Turn the engine by hand?

[fiasco]

Ah, the ongoing drama of my haphazard attempts at auto maintenance.

So I dropped a washer. That's right, a washer. And I can't find it. What does that have to do with turning the engine by hand, you ask? Well, the thing is, while I didn't see the washer fall, I heard it slide off the warm-air tube bracket - in the vicinity of the timing belt cover.

Didn't see it fall. Haven't seen it since, despite much looking and probing with magnets.

So here's my dilemma. If it fell on the radiator side of the timing belt cover, it's probably not in a real dangerous place. May have even fallen through and rolled off into a crack in the earth or some such thing. On the other hand, if it fell on the engine side of the timing belt cover, it could easily be in a hidden little crevice, just waiting to be pulled in between the timing belt and one of those toothy pulleys.

So I'm afraid. Mostly afraid to start the car for fear of creating not just damage, but destruction in what Mark keeps reminding me is my "interference engine". All of which begs the question - is there any easy way to turn the engine by hand to see if the errant washer will show itself.

Simple, right? Hope so.

Thanks!
-- se

[So Cal Mark]

you can turn it easily with a 1 1/2" socket and ratchet. Without that, pretty hard to turn. An option is to remove the timing cover and see if the washer falls out. I'd leave the water outlet in place, and remove the t cover bolts and just wiggle it around, If you have a long telescoping magnet, the loose cover should give you room to reach down to the aux shaft pulley and lower

[TulsaSpider]

You can also turn it, albeit slowly, by putting a ratchet on the alternator and pushing down on the belt with your other hand. Actually what I would do is remove the cover as Mark said. Another thought is pull the coil wire and bump it over with the starter a few times. It won't start that way.

[fiasco]

Loosened the cover up and shook it around - nothing fell out, and I didn't find anything by digging around some more with a flashlight and 'magnet on a stick'.


Mark - Just a shot in the dark here. The washer I am looking for is off the frontmost stud that the warm-air tube bracket attaches to. When I left the car with you, I'm not sure there even was a washer on that stud. It didn't have a rear stud, and you added the rear stud when you put it all back together. So the rear stud had a washer that you put on it when you added the stud. I don't suppose you remember whether or not you put a washer on the front stud, do you? I know, obscure detail to ask you to remember.

The thing is, since I never actually saw a washer fall, it's possible that I just heard something else sliding around, and then assumed that I lost a washer because there was no washer there.

Man, it's the little stuff that kills you.
-- se

[So Cal Mark]

I believe I did add a washer to that bracket when I bolted it down, but I wouldn't swear to it at this point. Geez, at this age sometimes I forget the way home after work

[fiasco]

Shoot!

Looks like I'm just gonna have to start it and see what happens. Or is that just stupid?

-- se

[So Cal Mark]

it would be a long way for that washer to go to end up in the timing belt. Cranking it without the coil wire in is a good suggestion. After a few revolutions, check the timing belt alignment. If it's still right starting shouldn't be an issue

[spiderrey]

do you have a compressor? if so blow air thrugh the area. once the covers off, it should be obvious if the washers there with a little poking around. are you back to work tommrow? if not, im off.

[fiasco]

After what I considered an exhaustive search, I started her up with no negative consequences.

Thanks for all your help everyone.
-- se