I replaced the IAT sensor on my moms 2000 Oldsmobile Alero today, the thermistor inside the plastic cage was GONE! The only place it could have gone is into the engine! How bad is it for the engine to have ingested that??

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Ich liebe meine Autos!

1991 Mercedes-Benz 560SEL | Megasquirt MS3-Pro | 722.6 transmission w/ AMG paddles | Feind Motorsports Sway Bar | Stinger VIP Radar | AntiLaser Priority | PLX Wideband O2 | 150A Alternator | Cat Delete
1981 Mercedes-Benz 300SD | Blown engine, rebuilding someday...
1981 Mercedes-Benz 300SD | Rear ended, retired in garage.
2009 Yamaha AR230HO | Das Boot

Excessive speeding? It ain't excessive till I redline!

It isn't good but I don't think that it will end the engine

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01 Ford Excursion Powerstroke
99 E300 Turbodiesel
91 Vette with 383 motor
05 Polaris Sportsman 800 EFI
06 Polaris Sportsman 500 EFI
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Red
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11 Harley Davidson 883 SuperLow

It's softer than the inside of the engine, assuming it made it that far. It's probably still in the intake pasted into some residue. Not worth worrying about, though.