Foreign object in engine

[JimmyC Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close JimmyC]

G'day all if you have a read of the decarb thread I also mentioned it there.
Today while cleaning the intake the small tip of the sprayer ended up in the intake manifold. I can't find it on the ground anywhere so I'm assuming it's inside the engine. No strange noises and no performance issues.
It's run and driven fine for about 20 mins so far.
Pulling apart the manifold is not an option where I am at the moment and the nearest mechanic is 400km away.
Should I get it towed or since the plastic bit was so small (about a tic-tac size), tapered at one end and hollow will it pass through the engine?

[adrian5800 Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close adrian5800]

It's likely to have been squashed flat between a piston and the head and then melted somewhat if not entirely, the worst that can have happened is it has damaged the turbo on the way out. Or not.
I have witnessed a few objects pass through diesel engines over the years, one was a paper coffee cup that flew out the exhaust shredded to pieces (though wasn't a turbo diesel - just a Leyland 400) and I have seen a rag go through as well on another with no apparant damage. Both were my fault.
Oh the joys of being an apprentice..

[JimmyC Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close JimmyC]

It's likely to have been squashed flat between a piston and the head and then melted somewhat if not entirely, the worst that can have happened is it has damaged the turbo on the way out. Or not.
I have witnessed a few objects pass through diesel engines over the years, one was a paper coffee cup that flew out the exhaust shredded to pieces (though wasn't a turbo diesel - just a Leyland 400) and I have seen a rag go through as well on another with no apparant damage. Both were my fault.
Oh the joys of being an apprentice..

That's what i'm thinking and 2 other mechanics have said the same thing. Little bit of comfort considering I'm so far from a workshop.
In my head the worst case scenario is it jams a valve open and a piston comes up and smashes the valve.
Not being familiar with the intake of a prado but I'm assuming that if it was going to go in the cylinders it would have by now?

[adrian5800 Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close adrian5800]

If it had jammed a valve open there isn't enough strength in the plastic to deform the valve by the piston, it would be crushed flat by the valve and spat out through the exhaust.
The turbo wheel on the other hand is pretty fragile and spinning at a rate that could be damaged easily by a small particle but with the heat of combustion it would be pretty safe to assume the plastic would have smeared/stuck to some part inside the engine and be burnt away pretty quickly.

I wouldn't worry.
IMO

[adrian5800 Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close adrian5800]

In hindsight, a strip down and clean of the intake is advisable next time??

[JimmyC Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close JimmyC]

In hindsight, a strip down and clean of the intake is advisable next time??

I have learned a valuable lesson today.

[Bushbasher Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Bushbasher]

I dropped a 10mm socket into the inlet on my 347 Windsor once. Luckily it didn't drop into the piston and I managed to grab it with a flexible pickup tool after a bit of jiggling.

I also once bought a used V8 from a swap meet. Tore it down first when I got it home only to find a inch and half split pin sitting on top of the piston.

[JimmyC Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close JimmyC]

I dropped a 10mm socket into the inlet on my 347 Windsor once. Luckily it didn't drop into the piston and I managed to grab it with a flexible pickup tool after a bit of jiggling.

I also once bought a used V8 from a swap meet. Tore it down first when I got it home only to find a inch and half split pin sitting on top of the piston.

When it happened i had never s**t myself so bad then what i did then. I hear all these stories about how a tablespoon of water can destroy a diesel (i know that water is not compressible) and how modern engines are so finely tuned that the smallest thing can destroy them.
I'm hoping that Adrian5800 is right in that it's now just a puff of smoke out the back of the car.

[retroenduro Member Find all posts View Profile Close retroenduro]

plastic, diesel.... it all comes from the same place anyhow

[chilli86 Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close chilli86]

I think most of us may of had something like this happen....

I was replacing the turbo - exhaust gasket and dropped a nut down the throat of the turbo.....quick trip to bunnings to buy all sorts of tools....ended up using a flexible pickup tool with magnets to pull it out.

[JimmyC Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close JimmyC]

Well it made it the 500km home today without an issue. Every little sandy bit on the road that made the car slow slightly made my heart skip but no engine issues. I think i can safely assume it's gone through the engine. I bought an inspection camera today so i'll shove it down the intake just in case it's there caught on something.

[LeighW Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close LeighW]

Quite possibly it didn't go down the inlet if you didn't actually see it go down,
not hard to drop things in the engine bay and for them not to fall to the ground,
you may find it one day stuck behind something, on top of the sump gaurd etc.

[JimmyC Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close JimmyC]

What happened was I was using the product as described putting it down the intake whilst the engine was at 2k RPM. As I was pulling it out the tip got jammed on the butterfly and the hose disconnected so the engine was running with this thing jammed in the valve. I went round and shut down the engine and when i got back the plastic bit was nowhere to be seen. The butterfly valve was about 30 degrees open now (as opposed to about 10 deg or so when the thing was jammed).

[Gordon Member Find all posts View Profile Close Gordon]

Just another note. I used some pretty expensive exotic intake cleaner sprays, then finally stripped it down to clean properly. Pretty sure the sprays did absolutely nothing