Missing Valve retaining nut

[apokon]

The number 6 Intake valve is missing its retaining nut. My concern is where could it have gone? Could it fall into the oil pan and be sucked up? Could it be poised to jam a valve, score the cam, or something else? Should I pull the engine and find it or can I safely replace it comfortable that the nut is floating harmlessly somewhere without endangering anything? I think I know why it is missing. I recently adjusted the valves and the engine did not run well afterwards. I am re-adjusting the valves when I discovered the missing nut. My guess is that I did not tighten it properly and it backed off. Certainly accounts for the poor running since number 6 was not opening at all!

[aigel]

I would not rest until I found the nut. If it gets in the way of the cam or a rocker in the cam housing, you can have some serious destruction. You should be able to examine all of the nooks and crannies in the cam housing without pulling the engine. A magnet and a mirror, both on a stick will help. Note taht you only have to look where the oil lives. The dry areas in the cam housing are excempt...

If it made it into the crankcase through an oil return tube, you are in good shape. It will not be sucked up into the oil pump, because the screen in the sump plate will prevent that.

I would look fairly leisurely in the cam housing and if I would not find it within 15 minutes, I'd pull the sump plate and start searching the crank case.

George

[apokon]

Thank you for replying and I understand that you are saying that somehow I must find the missing retainer nut. I looked in the cam area with a small hand mirror and saw nothing, felt around with my finger and found nothing. So I removed the oil screen in the sump pump and felt around in the crankcase and found nothing. My next step is to borrow my friend's mirror and magnet for poking deeper into the cam area. My question is, where could it have fallen? Or what is the geography like in there? Where can I find a picture?

[aigel]

What a pain. I feel really sorry for you, dude!

You are sure that you didn't pull that nut when you adjusted valves and then forgot to install it, right? I mean, some people drink beer while they work on their car, sometimes too much of it.

Could the nut have fallen out when you removed the bottom valvecovers? I mean, the aluminum washers come flying unless you removed them earlier, so you may have missed the nut?

Get Wayne's engine rebuild book. It has more pics of internals than needed. Actually if you don't find the nut, you may need the book anyway. Just kidding...

The nut may be on it's way in the oil return tube somewhere. If it is in the crank case, it isn't guaranteed that it made it to the strainer. Time for better mirrors and some different magnets, on bendable sticks.

I'd give up eventually, but I sure as heck would search those cam housings to the point where I was 100% sure that they aren't in there. Aren't you glad the cam housings are so nicely accessible.

Good Luck, George