Dropped a piece of plastic into engine

[JRZEE2000TR4LTD]

I am not sure what to do, but my sister just added oil to her car and whilst attempting to change her oil and not realizing that she needed to drain it first, she found that she had over-filled her engine with oil. So, she tried to suck the oil back out using straws and turkey basters and my shop vac. Obviously, I was not at home- or I would have stopped her.

As it turned out, she didn't manage to get any oil out, but she DID manage to make things much worse by ruining a turkey baster, covering my shop vac with aluminum tape, and managing to get a straw with some aluminum tape wrapped around it stuck inside the oil level checking pipe.

I have not figured out why she thought ANY OF THIS would be a good idea.

So, I have tried to reach the tape and straw with a retractable claw device (this worked to an extent, but then the claw stopped being able to hold onto the tape and straw) and I bent the tip of a metal hangar to at 45 degree angle and used that to scrape at and pull the tape bit by bit back out of the pipe.

All in all, this has not worked because neither the claw nor the hangar were able to get the straw or tape out of the pipe. So, I am now at a point where either I have to take apart this portion of the engine or we need to take it to a shop.

Which is a better option? Am I missing something vital? Will a home-repair be impossible here?

To OP - I agree with the retractable claw option (if possible) and the removal of the oil pan and pushing out the fragment theories.

Umh, just drain ALL the oil, remove the ONE nut on the alternator holding the tube in place and pull the whole tube out. Clean out whatever is in the dipstick tube and put back in. Check the condition of the oring at the bottom before putting it back in. Fill with the CORRECT amount of oil.

 

[4Runner4Leon]

So, I have tried to reach the tape and straw with a retractable claw device (this worked to an extent, but then the claw stopped being able to hold onto the tape and straw) and I bent the tip of a metal hangar to at 45 degree angle and used that to scrape at and pull the tape bit by bit back out of the pipe.

All in all, this has not worked because neither the claw nor the hangar were able to get the straw or tape out of the pipe. So, I am now at a point where either I have to take apart this portion of the engine or we need to take it to a shop.

Which is a better option? Am I missing something vital? Will a home-repair be impossible here? .

Assuming the debris is still in the dipstick tube, it's very easy. The dipstick tube can be easily removed from the block by unscrewing the one fastener holding it in place - then just pull up and out. Blow it out or whatever, then put it back in. Easy peasy.

 

[Wedgy]

I can't believe you blamed it on your sister.

 

[satek]

Woah, my thread got bumped!

Anyways, my 4runner doesn't see much use anymore, but to provide an update - I never attempted to remove the plastic piece after ya'lls input - it has about 260k miles now and is still driving smooth as butter!

 

[Vansnxtweek]

This is just classic. Poor sister

 

[Lindenwood]

Hahaha I knew it! I'd have tried fishing it out with something and beyond that just left it.

A lot of attitude in this thread over nothing...

The most sound acknowledgement in this thread was the poster who said disassembling half his front end trying to get it out would likely cause more harm than the little piece of plastic.

 

[jasonochs25]

I would do EVERYTHING I could to get it out. If it breaks into or gets ground into smaller pieces, it COULD (not saying it WILL but COULD) get into an oil galley that feeds oh, maybe the crank or a rod bearing?

If you try every possible thing then you did your best and just hope for the best. Chances are that nothing would happen, but there's a reason why we dont want things dropping into the oil or motor. Do your best!!! Were hoping you can get it out!!!

 

[jasonochs25]

sorry...just realized this post is ancient

 

[T4R2014]

The fact that you even let your sister try that. Smh.

 

[mtbtim]

It's for this reason why I suggested in the valve cover gasket video [MENTION=102606]infamousRNR[/MENTION] and I made for people to tape up the wiring harnesses near the valve covers before cranking on them to get the valve covers out. The harnesses will break into a bunch of pieces that could end up dropping on top of your valve train. With the wiring harnesses taped up, even if they crack, the pieces can't fall into the engine.

 

[Mark_BC]

This is a 4runner forum but the entertainment factor of this post makes it worth it. I try not to stick my nose into my sister's business but she has a Toyota Echo small car and I overheard a comment that she will just drive it until things break. Well you know who's gonna be buying her a new car given her financial situation... so I am now demanding that she do maintenance on it. My mom says "Oh it's OK, she tops up the oil!". OMG WTF, they don't understand that you shouldn't have to top up the oil!!!! It's probably been 5 years since she changed the oil, I wouldn't be surprised if it's 10 years and 100,000 km. The reason she needs to top up the oil is because it's leaking and burning oil because it has become corrosive and is eating the engine away from the inside!!!!

