Dropped a bolt down the turbo...(98 c70)

I just got a "new" 1998 C70...love the car, will never drive anything else -
unless I really broke it and I have to go for the ford aspire I deserve.

The car has 84,000 miles, so I figured I should change the plugs, cap, rotor
and wires. I removed the spark plug cover, the one that bolts on with 6
bolts. Everything went OK, but when it was time to put the cover and screws
back, I dropped one of the screws behind the engine. I had removed the black
pipe that goes over/to-the-right of the spark plug cover, and I'm pretty
sure the bolt went right into the now open/exposed silver orifice in the
back of the engine (closer to the driver). The arrows in the picture
indicate the bolt, and where it fell (just imagine it without the pipe on
top).

I tried to fish it out with a magnet, but no luck. So I started the car.
Seems to run fine. Drove it home from the folks - no problems. I even got
confident and stepped on it - no problems.

So...what have I done? Do I NEED to worry about this bolt, or is there some
magical screen that will prevent it from being sucked into the turbo when
conditions call for it? Is that even the turbo that it fell into? I
appreciate any input you might have, many thanks.

Rob

 

It's hard to say, it may be wedged in the volute and not be able to contact
the compressor wheel, but then again it might come unwedged and destroy a
$1400 turbocharger in the blink of an eye, depends on the size of the bolt
and the shape of the innards of that particular turbo. Personally I'd remove
the housing and get the bolt out, even best case if it's wedged in there
somewhere it'll block some airflow and reduce economy and/or power.

 

Simply, find it and get it out. Sweep the shop floor and check
everything, check the engine bay, and if you still haven't found it,
pull the turbo and start taking it apart.

The guys who build gas turbines for radio-controlled models work with
one simple rule: never assume anything is all right by default. As
james said, $1400-plus gone in the blink of an eye. I don't think that
you have that amount of pocket change kicking around.

 

At this point he would HAVE to open the turbo because he has already
driven the car and so there is no way of knowing if the lost bolt was
dropped somewhere else in teh car and then fell off on the road.
Opening the turbo and NOT finding the bolt at this point might be
worse than finding it. Not finding it means it went somewhere else,
but where?

One of the benefits of working on your own car is that you learn all
the places hardware hides when it makes a friend of gravity- sometimes
the easy way... sometimes the hard way. There have been times when I
wanted to take my car, turn it over, and give it a good shaking!



__ __
Randy & \ \/ /alerie's
\__/olvos
'90 245 Estate - '93 965 Estate
"Shelby" & "Kate"

 

Reminds me of a few months ago when I found one of my missing wrenches under
the hood, I'm not sure how it stayed there but it was right where I'd set it
down, after driving around for over a month.

 

I am not alone!!!!

Mike

 

I do not think that the bolt you are referring to fell in to the turbo
it most likely as others have stated is lying around in the rear of the
engine or on the floor where you did the work. Use this as a learning
experience the next time you remove the inter cooler pipe from the turbo
place a rag in both ends so if something does drop it does not go where
it could cause major damage . I would just to be on the safe side remove
the inter cooler hose once again & throughly check the turbo just to
make sure that the bolt is not in there just waiting for the right time
to show up
Glenn

--
"*-344-*Never Forgotten"
Is for the New York City Firemen who lost their lives on September 11,2001.
The official count is 343, but there was also a volunteer who lost his life
aiding in the initial rescue efforts. And I will never forget them as
long as I live,
nor should any American.

 

Thanks for the advice everyone. So tomorrow I am driving back to the folks
(20 miles away, I don't really drive during the week) and:

1) Back the car up into the ramps
2) With the front end lower and the back end higher, gravity should push the
bolt (if it is really there) to the front-end of the thing, and I should
have better luck at fishing it out with a magnet and/or wires.
3) if that does not work, I guess I'm pulling that turbo out

wish me luck

By the way, here is a picture of what went where - the yellow arrows
indicate the bolt and where it fell.

http://mysite.verizon.net/vzepklgm/droppedthebolt/

Thanks,

Rob

 

Maybe a dumb idea but i have used it with success drop another bolt from the
sme point and see where it lands attached to cotton so you can find it .

 

I am reminded of my '72 Type II VW (van). The dual(!) Solex carbs had
brass "dump tubes" for the accelerator pump. Their base was a press
fit in the carb body. I had two of those tubes fall out of the carb
and go through the motor! It makes a hell of a noise, but not as bad
as that bolt would in the turbo charger! The cure? I ended up
soldering thin, stainless steel safety wires to them, and tying the
end of the wire under a screw on the body of teh carb. I will never
miss owning air-cooled VWs, and they got all the money out of me they
ever will!


__ __
Randy & \ \/ /alerie's
\__/olvos
'90 245 Estate - '93 965 Estate
"Shelby" & "Kate"

 

Been there, tried that, it never lands anywhere near the same place twice.

 

Don't pull the whole turbo, just remove the compressor volute, normally it's
just a few bolts or a snap ring holding it on.

 

I've tried it a few times (always out of desperation, of course) and
actually had it work once. It's a really long shot but if it works it feels
great!

Mike

 

Solex! (Makes the "cross" sign as if to ward off vampires.) I had one on a
Lotus Europa, the version with the Renault engine. You poor, poor man. We'll
try to keep noises down so it doesn't jangle your nerves.

Mike

 

If it´s in the turbo you probably have heard it already.
I once dropped a bolt into a turbo, and got it out with a vacuumcleaner,
just remove the pressure pipe and suck.

Niels

 

A Joke I wrote back in the 70's:
Q: What's worse than a car with a Solex carb?
A: A car with two Solex Carbs.

The main problem was that the throttle shaft whish was seteel rode in
a cast alu/mag/zinc(?) alloy base. After a few years they wore out and
leaked air which made the car nearly impossible to gett to run right.

The other problem was that the '72 type had an idle circuit built
into the left carb that worked somewhat the same as the IAC in the
Volvos of which we speak. It depended on the throttle butterflys being
closed almost completely, but the same, and all that had to be right
to get the mixture synched, and all of that had to be right to get the
carbs synched to each other with the linkage.

I actually got better at it than the mechanics at VW, having to
readjust after every service. The realy trick was:

1) When the carbs are out of the car, the throttle plate stops were
set using a 2-3mm wide strip of dollar bill soaked in gasoline as a
feeler gauge.

2) When the carbes were placed in the car and the car was started and
warmed. use a Uni-syn and turn down the high carb using the stop
screw- NEVER turn up the low carb.

Loved the car- hated the motor.



__ __
Randy & \ \/ /alerie's
\__/olvos
'90 245 Estate - '93 965 Estate
"Shelby" & "Kate"

 

There's a fellow not far from my office who specializes in welding and
metal work. He has constructed a jig that will do precisely this. When
I was over there he had a big 1980's Monte Carlo in this thing and I
was able to reach up and spin it fairly easily (I felt like a
contestant on The Price is Right spinning the big wheel).

A surreal experience, when it was on its side it was about a foot off
the ground.

I think he calls it an "Auto-Rotisserie" or something.

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