Yikes! Something you don't want to hear doing a tuneup

[jaxops]

  Yes, I dropped a tiny, tiny screw that held my points on the distributor into the distributor well.  I was frantic trying to catch it with a needle-nose pliers, my fingers, a screw driver, a magnet....nothing worked.  Just before I disassembled the governor assembly I tried a very small magnet on a screwdriver top that fit into the "well" area.  I heard a snap! and the screw was recovered.  It took me, however, a few more minutes to recover and thank the Lord for the inspiration. 

  The points are supposed to go straight into the screw on the right, and then close like a gate onto the 2nd screw on the left......mine surely did not!  I had to remove the left screw to get it on....and that's where I dropped it from my large hands.  "Yikes!"

  I want to hear more "yay!" which is what was said as the car started right up and easily slid into the proper dwell with 2 twists of the L-wrench.  I felt like I passed my engineering board all over again!  Good luck out there everyone!

[Mike Josephic CLC #3877]

Congrats!!

We've all dropped a tiny screw down into the dark
recesses of the engine a time or two.  If you didn't,
then you haven't done much work.

That's why God made magnetic and spring loaded
retrieving  tools!!  I have several varieties at hand
for such things.

Mike

[Saturnin15]

Been there, done that!😂. My phobia is to drop something in the carb or in the intake manifold!

[TJ Hopland]

Is this a front or rear distributor?  Either way at least a distributor isn't that difficult to remove so you could turn it upside down and get it.   Like someone else said down the intake would be a lot worse.   Also good that you knew where it was.  Nothing worse than knowing there were open holes and not being able to find what you lost.   

[chrisntam]

Like Bill Murray's Carl character in Caddyshack so famously said, "Ooh, he got outta dat one!"

Great job!!

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

Been there, done that!😂. My phobia is to drop something in the carb or in the intake manifold! 

That happened to me once.   Well, my car, but I wasn't working on it.

My car broke down as I was on my way to work, in 1968, and I managed to get it into a local Garage (Service Station), you know, those ones that sold petrol and oil, and had mechanics in the workshop, with hoists and the like, and the fella said they would look at it.

Got back there at the end of my working day, only to be told that there was a loud knocking in my engine, and what should they do?   Investigate deeper?

I decided to have it towed home, where I would look into it, as it sounded like the head needed to come off.

What I found was a small piece of spring steel caught under an exhaust valve seat, holding the valve open.   Looking deeper into what this was, I saw another small piece of steel on the piston top, and putting these two pieces together, I could see that they formed a small circle, and that circle looked very much like a spring washer could be made if there were some more bits.

Looking at the Carby, all the screws were in place, except that one was missing its' spring washer.   Yes, they had removed the Carby top and didn't notice one of the washers disappear into the hole in the Carby, so when they solved the initial reason why the car stopped, this little washer went into the intake manifold passage and once it went into the combustion area, it got caught between the piston crown and the cylinder head, and got squished, and broke up.

Only found the two small pieces, so assumed that the rest went into the rest of the exhaust system.

And yes, before taking out the piece from under the valve seat, I carried the head to the Garage and had a quiet word, or two, with the owner, and agreed that he supply me with a Gasket Kit, and I would put it back together, as for some reason, I didn't trust their mechanic to perform the work, plus it meant towing the car back to them.   Luckily there was only a small mark on the piston top which I removed the sharp edge.

Bruce.

PS.   Another reason why I did my own work (where possible) from then on.

PPS.   It was a really loud knocking sound.

[Lexi]

Good work Mark. One day my buddy offered to help in getting the tiny screw into the threaded U clip on the neutral safety switch below the dash. As there was the possibility of dropping the bolt or clip down the steering column tube, I warned him of this. On his first attempt I heard a metallic tinking noise. It was the U clip of course, and it fell to the bottom of the steering column tube. I just left it there and sourced another one in my parts. My buddy felt bad and later bought me a magnetic pick up tool. Still, a rather sick feeling in the pit of your stomach when that sort of thing happens.

Remember 2 subsets of Murphy's Law with respect to shop (& auto repair).., "Things always fall at right angles" and The Spare Parts Principle, which states that "The accessibility, during recovery of small parts which fall...varies directly with the size of the part--and inversely with its importance to the completion of work underway".  Clay/Lexi

[Daryl Chesterman]

I like to use one of these screw holding screw starters for the points screws.  If the slot of the screws is in bad shape, they won't work, but for a good slot, they hold the screw quite well.

https://www.tools-plus.com/hand-tools-screw-nutdrivers-screw-drivers-screw-starters.html

Daryl Chesterman

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

Here is another "gripping" Screw Driver, made by Quick Wedge of Salt Lake City.

Bruce.

[jaxops]

Thanks all.  Daryl and Bruce- yes those magnetic screwdrivers are great.  I think I will get a small one to use for these jobs from now on! Great for big hands, tiny, tiny screw.

[Dan LeBlanc]

Happened to dad once on our old Ford Jubilee tractor.  Didn't realize he dropped the screw down in the distributor and the replacement points came with new screws - go figure.  The tractor ran about 5 minutes.  A distributor rebuild (new weights, and a new bottom gear later) and the tractor was running again.

He's gone, but I still have the tractor.

[Jeff Rosansky CLC #28373]

Years ago I was helping do an annual on an Aeronca Champ. Fabric covered tailwheel plane that looked like a Cub (those yellow planes I am sure all have seen). I was removing the compass and dropped a nut which rolled and fell into the belly via a hole that was there because the boot that covered the control stick was removed for inspection-- A million to 1 shot. This little nut fell into the belly and rolled all the way back because it sat tail low. There was an opening in the belly up front but not one in back so no real way to reach it. Well the plane was light and fabric covered. The guy there turned the prop horizontal and then just lifted the tail of the plane up over his head. He shook it and I could hear that little nut rolling up the belly until it fell out on the ground.
That has been 30 years but I still remember the sickening feeling I had in my gut when I dropped it-And still remember the relief when it fell into the floor. I learned a lot that day.
Jeff

[spolij]

On mine the left screw has a washer on it that's where it hangs up. I glued the washer to the screw. Works great.

[Lexi]

Here is a handy screwdriver that dates back to the 1960s, by Upson Tools. Have had a few of them but the only ones I have seen are for slot style screws. There is a spring loaded pair of "jaws" that grab the head of the screw, (see pictures attached). When not needed, just slide the jaws assembly back towards the handle so you can use the driver normally if you wish. Just the ticket for those hard to reach ignition points mounting screws. Sometimes the magnetic ones can be interfered with by metal close by. This Upson spring clip type occasionally has its issues as well, but generally works quite well. Clay/Lexi

[David Greenburg]

The extendable magnet tools are great, but one other thing I get a lot of use out of isa length of piano wire left over from a project years ago; very useful for fishing things out.  As for starting screws, I will sometimes use a little dab of strip caulk on the end of the driver.

[Lexi]

Yes, sometimes the best solution is to keep it simple. Took me ages to learn that wrapping some tape around the tip of my finger, sticky side out, works best. Clay/Lexi

[35-709]

    A little dab of super glue and about 30 seconds works for me  --- especially when trying to put a stainless screw or nut and washer in a difficult place.