So I have been doing a head gasket job lately and I Remounted the heads but I have a major problem, in the picture shown, where does this hole go? I dropped a socket down there while I was torqueing my heads (don't even ask it was VERY unlucky) and I am wondering where it goes too. I dropped a snake in there and it got a ton of oil on it and it seems to drop straight down so I am thinking it goes straight down to the oil pan. anyway heres the picture of what hole I am talking about:

 

Its a coolant passage. Try removing the water pump to get to your socket

 

That was my first thought but I just replaced the water pump so that section of the engine is bone dry, so where did the oil come from then?

 

yup, oil pan.

 

Try using a magnet to get it first

 

Well, I am doing a SAS swap in about a month, So, would it be worth getting it now? Or should I just leave it there for now and when I cut off the IFS drop the oil pan then? The problem is I need to start it and make sure then engine runs, I wouldn't be driving it, just start it run it for about 5 minutes to get the timing right then turn it off and go to work on the next section of the truck. Probably a really stupid idea but it would save a lot of time, as I know there is that little screen in the oil pickup...

 

If your saying you would run the motor at all with that socket in there you would be setting yourself up for bad things. Ide get it now while you remember and also the fact Im sure you use that socket more often then not so Ide say again get it now

 

A buddy of mine accidentally dropped a tiny little screw in a VW engine he was building & it seized it up tight as a drum. He figured it'd go on down to the oil pan too, but it didn't....get the socket back out.

 

:*( I guess ill be dropping the oil pan tomorrow unless I get lucky with the magnet first... : / Thanks for the help guys.

 

Im callin Toyota and tellin them they have dopey techs lol.

Thats an oil passage. The coolant passages are smaller.

 

IIRC, there is kind of a "guard", if you will, somewhat protecting the crank and bearings. I remember something to that effect when I look at the bottom end of my original 3.0. I can find out for certain later today.

Regardless, if you're not driving it and just starting it, the socket should remain at the bottom of the pan. But, I would take the oil pan loose as much as possible (without dropping the diff) to see if the socket will roll towards the lowest end. Maybe a slender extension magnet would reach in there. You could try using something like a discarded speaker magnet from underneath the pan.....see if that will attract the socket and guide it towards the widest opening and hopefully you could reach the socket better. I would try something like that before dropping the diff, anyway. Seems worth a shot and save you some wrenching, if it would work.

Wait....scratch that. The socket's probably fallen in the foremost part of the pan. Impossible to do my idea. I guess you'll have to drop the diff.