[Harsh]

So I was tourqing don the intake bolts today. As I was finishing up I had a 5/16 socket in my hand to tighten up the fule rail and it slipped out of my hand. The thing is no where to be found, I have looked all over. Do you think I shoudl start it before I find the darn thing? I am going to wait til tomorrow in the day light to see if I can see it but this thing plain disappeared. What do you think? I spent an hour looking for it with no luck. Jacked the car up to get a look at a different angle from the top, looked from underneath everything, no luck.

 

[jloehlein]

Could it have fallen on top of the crossmember? This has happened to me before. I got a cheap, flexible magnetic pick up tool like this one to fish around and find it.

 

[Harsh]

I have one of those and will get it out tomorrow and see if it attracts anything. Problem is I can not see it anywhere. Thanks.

 

[matthimself456]

Aw man that's the wrong size to be tightening fuel rails. You need a 8mm. Haha I've had my car swallow tools before. Probably not too much trouble it can get into down there. No worse than a piece of gravel that I'm sure get kicked up into the engine bay once in a while. Biggest bummer is not you're missing a socket.

 

[secret4mula]

No big deal as long as it didn't go into the motor. The only way this could happen is if the socket fell into one of the fuel injector bosses before the injectors/rails were installed. I usually install an intake on the engine with the injectors/rails already mounted for this reason.

 

[ghetto wagon]

I just about know every spot where tools can get caught under the car in a B body.. (I always found them, Even years later) If it rolled down the back of the engine, I can be sitting on the bell housing of the trans (It has a little ledge on the passenger side) Also, Tools get caught between the transmission and the cooler lines.. Somtimes tools also wind up on top of the cat shields. It sucks looking for lost tools, But you will find it.

IF it fell towards the front. tools can get caught between the water pump and the opti. or the Opti and the timing cover.

Get a good light and a telescoping magnet.

 

[Northern Classics]

I've had sockets fall into the engine mounts, so don't forget to look there.
Also use an inspection mirror to look at things from the opposite side which faces you.

Good luck!

.

 

[Deadman]

I wouldn't worry about it.

I was working on my other car once, and a huge azz deep well 3/4 inch socket fell out from on top of the splash guard, and darn near hit me right in the face. It was a impact socket too, so it was a heavy chunk of metal to smash my nose in. Luckily i turned and it just hit my neck. This was a dealerships socket, because i never had a tool like that.

 

[matthimself456]

I wouldn't worry about it.

I was working on my other car once, and a huge azz deep well 3/4 inch socket fell out from on top of the splash guard, and darn near hit me right in the face. It was a impact socket too, so it was a heavy chunk of metal to smash my nose in. Luckily i turned and it just hit my neck. This was a dealerships socket, because i never had a tool like that.

Sweet! Free Tools! I've found those too.

 

[thebigbadWOLF]

try pushing the car down and see if you can hear it i have had **** bounce and land in the bumper area.

 

[DiGGM95]

try pushing the car down and see if you can hear it i have had **** bounce and land in the bumper area.

I have yet to rescue a socket of mine that fell into the canister area, too lazy to pull the splash guard!

 

[FREIGHTLINER00]

fuel rail 8mm and most of the bolts and nuts on these cars are metric.

 

[killerzracing71]

Yep, I found a ratchet, and a pair of scissors from about a year ago, behind my battery.

 

[96 Black]

leafblower

 

[Harsh]

Found my socet today It was under the engine on the crossmember. Drove a little over 100 miles so I guess it finally got to a spot I could see it. of course, I was not looking for it when I found it....

 

[NO DUBS]

Install hydraulics and hop it.... Ok mabe not, sorry

 

[Moose LT1 9C1]

FWIW:

8mm = 5/16"

 

[MikeOD]

FWIW:

8mm = 5/16"

...very very close to it...everyone having a fit over using a 5/16 socket should shut up, 5/16 = 7.9375mm...so if it fits, it's actually LESS likely to round a bolt off, and if you're yelling at him about it, you're just ridiculous...yes a lot of the fasteners on these cars are metric...but quite a few of them, specifically ON THE ENGINE are indeed not metric...I haven't measured the threads on the fuel rail bolts, so I honestly don't know, but a b-body has just as many metric bolts as it has non metric...now my LS1 Camaro on the other hand...that car and engine are mostly metric.

My friend Dave and I were working on my car (rear lower control arms) one day a few years back, and when we finished we picked up all the tools, and lost one wrench...couldn't find it for the life of us (in the dark). Anyways, the whole winter went by, drove the car through snowstorms and everything, and when springtime came out, I went under the car to work on something else and noticed this shiny wrench still stuck to the nut on the lower control arm...it had bound against the axle tube when we were tightening the bolt, and we'd forgotten to get it off of there, and then when it got dark out that day a whole winter earlier, we forgot...so he got his wrench back.

 

[matthimself456]

and if you're yelling at him about it, you're just ridiculous...

Just messin around. I'm not a big fan of metric in general. Makes me have to buy twice as many tools.

 

[SEO9C1]

Makes me have to buy twice as many tools.

Exactly. That's why the Imperial standard should have been discarded long ago. Everything should be metric. "Standard" sizes have been holding this country back for way too long now. We're overdue to finally get w/ the program.