well you guys, today i decided i would take my starter out and get it bench tested and to my surprise (not) it was shot, so i went out and bought a nother starter, while in the process of putting my new starter on i dropped a bolt in the bell housing and i cant get it out, and just to make sure if it would be ok if it was in there, i started it and clunk clunk so i shut off as fast as possible........ please tell me i did not screw up worse then i usalyy do, well i know i idd, but how do i get this bolt out!?!?!?

 

Well...... there is no telling. I am not going to try to make you feel worse, but DANG! That could have chipped a tooth on the flywheel, or got sucked up into the clutch disk or damaged the slave cyl.

Open the inspection port on the other side (big rubber plug) and use a magnetic wand to fish the bolt out.

Oh yea, then pray you got lucky.

 

ok i will try that stuff, and another thing, im not a religious man but you bet cha i will be praying tonight!

 

Wow Quackhead, i cant imagine how boaring things would be without you here. Yes, get a magnetic wand, and fish it out, do not attempt to start it again. Praying might help!

 

You could try to break out your Harry Potter wand and wave it over your ranger to make everything new again. SHAZAM!!

 

wow i really screwed up this time. me my dad and my bro my take the tranny bolts out about an inch or so so we can look in there and see if we can see the bolt. but yeah im praying i did alot of praying last night!
P.S. im happy i give u guys entertainment lol

 

I hope you get it out and that everythings still ok.

 

yeah i know what you mean..im hoping that too!

 

If you open the inspection cover on the left side of the bell housing, you can come at it from the starter opening & spray it out with some high pressure blinker fluid.
Absolutely, you do have interesting posts!
Stick around `cause we like you.
I remember my younger years & some of the screw-ups I had. I wish I had a magnetic wand back then. It would have been so much easier to clean up some of my mistakes.
AL.

 

haha that cheered me up a little bit. i messed up really bad this time.. i cant get all the tranny bolts out.. and i cant get the y pipe exhaust manifold bolts out, and i dont have an inspection plate. and im broke as all heck. i dont nkow what to do

 

all I can say is "wow."

 

Welcome to the dropped bolt club... we have many members. I have a tool with an 18" flex shaft with a magnet on the end that has saved me a few times. Also I have drilled a hole in a small magnet and tied fishing line to it for retreiving dropped nuts and bolts. Warning: I hope not to see a thread entitled " How do I remove a magnet from my bell housing". Good luck.
Dono

 

I don't know what kind of trans you have, but I thought all the 5sp models had some type of plug/plate that allowed you to look through to see the clutch. If you really dont have one, then I would say you should try to get it out the same way it went in. Take the starter back off and fish it out that way. I would only remove the trans as a last resort.

 

yeah, i have an auto tranny

actually my neighbor had a good idea, he said that i should i jack up the back end so that the bolt rolls down and then start the truck and hopefully the bolt will fling out. im some what thinkin it will work. right now im totally stuck on the exhaust pipe tho, i cant get any of the bolts to turn at all. so i cant get the top two tranny bolts out at the moment.

 

Bad idea!
If you can separate the bell from the engine a little, you may be able to get a coat hanger in there to fish for the bolt. Jacking up the rear end may help the bolt roll forward.
Being creative is good, but don't include starting the engine in your plans!
AL.