Fprd 8n Valve Woes

[Funford]

Guys--need some help--Dropped the Lash cap from the #1 exhaust valve into the oil drain hole of the valve galley directly below #1 valves--the thing disappeared-I haven't rotated the engine or even tried to fish it out-anyone know if this hole falls directly into the pan past the camshaft? Thanks in advance---

 

[warbaby]

Yes it does.
Take off the drain plug/screen and try to snake a magnet on a flexible wand around in the oil pan to retrieve it. Maybe you are lucky and it didnt fall into
the front baffled compartment of the oil pan. That pan is pretty deep, and if its never been off, there are probably worse things in it lurking far below the
rotating crank and rods nestled securely in the accumulated sludge. If you have another rotator cap handy, I'd just leave that one in the pan so youre always
carrying a spare.

You could put a few cow magnets on the bottom of the pan to help hold it (and any other metallic bits) tight to the pan and keep them from rolling about if it
bothers you.

Now, the real question is: Unless you were installing new valve & guide assemblies, how did those valve clearances get so loose that a cap could come off and
have enough room to slip between the valve stem and the lifter?