I honestly don't think it will hurt anything to leave it in there. The oil pickup tube does have a screen on it and the o-ring that may or may not have been on the plug has to be rated for exposure to oil anyway since that is what it is in there to seal. I still think if it were me, I would just leave it in there and spend the $$ for the Strictly Diesel unit. Sucks that it has to be so expensive for such a simple part, but sometimes you just have to take it on the chin and move on. You know if you think about it, the only reason anyone would need that Strictly Diesel piece is that their plug was sitting in the bottom of the pan. If the pan was off to get the plug out, why in the world would you spend $300 for their part? I have heard stories of guys dropping the tappet off the fuel pump and it finding its way to the bottom of the pan and them just leaving it there as well. The sump is deep enough that I don't think you have a thing to worry about, especially since the pan has a baffle in it.

I can certainly understand not wanting to do all that cutting and welding though. You know, though, there are fiber scopes that you could probably get for about half the price of the dipstick adapter you're about to buy. Probably doesn't matter though unless you could hook the plug and pull it up to get it back in the hole.

Here is a link in case you decide to consider it.
TVBTECH camera fiber scope-in Diagnostic Tools from Automobiles & Motorcycles on Aliexpress.com

Alright, I have muddied the waters enough. I will quit now...

 

FWIW, I dropped a pretty good sized allen wrench in the motor while working on the injectors. Never found it, I'm sure its laying in the pan somewhere. Spent hours searching, just about pulled the motor and then said the heck with it. That was a year and a half ago..

 

Its now a hybrid, part motor, part tool box

 

I had a nickel size piece of dist in my ol 390 for years..no biggie.only once in a while if i stopped real fast it would slosh forward and get flung round then ok for.a long time.it had no baffle at all.i would leave it.

 

My question is: how the Allen could go to the pan, working on the injectors??

 

From what I could see with numerous flashlights is it more than likely fell into the area above the cam, then could have worked its way down from there to the pan. I'm really not exactly sure where it is, but its in there somewhere..

Jim, I like that comment! That's the closest thing to a hybrid that I will ever own!

 

Really though... It's not that big a deal to cut out the crossmember, drop the pan, then weld it back. Especially if you're an experienced welder. I did it to mine cause I had to remove the oil pan to get the leaking timing cover off. Cut it out with the sawzall. It's holding up just fine.

 

I agree with all of you on it. Thought about co2. But in the end I think the strictly diesel part will be worth it. Still is unclear how it seals it up and what all is involved on install. Guess I'll find out when it shows up.

 

I"m pretty sure I have a fuel pump plunger sitting in mine.

People worry so much about it, if it falls into the pan, you wont see it again unless you pull the pan, where is it going to go?
Steel floats in oil? Since friggen when?

 

And upload some pics of the part please.

 

Well more bad news.... Find out that they are out of stock and they do not have a date when they will be in stock. So it looks like I might just start the turbo rebuild and plenums this weekend since I will be out of a truck for a couple of weeks. I can't imagine what it's going to be like towing with gas truck again.....

 

Will upload pics. Almost want to cancel the order and go machine my own.

 

Just do it the idiot way and make a giant gasket out of RTV. haha.

 

Hope you get it fixed. I'd pull the motor if it were me. I'd take care of a bunch of stuff while it was out. check the pan for the typical rust. I thought I read on these forums the motor just needs to be lifted just enough to get the pan off and not pulled out of the truck?

 

The engine would have to be lifted quite a bit to clear that gigantic pickup tube that runs from the bottom of the timing cover all the way back to the rear of the oil pan..