You'll love this one.

I just did the most stupid thing!

I just got my Cylinder Head re-done on my 89 300 CE 3.0 and I'm just ready to begin putting things back together. . Well...through some amazing display of physics or the paranormal or perhaps just Murphy's Law, the metal button from my flannel shirt sleeve managed to just "un-sew", come loose what-have-you at the exact time I was reaching above and opening the hood to the fully opened position.

Where did it go you ask? It took a nice "bounce off" of the radiator and then straight into the air and came right back down into the timing cover! - Remember that pit you get in your stomach when you do something bad? Well now I have it...

After further inspection, I saw the button sitting about 1/2 way down on the chain. No magnetic pick-up tool I have here has a small enough head to get down there and my "claw" type pick-up tool won't reach it as well.

I managed to magnetize a peice of bailling wire after I bent a hook on the end of it. Now I actully have the button hooked through one of the holes and "hanging" but due to the "wide bend" of the hook, I feel that I will loose the button on my way back up through the chain, and tensioner.

Since the top part of the motor is already off. The motor mounts are obviously right there. I have my engine hoist and I'm wondering if I should just remove the mounts and related items, raise the engine, remove the oil pan and drop it down.

Does anyone have any ideas or better yet a picture of the front of the 3.0 with the timing covers and accessories off? So I can see what the space looks like below the area where the button is.

I'd be glad to give it a shot pulling it straight up but if I loose it, I'm not sure I'll be able to find it. It's a pretty "beefy button" and Since I have a hold on it now, I don't want to loose it. It may be small enough to retreive with my magnetic pickup tool through the oil pan drain plug before I remove the pan but I'm not sure. (and that's if I could even get it into the pan). I don't want to risk having it drop and then not make it to the oil pan.

Any ideas??

I feel for you CE4me. The only thing I can think of is to use a thin piece of rod, metal, wood, whatever, and dab a glob of gasket sealer #2 on the end. Then, holding the rod as you would a billiard cue stick, guide the tip down towards your button. Push the sealer against the button so the button sticks to the rod, and carefully pull it straight back out. I used this trick successfully in a similar situation, and it worked. You just need the hands of a brain surgeon. I couldn't find a brain surgeon, so I had to do it myself.

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CE4me, why not use another piece of bailing wire with a hook on the end on the other side of the button in a different hole so that you've got a 'grip' on the button and pull it straight up. I'm really curious how this turns out for you. I've always thought things like this only happened to me.

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Fred Hoelzle

It's a shame but the bailing wire has few "bends" to it. It's (the button) on the "right side" of the timing chain cover (opposite side of the tensioner_ and there is'nt really a lot of room in there. Right now, the button is almost sitting vertical and I now see that the wire is'nt quite into the button hole... but actually holding the the button where it sits.

I'm looking now to see if one of my manuals has a photo or diagram that can give me an idea of where it would drop (if it does drop). I guess at some point I'm going to have to "make a move" and decide.

Looking at where the oil drain plug is and the location of the button and timing chain, I would imagine that it would fall right into the oil pan. (There is however a little "ledge" toward the top of the oil pan.

It's a pretty heavy button and the one I removed from the other sleeve does sink in oil.

I'm still looking at it now.

any chance you could rig some duct tape to some regular plastic straws or coffee straws and hook that up to your shop vac? should be strong enough of a vaccuum at that tiny diameter to hold on to a button at least far enough to have it drop somewhere more convenient...

my buttons usually fall off when I use the toilet somewhere where I need pants to function properly.

good luck

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Is it possible to "drizzle" a liquid glue down the piece of bailing wire to glue the button to it? I imagine it would take a deft touch but perhaps Gorilla glue or something of that nature would work. Let it dry and pull it out.

Tim