rod fell into cylinder head

liamchops · 08-16-2009, 06:24 PM

89 xj limited 4.0

im an idiot...
ive spent the past 2 months replacing a blown head gasket
and now i think i screwed it all up
as i was bolting the rockers down, 2 of the rods slipped
and fell all the way down
i can still feel the tops of them with the tip of my finger
but there is no way i could pinch them out

is there any way to retrieve them without taking the head off?
i am willing to take any measure to avoid doing that...
it was unnecessarily difficult to get it back on the first time
and i would have to rent an engine hoist again

thank you in advance

XJ4oh · 08-16-2009, 06:24 PM

Get a telescoping magnet and fish them out.

Where did they fall to, though? They should be resting on the lifters, and you should be able to install the rocker arms on top of them without any problems.

Stupid question, but you did re-install the lifters if you removed them in the first place, right?

Gnl.Weirdness · 08-16-2009, 06:25 PM

very very careful with some wrapped long tweezers?

Jeepish · 08-16-2009, 06:31 PM

See whether you can take a drill bit that can fit into the hole and wrap adhesive tap around the end of it leaving ~1/2" of the the tape as a "crown" Pack the half the crown depth (1/4") with some form of adhesive (RTV, form a gasket, etc.) and try to slide the crown over the rod. Hopefully between the tape and the adhesive you'll get enough grip to pull it out.

Try a magnet if you have one

Slip some copper wire next to the rod to see whether it will drag the rod up enough to grip it when you pull it out. (The copper is too soft to score any of the rod/head surfaces.)

Good luck.

tclaremont · 08-16-2009, 06:32 PM

Unless you forgot to install the lifers, where could the pushrods possibly go? What am I missing here?

liamchops · 08-16-2009, 06:34 PM

i didnt touch the lifters at all. i was planning to, but im so frustrated and broke
i didnt want to bother

all of the others seated fairly easily except for the ones for cylinders 5 and 6 (1 rod each)

liamchops · 08-16-2009, 06:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by THachiya

See whether you can take a drill bit that can fit into the hole and wrap adhesive tap around the end of it leaving ~1/2" of the the tape as a "crown" Pack the half the crown depth (1/4") with some form of adhesive (RTV, form a gasket, etc.) and try to slide the crown over the rod. Hopefully between the tape and the adhesive you'll get enough grip to pull it out.

Try a magnet if you have one

Slip some copper wire next to the rod to see whether it will drag the rod up enough to grip it when you pull it out. (The copper is too soft to score any of the rod/head surfaces.)

Good luck.

i like that idea
its dark out right now so ill have to try it in the morning

XJ4oh · 08-16-2009, 06:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tclaremont

Unless you forgot to install the lifers, where could the pushrods possibly go? What am I missing here?

That's what I am wondering also.

Even collapsed there should still be plenty of pushrod coming through the head.

tclaremont · 08-16-2009, 06:42 PM

Another thought, I presume the pushrod has a hole in it. Use a dental pick to hook the rod and pull it up.

I am still flummoxed by the fact that the pushrod fell down that far, though.

Can you back up and explain how this project started? Did you merely take the head off and replace the head gasket? Why was that a two month job?

Mickey_D · 08-16-2009, 06:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tclaremont

Why was that a two month job?

Maybe lack of funds? Or had to go out of town for work?

I can think of numerous reasons off the top of my head...

tclaremont · 08-16-2009, 06:54 PM

Well, those are the best answers. I am hoping he does not have stories about crappy machine shops that mess up the job of rehabbing his head.

liamchops · 08-16-2009, 07:02 PM

background: bought the xj for $1200 about a year ago. ran very well for about 4 months and then it started
overheating. i took it to a shop and they said it was the radiator, so i said okay and they replaced it. it wasnt the radiator. i replaced the entire cooling system. still overheating. turns out the shop closed down very shortly after i left, and my jeep is in worse condition than before i brought it to the shop. aside from overheating, it started losing compression and making popping sounds at the throttle body. so i changed my plugs, wires, cap, battery cables etc. and that did nothing. i finally decided to take it to a credible shop, and they told me it was the head gasket 100%. they were asking $1600 so i said thanks but no thanks and left. so i did some research
and began working on it. on my second day, i got an unexpected call about a family issue so i had to leave the state for 2 weeks. around that time i made barely any money so i bought things as i needed them. im going to add that i started this without any idea of what im doing (besides reading stickeys). now i work 40 hours a week and am preparing for college. i work on it little by little in my spare time, but i have run into so many things like what just happened that i get fed up and leave it for a day or 2. ive had no help whatsoever on this project (physical help) and i weigh a little over 100 lbs so even a small task like loosing bolts tires me out
but anyways,
i have no clue why they fell through, i have not touched the lifters, and i honestly dont even know what any of this stuff does so its difficult to think logically about all of this

im sorry, im just frustrated
thank you for reading

Mickey_D · 08-16-2009, 07:07 PM

Aren't there oil drain passageways in the side of the lifter galleys? (I'm asking other folks, not you liamchops).

I know the 4.0 is a different engine than the 258 I worked on all hose years ago, but I seem to remember there being slots in the side that allowed excess oil to drain back to the pan. Maybe the pushrods slid into one of those?

tclaremont · 08-16-2009, 07:09 PM

I suggest that you go to the top of this page, and click on the link that says JEEP CLUBS. Look for a Jeep club in your area. Ask the local members for help and I am quite confident that someone will be willing to come over and help you out. I know I would if I were in your area.

And I give you credit for trying to tackle a job you have no experience with. That is how you learn.

liamchops · 08-16-2009, 07:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mickey_D

Aren't there oil drain passageways in the side of the lifter galleys? (I'm asking other folks, not you liamchops).

I know the 4.0 is a different engine than the 258 I worked on all hose years ago, but I seem to remember there being slots in the side that allowed excess oil to drain back to the pan. Maybe the pushrods slid into one of those?

it actually does
and now im positive that is what happened
i knew i wasnt completely crazy
thank you

im a member of the virginia jeep group and ive already looked for local people
for parts but the closest to me is 45 miles...

im driving my sisters saturn sw at the moment (FML) so i cant use it long
enough to even get there
ill check again though