in hand I would be happy.
Best
Jurgen
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You could also go get a borescope (I've found my previous-generation Harbor Freight one with the small camera has become my favorite tool!) and make a thorough investigation of the nooks & crannies of the cylinder head there and call it good.

I've heard of a number of surprising items kicking around in oil pans over the years.

 

I've found those nuts and washers stuck to the oil screen in the sump before, no idea how long they had been there but they certainly weren't bothering anything.

 

Unfortunately, you have to find the nut. Though it may be there, you cannot assume it is now in the oil pan. As noted, when you remove the pan you may find it AND/OR other items.

In addition to various nuts/bolts, I have found in oil pans: A crescent wrench, several different sockets, and my favorite…a .45 ACP cartridge!

 

Or if you are good at fishing and don't want to remove the sump and all that other stuff....
I got a bite after about 5 mins......then it got away, then I caught him again ;-)

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6bc7DqEu8o]A Useful Magnetic Tool - YouTube[/ame]

It'll be on the gearbox shelf....mine was.
You need superthin plastic coated wire as used by aero modellers, it's called closed loop cable. See video for more details....It works!

 

Alternatively, you could pick the car up by it's rear bumper and give it a little shake, then the nut should drop into the sump ;-)

 

I did the same thing on my 89 328. It went straight to the oil pan. The oil was drained so I put a very strong magnet on the bottom of the pan and started probing. Even with the baffles that the 328 pan has (your 308 doesn't have these), I was able to locate it and drag it out through the drain plug.

 

To be honest even if you don't get it, it won't do any harm.
If you don't get a bite when you go fishing you could just leave it there.
But if you are anally retentive like me then you will have to remove it ha ha

 

Futureman,

A
Very good idea...
But,
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa,
Nope, the 308 does have baffles in the oil pan.. Both of my (a 1979 and 1981) motors had baffles in their oil pans. This is why you have to remove the dip stick tube, before you can drop the pan.
after you do that, the rest is easy....
And, replace the gasket.


Good luck finding that nut.
Edwardo

 

"While you're in there..." opportunity - having to drop the pan would be the perfect time to install a set of Verrell's improved shift shaft seals!

 

I thought the early 308's didn't have them. When did they add them? Either way, I was still able to get the nut out with the baffles in the way. Just took some puzzle working.

 

My series 1 GT4 had baffles, so it would have had to have been the very first few cars. I never heard before that any 308s didn't have them.

 

Sorry forgot to say, I tied a knot in the end of the wire so that it can't pull out of the JB Weld and the magnet is a rare earth one also from an aeromodelers shop.
I glued the magnet to the knot area with the JB weld and then shaped it to a teardrop so that it could never get into a space and not get out again if that makes sense.
Using thin closed loop wire allows great flexibility and strength. once in the oilway and at the correct depth you will hear it hit the ledge then by twiddling it about you will hear it snap onto the nut.
Tip:Try fishing at night so you can hear the bite.
Good luck, Bell.

 

Get a borescope. I've found that my Harbor Freight one has become my favorite tool of all time that I use far more than I'd imagined when I bought it for a specific task to look inside a cylinder... The replacement model is here: High Resolution Digital Inspection Camera with Recorder

Look along the top of the exhaust and air manifolds. (I think this was on the front bank.) React with surprise if you find it here, but feel great relief.

Inspect the top end thoroughly, angling it inside every nook & cranny, under every casting bridge, behind every cylinder head nut. Be methodical and thorough.
Accept that the nut has fallen outside the engine and lodged itself someplace it won't cause any harm and reassemble.

 

"Accept that the nut has fallen outside the engine and lodged itself someplace it won't cause any harm and reassemble."

Personally, I wouldn't go so far as to accept that it fell to some non-harmful area just because I couldn't find it. But, per that, is it possible that the nut did NOT actually fall into the engine but bounced off to some external engine area or onto the floor? Have you looked in such areas?

 

I dropped a nut like that once. I knew it did not end up in the oil pan. I had to go buy a small, bendable magnet and turned it into a hook so that I can fish around into one of the small obscure cave underneath the cam shaft. Found it. Effing nut. That is also the main reason I absolutely hate stainless steel fasteners. I know I will drop those, and no effing way to get a magnet to it. It is mildly magnetic but why ask for trouble.

 

I am somewhat bemused by how many of us have now done the nut/washer down the oil gallery trick! (There was I thinking it was only me!)

 

Where do you think swearing comes from?

 

Robert,

first time I worked on my engine I found one of the alignment shims in one of the cam caps was missing. I replaced it hard to find even though this is the same ferrari part as many other places.... Anyway I had a lower oil radiator hose go bad and when I removed the banjo bolt on the engine side I found the missing tube.

BTW look again , I have dropped stuff and found it sitting on a shelf or in plain site somewhere. I forgot if you said you saw it go down a hole. I am certainly not an expert but would assume since these other expert mechanic decided to put the engine back together and move on I would think it would end up in the pan or where mine was. That said I have spent hours looking for a errant washer even in a place I know it is not critical....

Rob