 

[beefsix]

Holy crap? Leave it in there? How stupid are you people? Wow! Please don't give technical advice if you're afraid to turn a wrench... Just dumb. It's not your engine or your wallet so you feel you can type to hear your fingers hit the keys and stroke your ego at the expense of this poor guy...

If you're REALLY lucky it'll get stuck in such a way that it doesn't hurt anything. If that happens, get a lotto ticket. Unfortunately, it's plastic and it will either melt and clog an oil galley to overheat your engine or ruin your bearings (new engine time), or it will shatter into little pieces and tear up your bearings (new engine time). It's not heavy enough to just sit in the bottom of the pan and the flow of the oil will draw it to the return. If it plugs the return, it'll starve the whole system of oil and ruin your bearings (new engine time). I could go on and on about how not fixing the problem will be a problem, but suffice it to say you need to face the facts, man up, and fix it. Alternatively, scrap the truck and get a new hobby.

Get an oil pan gasket kit and drop the oil pan. If you're lucky it'll just be sitting there at the bottom (not likely, but it could happen). If there's a windage tray (there likely is in an engine this modern), you may have to pull it as well. If it's still not readily visible, you should be able to see daylight at that level of disassembly and see where it's stuck. Poke it out the way it came in with a long clean stick (magnet on a stick sort of thing). Then, have a beer and congratulate yourself on not ruining your truck. If you have your gasket kit ahead of time, have the manual, and have the tools, you should be able to do this all in an afternoon. It's really not that hard at all.

Are you always this opinionated over a little piece of plastic?

It's going to get pulverized and do just about nothing. Best case scenario, think positive, think smart. It cracked easily enough (from heat most likely) to just flop off and be useless, so what makes you think it's going to annihilate an entire engine? Do you really think a 3.4 would die from a little piece of wiring harness getting into a hot engine, and then smashing about into bits of nothing? Would anyone buy these engines if something like that could stop it?

There are worse things these engines have seen and will continue to see.

I've had the ring from an oil cap go into a 2.5L Ford engine (way more plastic than what this guy is talking about) and thought it was the end of the world, too.

***** still runs

 

[Friday88]

Woah, my thread got bumped!

Anyways, my 4runner doesn't see much use anymore, but to provide an update - I never attempted to remove the plastic piece after ya'lls input - it has about 260k miles now and is still driving smooth as butter!

Hell of a follow up lmao. when I did my valve cover I taped it up to prevent the pieces from going everywhere, but a couple still fell in. I spotted this and was able to pull them out though.

 

[TheDurk]

I would do EVERYTHING I could to get it out. If it breaks into or gets ground into smaller pieces, it COULD (not saying it WILL but COULD) get into an oil galley that feeds oh, maybe the crank or a rod bearing?

If you try every possible thing then you did your best and just hope for the best. Chances are that nothing would happen, but there's a reason why we dont want things dropping into the oil or motor. Do your best!!! Were hoping you can get it out!!!

...after getting past the return screen and the oil filter? I don't think so. Those galleys are fed from the oil pump, not by oil draining down from the top. The only thing the plastic could do is partially block a drain passage to the crankcase or get stuck to the return screen. Even if it blocked a drain passage completely, I don't think it would be a problem. There are plenty of ways for oil to drain down. I'd make a good faith effort to get it out, and then I'd take my chances, just as the OP did.

 

[jasonochs25]

I had a chunk of a valve spring "get past" a screen on one of my old trucks. It locked up the oil pump. Different car different year, different everything, BUT..I wouldnt ever say it cant happen

 

[Toyotatrade]

Personal experience on this one. I dropped part of my pcv grommet into my valve cover. The very next day the intake valves on #1 cylinder were stuck open. Opened the valve cover and the pieces of the grommet had broken into small pieces because they were getting stuck between my cam lobe and the top of my intake valves. Now I need a valve job but am not sure about piston or lower end issues until I pull the head.
I know I am a newb on this forum but leaving anything not designed to be in your engine in your engine is not good advice. Maybe it will and maybe it wont hurt anything but my school of thought is why risk it?
It took less than 24 hours to destroy my head. Had I been smarter I never would have started my rig until I took the piece that fell in out. That being said Ive never been very lucky lol.