Greetings. First time posting here.

Anyhow, I was adjusting the valve lash on my engine yesterday...I put the valve cover back on and started the engine, but I was met with a hideous ticking sound. Figured something was still too loose, so I let the car cool down and took the valve cover off again.

What I found was that one of the adjustment nuts on the intake side of cylinder 1 had worked itself loose and is now missing. I don't see it sitting in the head anywhere, and I've tried prodding around with a magnet and a mechanical finger, to no avail.

Could it have found its way down into the oil pan? If I can't fish it out of there, how much trouble am I in?

 

It is quite possible that the nut found it's way to the pan.

There's a screen over the oil pump pick up so there should be a very very low probablilty that it will harm your engine while in the pan.

I'd look the head over again as it's more likely to cause your engine harm if it gets in a valve spring or between cam lobe and follower than if it's in the pan. Chances are that you'll be fine though. Get a new nut.

 

Thanks. Any idea where I could get one? I removed one of the others and I've been around to every hardware store or auto parts store I can think of, but no one seems to carry anything with similar threads.

 

well ur best bet is either to buy a original new one or to screw one out of another engine at the junkyard.

 

Get it from the dealer, it's less than $5.

14744-PR3-003