Dropped a bolt

[wlfpck]

So... I was working on my tC today. I had a bolt with a rubber tubing on it temporarily sitting on the battery. I go to pick up a towel to wipe my hands and knocked the bolt off. I have looked everywhere for this thing.

I have checked the ground, the engine bay, everywhere. Still can't find it.

Key thing is that I don't really need this since I have a spare bolt... but I'd really like to find it. I even drove it around on a bumpy road to see if I could hear the rattling and nothing. I'm assuming this is due to the rubber tubing that is wrapped around the threaded part of the bolt. Hoping that the thing just fell out as I was driving it. I checked before and after I drove it.


Any ideas on locating this thing?

[ChIoVnIdCa]

Undercarriage plastics.

[wlfpck]

Checked. I don't have jacks at my college so I crawled somewhat under the car and shook the plastic undercarriage.

No rattling or thumping.

I'm thinking it got wedged somewhere. :/

Hopefully it fell out already on my way to Subway.

[ibr_adam09]

Put in reverse. Floor it. Slam on brakes. Drop.

[Leung]

well at least you know it's not stuck into your tire like the screw i just found in mine. Thank goodness for the low tire pressure light on newer cars otherwise i would have probably gotten into an accident since the road i was on has a lot of curves.

I've dropped bolts and sockets into the engine bay when working there but i have always found them on the gound or wedged somewhere that i could reach. That would drive me crazy knowing there might be a loose piece of metal floating around in there.

[wlfpck]

Put in reverse. Floor it. Slam on brakes. Drop.

Not a bad idea. I'll try that. It was a bolt stuck inside a rubber tube that I was going to use as a plug.

Leung.

Yeah.... that's my problem right now.... I don't even know if it is still in there or not.


Update:

I just put it in reverse, floored it, then hit the brakes. Didn't see anything fall out. I'm hoping that dang thing fell out on one of my drives today.

[h22sparkle]

Its probably on the k frame itself or maybe it fell on the grass. You should just forget about it and move on and take another bolt lying around. Every bolt that I have for my project I keep it and put it to the side just incase if I lose it I have a bucket of bolts I can spare on thats all.

[wlfpck]

Nope checked the ground and the grass around, it's not there.

I bought a bunch of them so I had extras.

What's the K frame?


But yeah... I'm not too worried. I'm just hoping that the bolt wasn't brass. That and steel leads to bad things. But I bought it at advanced auto parts... so it's probably steel even though it was gold in color.

[h22sparkle]

Nope checked the ground and the grass around, it's not there.

I bought a bunch of them so I had extras.

What's the K frame?


But yeah... I'm not too worried. I'm just hoping that the bolt wasn't brass. That and steel leads to bad things. But I bought it at advanced auto parts... so it's probably steel even though it was gold in color.

The k frame is your frame that connects the suspension to the chasis the big bar of metal under your motor.

[cp[mike]]

dude... take it as a loss, your car ate it.

maybe sometime in the future when you are doing suspension work, youll find a rusty old bolt stuck in a corner somewhere.

[wlfpck]

lol yeah. When I change my oil and I don't see it on that k frame, I'll know it fell out.

[Dhsmokymcpot]

its probably stuck on the front plastic piece that connects to the underside of the bumper and wheel wells. Take that off and u'll prolly have it drop down or see it on the piece of plastic. Had to do that once for the same reason.

[wlfpck]

yep. Checked the plastic undercarriage already. I think the next step is like what h22sparkle said and check the k frame.