Dropped a washer into flywheel housing

jrapose

jrapose

Senior Member
I am going nuts.... I pulled the rear ,main cap to see why I had a drip....and found several things strange.... the rear main babbit was OK but when it was rebuilt they diden't put any oil grooves. Should I put grooves in the babbit of the lower cap or should I put it back as it was....ungrooved ?

I found that the oil drain tube was screwed all the way up into the bearing causing it not to drain properly. I V-grooved the tube and that cured the drain problem.

THEN when I went to put the cap back on I dropped one of the main cap washers ...and it went into the bellhousing and I cant get the darn thing...I have used every magnet I can find...and I just can not get it.... Ideas?
I have tried everything I can think of to get it...no luck

Should I just leave it ? anyone ever have this problem...I sure don't want to pull the engine to get it out..

So I have 2 questions..... one about the non-grooved cap and one about the darn washer..

Thanks

Joel Rapose
Chester, Cal.
 
Joel,
First of all there shouldnt be a "washer" on the cap... second of all there is a recess in the flywheel. Put your hand in the housing at the rear main and down into the recess of the flywheel. see if you can feel it... you can also use a mirror on an arm with a light to attempt to see visually if you can see it. I am confident that you will find it. There are other things you can do like put a small magnet onto the flywheel through the starter hole and rotate the engine around. It may pick it up if not found otherwise.

You could still put a groove in the lower cap.. as it can't hurt to have a place for oil to be... but it's ashame that when rebabbited that they didn't groove the bearings. Hopefully they have the oil hole drilled for the rear main! If you put a groove in the cap please do so with caution, make sure there are no extraneous high spots left. I woulds assume you already have the bearing clearanced properly.

Good luck!
Larry Shepard
 
Yes I already found the recess....but that darn lock washer went between the flywheel and the bell housing....it's about a 3/8" space... I believe it is now on the bottom of the bell housing....... I did think it was strange that a nut that has a cotter key also had a lock washer.

Today I will go to the local Napa dealer and see what they have in the way of a magnet....my ole magnet on a stick just won't get it...

Thanks
Joel
 
If its in the place that Bendix nuts hide, then get a magnet the size of a .22 caliber shell on the end of a bendable wire looking like solder. Home Depot and Sears sell this tool. Run it in the starter hole and if its where the Bendix bolts go, it should be a quick recovery.
 
I bought my magnet with a lite on the end and it has a flexible shaft. I use it all the time to retrieve washers and nuts that I drop under the cars or in tight spots in the engine compartment. I think that used that flexible shaft magnet to retrieve something that I dropped in my flywheel housing.
 
I found bendix spring bolts and washers in my bell housing that had been there for years! Don't think they hurt anything! Hand crank the engine with a gob of grease or a magnet on the ring gear and see if that picks it up. If not and there is no grinding or binding, I would forget about it!
 
you could try blowing with compressed air in bell housing while fishing with magnet, worked for me. Good luck.
 
IMO you should groove the cap. I did the same thing last fall when I pulled my engine and did a major refresh. If you have no grooves on the cap chances are there won't be any on the block side either. If you want to PM me I will send you some specs for grooving which were sent to me by another Fordbarner last year. I think that if you want your engine to last you need the grooves that distribute oil around the bearing. There was a reason that Henry went to the expense of doing this!

Dick
 
the babbitting people will correct me if I am wrong but it seems to me the groves are not supposed to go 100% to the outside edge of the bearing. I have seen it both ways.
 
I spent 2+hours laying under my friend's 28 Sport Coupe fetching out bolts and washers he dropped in there. What a pain in the ***....but...I got em!
:D
 
OK i found someone who had one of those magnet on a spring deals....(I live in a rural area and it's 70 miles to Home Depot or a tool supply) so I will keep trying until I get that darn (not supposed to be there anyhow) washer out.

Today I think I will drop the rear cap and put grooves in it...it is not my Model A but I want it as good as if I was doing it for myself....and I know if it were mine I would be irate at the person who poured the block ,
What an idiot...no grooves, putting the drain tube up so high into the cap that it would not drain and worst of all..no shim packs...just a total lack of caring about doing a first class job... bums.

But what can I say, the person who "restored the car for lots of money" put 21 wheels on a 1930 sedan...and red velour interior...(the bordello look)


Joel Rapose
Chester Ca.
 
I'm not an engine rebuilder, but I've been told that if you remove the main caps with the engine int he car you should put some upward pressure on the crankshaft with a jack when reinstalling the caps so as to pull the crank full up tight with upper bearings. You might check this info with someone who is an engine rebuilder, or who is absolutely certain about this info.
 
700rpm said:
I'm not an engine rebuilder, but I've been told that if you remove the main caps with the engine int he car you should put some upward pressure on the crankshaft with a jack when reinstalling the caps so as to pull the crank full up tight with upper bearings. You might check this info with someone who is an engine rebuilder, or who is absolutely certain about this info.
Click to expand...

I think the danger in this is more in the weight of the flywheel "bending" the crank cantilevered across the center main.

Of course the transmission pilot bearing will offer support from that direction - but it ain't the same.

Cranks left standing vertical can develop bend in time.

They be "sensitive" machine parts.

Joe K
 
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