[Docl]

As I was taking off the right side tank cover to fix my seatbelt, I dropped my screwdriver down in the bowels of the engine compartment.:facepalm I know there is a lower pan on the car so it has to be resting comfortably down there.
How hard is it to retrieve my tool and what is the easiest way to get it?

I also learned very quickly that to work on an Esprit that you need special tools. Luckily I have a lot of spare dental instruments at home for my DIY projects. My locking surgical Hemostat was great at removing the little screws holding the retractor cover. The next time any of you visit your dentist, ask him/her if you can have a spare locking hemostat. LOL. I've given a lot of my patients old instruments that I no longer use for their arts and crafts hobbies. I cannot give instruction on how to use such instruments, nor can I advise that you perform your own DIY dentistry.

 

[mpesik]

Hi.
With the newest advertisement that Follows this forum, perhaps you ought to try the VagiSense internal probe.

 

[MidLifeZ]

Hi.
With the newest advertisement that Follows this forum, perhaps you ought to try the VagiSense internal probe.

EWWW... TMI

what ads you see are based on the users recent Google searches... dont want to know what you were searching prior...

 

[irox]

What ads?

 

[Uncle Sam]

As I was taking off the right side tank cover to fix my seatbelt, I dropped my screwdriver down in the bowels of the engine compartment.:facepalm I know there is a lower pan on the car so it has to be resting comfortably down there.
How hard is it to retrieve my tool and what is the easiest way to get it?

Joke #1 punchline: Get a long straw, but you might not want to drink it now.

Joke #2 has something to do with going downtown,finding a streetwalker, and a zipper.

 

[ESPREE]

You need one of these:

MAXCRAFT 60184 3-in-1 Flex Lighted Magnetic/Claw Pick-Up Tool - Hand Tool Sets - Amazon.com

Or

[ame]http://www.amazon.com/TEKTON-7610-Telescoping-Lighted-Magnetic/dp/B0062PACX2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1399120920&sr=8-2&keywords=Telescoping+mirror+light+magnet[/ame]

And maybe a telescoping mirror as well:
[ame]http://www.amazon.com/TEKTON-7609-Telescoping-Lighted-Inspection/dp/B0062PBMUY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1399121179&sr=8-1&keywords=Telescoping+mirror[/ame]

Hope this helps - They are pretty indispensable!

 

[Alansglide]

I can not tell you how many times dental instruments have come in handy in one hobby or another .

I was a manufacturer's rep for 25 years before I retired, and seem to have collected more then my fair share of instruments and other items.


Locking cotton pliers and single tims being two of my favorite

Alan

 

[maxvelocity]

Jack up the rear of the car. Use stands. The belly pan is not solid there are openings. Once the car is up stick your arm in the opening and feel around

 

[Bane]

Hi.
With the newest advertisement that Follows this forum, perhaps you ought to try the VagiSense internal probe.

You do know the ads are tailored based on your search history right?

All I get are Mini dealerships, Vision Function, Sector 111, and Tire Rack. You just gave all of us a good idea of what you're looking at when not on Lotus Talk

As for the original question, I have a series of claw type and magnetic retrieval tools after working on mid-engine cars for so long. I just did this yesterday and had to lift the car and get it from underneath (and this was on our R53 Mini Cooper).

 

[maxvelocity]

You do know the ads are tailored based on your search history right?

All I get are Mini dealerships, Vision Function, Sector 111, and Tire Rack. You just gave all of us a good idea of what you're looking at when not on Lotus Talk

As for the original question, I have a series of claw type and magnetic retrieval tools after working on mid-engine cars for so long. I just did this yesterday and had to lift the car and get it from underneath (and this was on our R53 Mini Cooper).

LOL All I get are ads for POR15, tirerack, and other automotive products. I use fairly strong magnets too. Some are strong enough to work through body panels

 

[Gallagher]

Haha! Too funny Mike! Tire rack ads for me!

If you jack your car up and put it on stands you can get your head up beside the trans enough to have a look around. I know this because I also dropped a screwdriver down there last night....successfully retrieved!

