Screw dropped into radiator

dean333

dean333

Well-known member
I was adjusting the position of the radiator cap base of a greyhound on my 33….the screw, lock and flat washer fell off out of sight into the radiator. Need I worry??
 
I would think the screw will hang up in one of the passages. The washers on the other
hand may cause a problem in the future .
Vic
 
do not run the eng. , pull the radiator, turn it upside down and try and shake it out of there. If you have a long flexible magnet , you may be able to snake it around in there carefully and "find" your lost parts before you pull the radiator, but drain the fluid first. just my .02
 
Wait, Tim. Those guys are scaring you without giving any explanation on what catastrophe is going to happen. Before pulling the radiator I would want to get some more opinions. Why wouldn't those things simply fall to the bottom of the radiator and sit there forever? There is probably already some metalic crud down there.
 
Drain sufficient coolant to be able to see the top of the tubes. Hopefully, you can then see the missing pieces. If they are ferrous, use a magnet on a flexible stick to retrieve them. Good luck! I always try the simplest method first. If all else fails and you're particularly concerned, you'll need to remove and invert the radiator to shake the bits free. But, honestly, what real damage will they cause; all they will do is sit on top of the tubes, partially obstructing the flow through said tubes.
 
Does your radiator not have the baffle in the top tank. in my 33 there is a baffle with the over flow 3/8m tube sticking through.
Lawrie
 
The sky is not falling, all parts will remain in the top tank until flushed out, none small enough to enter the tubes, which is the only way to the bottom tank. Consider if it's time to remove and give your radiator a professional clean-out, or to do a driveway flush-out. Work smart to keep your engine compartment clean while you redirect the top hoses with a sock to catch your parts and other debris while you backflush. Another option worthy of consideration would be to take a cooler full of beer to the front porch and have a friend over to help you drink it.
 
dean333 said:
I was adjusting the position of the radiator cap base of a greyhound on my 33….the screw, lock and flat washer fell off out of sight into the radiator. Need I worry??
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No worry. The parts will sit in the top and not go anywhere that will cause problems. I'd use a flexible magnet to fish around and see if I could retrieve them but if not I'd forget about it and drive.



Terry
 
ford38v8 said:
The sky is not falling, all parts will remain in the top tank until flushed out, none small enough to enter the tubes, which is the only way to the bottom tank. Consider if it's time to remove and give your radiator a professional clean-out, or to do a driveway flush-out. Work smart to keep your engine compartment clean while you redirect the top hoses with a sock to catch your parts and other debris while you backflush. Another option worthy of consideration would be to take a cooler full of beer to the front porch and have a friend over to help you drink it.
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Sage advice indeed.
 
I had success with a similar predicament with a modern car buy attaching a 1/2" diameter hose to the end of my shop vac. Stuck the hose in and managed to get the small part sucked out. The nut or washer wasn't going to cause a problem if it stayed in the radiator, but it bugged me enough to give the vacuum cleaner a try after I failed with a magnet.
 
Isn't it possible that they could get into the pumps through the upper hoses? If so, could they damage one of the pumps? If you're going magnet fishing, you might have better luck going into the radiator through where the upper hoses are attached than through the cap. IHMO
 
I have been in this type of predicament before but by dropping a nut down the air intake of a large diesel engine. I was very lucky to retrieve the nut ( 1/4" ) which had dropped a long ways into the motor. I went to the store and got two large packs of " Double Bubble" chewing gum. Knawed on all of it for awhile and then wrapped it around a loop on the end of a flexible wire. Went fishing and on the first try got the nut out. I was greatly relieved!
 
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