 

[R4Racin]

The power of the magnet!!!!
One of the nylocks for my fuel door popped out while I was removing it and rolled into the gas tank (don't ask why the cap was off). I took the end off of my magnet pointy thing and tied a string to it, lowered into the tank and got it out!
I'd take a strong magnet and run it over the bottom of the tray and move the screwdriver to an accessible area. Sounds easy!
Or turn the car upside down and shake!

 

[jtrealty]

There are so many nooks and crannys for stuff to get stuck in when you drop it that you may never find it again. Especially if you dropped it alongside the fuel tank. Magnets are useful but only if the thing you dropped is magnetic. Gripping tools only work if you can see it. Bottom line, don't drop stuff because you will spend more time looking for it than the actual job. As for searching and ads use this search engine:

duckduckgo.com

Stay away from Google, they track you and keep and sell the history. That's why you get those targeted ads.

David Teitelbaum

 

[carbuff]

Anytime there are "uncharted nether regions" under where I am working, I try and stuff paper towels in there FIRST to catch the hardware and tools.

That said, I have been able to retrieve almost all of the stuff I drop. :clap: (When I pulled my gas tanks, the only thing I found was one of the speed nuts that the quarter window sail panels attach to.) :up: I was expecting more!

In the gas tank area, the engine undertray (not on V8s) needs to be removed. Then, the "access hole", as big as a fist, provides a means to swing a magnetic pickup tool under there.


EDIT: How come my adverts are for universities and "Self-Help For Dummies" books?

 

[Docl]

Thanks for all the suggestions on the tool retrieval, I'll get to to during the week probably. I've owned a lot of cars, motorcycles, and boats, and the Esprit is probably be the hardest machines I've ever worked on. It makes working on teeth in a black hole, upside down, looking in a mirror, while using a Laser, a piece of cake.

As for the ads coming up in this thread. For me all I see are ones for Honda, Nissan, and AT&Crappy.

 

[mpesik]

All I know is that I have been looking on -HOW TO GET YOUR EX WIFE OUT OF YOUR LIFE WHOS A TOTAL - # U N T!

 

[MidLifeZ]

All I know is that I have been looking on -HOW TO GET YOUR EX WIFE OUT OF YOUR LIFE WHOS A TOTAL - # U N T!

Dude, really? go to facecrap with that BS... sheesh..

 

[mpesik]

Dude, really? go to facecrap with that BS... sheesh..

Hello Kenny.
As you are aware I have even pm'd you to make peace.
This was to be abit of comic relief but you dont get it.
I once said I will give the seats the"Oil of Olay treatment"and you thought I was serious.:facepalm
Please dont provoke me into saying something a bit harsh about your overdone Lotus labels and how you identify yourself.
I read your posts but they are mainly about buying jewellery and trinkets for your car.
Nothing really technical.
Mike.

 

[gmendoza]

Must be a Final Edition thing. My pass side seatbelt was replaced under warranty at 2k mi because the reel got stuck. As soon as it was replaced, the new one did the same thing. It seems there's an alignment issue between the reel and the slot. So as the passenger pull the seatbelt towards them, the edge gets caught on folds over. Then the seatbelt retracts folded and it gets stuck.

So now my wife make a conscious effort to pull the seatbelt straight out and make sure the seatbelt is straight before retracting. Haven't had any issues since.


As for the screwdriver, top places are wedged against the alternator, against the motor mount, between frame tubes near the motor mount, in the manifold heat shield against the manifold, against the turbo or the flat part of the bottom of the frame in front of the engine

 

[carbuff]

As for the screwdriver, top places are wedged against the alternator, against the motor mount, between frame tubes near the motor mount, in the manifold heat shield against the manifold, against the turbo or the flat part of the bottom of the frame in front of the engine

Heck, I "lost" my oil filler cap for 45 minutes early in my ownership! anic: (That was with the black one as originally fitted to the 4 cyl cars)

Maybe that's why they made the replacements orange? rotfl

Since that incident, I no longer place the cap on the rear engine wall while pouring oil into the engine. :facepalm