dropped a bolt into no mans land now what

[800PowerFanatic]

I dropped a bolt and its stuck some where. i had the carbs out of the way and everything with a magnet and flashlight for over 2 hours!. Cannot find the bolt. should I leave it to work itself out or what. Im just worried its lodged somewhere and will wear a hole in something then cost ALOT of money later on.

 

[800PowerFanatic]

I dropped a bolt and its stuck some where. i had the carbs out of the way and everything with a magnet and flashlight for over 2 hours!. Cannot find the bolt. should I leave it to work itself out or what? Im just worried its lodged somewhere and will wear a hole in something then cost ALOT of money later on.

 

[800PowerFanatic]

s

Sorry I didn't mean to post two threads. My computer was being slow and I clicked submit again and now theres two oops

 

[trikerider]

You can click the edit button and delete one of your threads, good luck on finding your bolt.

 

[ARMYSLEDER]

You can click the edit button and delete one of your threads, good luck on finding your bolt.

I already took care of it for him.

 

[ippielb]

I dropped a bolt and its stuck some where. i had the carbs out of the way and everything with a magnet and flashlight for over 2 hours!. Cannot find the bolt. should I leave it to work itself out or what. Im just worried its lodged somewhere and will wear a hole in something then cost ALOT of money later on.

just tie everything together plug your lines, and just starting leaning the sled on it's side, side to side, i don't know if you have the option but when i did something similar i took my tractor and lifted up the sled from the rear bumper, not completely but enough, and by front bumper/a-arms. Once i got the sled down, i took off the belly pan and wouldn't you know it, the bolt magically appeared. I'm not familiar with ski-doo's at all, but this worked on my firecat.

on a side note, be glad you know it fell somewhere straight down, i was rebuilding my engine in my basement of my house since my shop isn't heated and it was -40*C for a couple months, and i was just about done, just putting the circlips for the piston wrists... And it went bye bye.... still to this day i have no idea where that wrist pin clip is...

 

[800PowerFanatic]

s

Well thankyou for your input on what you have done. I'll keep trying by tipping it on the side and what not. But I guess my main question was if it was ok to just run it and let it vibrate its way out. and keep checking for it in the belly pan after every ride.

 

[ippielb]

Personally, just myself i wouldn't feel comfortable with it not found. If that little guy wiggles his way to your primary... Spinning at 7000rpm it could kill someone, plus blow up your clutch. My buddy had a clutch weight go off at like 7 grand, it sounded like a gun shot. The weight made a perfect cut out in his belly pan of where it went out. That bolt isn't going to have a set direction on where it could go, could do more damage. Just my personal opinion, i would give it a couple hours of searching then give up.

 

[skibreeze]

XP's have a couple big "dimples" on the floor of the belly that will "hold" a bolt. One is right behind a coolant hose.

 

[pfi572]

I dropped a bolt and its stuck some where. i had the carbs out of the way and everything with a magnet and flashlight for over 2 hours!. Cannot find the bolt. should I leave it to work itself out or what. Im just worried its lodged somewhere and will wear a hole in something then cost ALOT of money later on.

See Snake. Bought one of these a few years ago and the best darn thing you can have for working on sleds.
You can rent them also.
http://www.transcat.com/Catalog/productdetail.aspx?itemnum=36738

 

[Blk88GT]

I've had success hitting the belly pan with my fist to see if I can hear the bolt bouncing to get an idea of where it is. Food for thought.

 

[summit154]

You would probably be ok leaving the bolt if you can't find it...but there is always going to be that "what if" in the back of your head. If that ends up in your primary it is going to be a lot more trouble. We were working on a RMK years ago getting ready to head out West and lost a bolt. Ended up taking the motor out just to be on the safe side. A few hours work, but worth knowing it isn't going to end up in the primary in the future!

 

[800PowerFanatic]

s

Thanks guys I am going to keep looking. And pfi I actually have one of those ! Thank you for the reminder

 

[Redneckhotrod]

We did this in Cooke last year out in front of the Arctic cat dealer building.
1-1/2 hrs of tipping it side to side, lifting the back up as far as we could, nothing.
Until i looked alittle higher, and found the f&#(@!n thing sitting on top of the starter, craddled just right to not move how we were tipping the sled.

(Sometimes it doesn't make it all the way down)

 

[800PowerFanatic]

s

See I swear I heard it hit the bottom but I didn't hold to that and after an hour I pulled the carbs away and was looking and still could not see it or find it with the magnet. So Im just going to keep tipping it side to side and forward and back. Upside down if I have too

 

[Wapow]

If you pull the can, you can get a wire hanger in under the engine and fish around for it. I've recovered several dropped items (bolts and exhaust springs) this way.

 

[joshkoltes]

al

is it an aluminum intake flange bolt? magnet wont do much for that?

 

[800PowerFanatic]

s

No it is not its a magnetic bolt from the frame part behind the secondary

 

[glmtnapex]

If I had a dime for every time this has happened to me.....

I wouldn't feel comfortable riding it until I found it.

You said you thought you heard it hit the bottom? Can you hear it roll around when you tilt the sled side to side? If not, my guess is that it's 'lodged' somewhere on the motor. Use a strong shop light and a mirror to see around corners. Sometimes it's right in front of you and you don't see it because the light is not good enough.

Also, did you check the floor around the sled? Sometimes it finds it's way out by itself and you end-up wasting a lot of time and effort for nothing.

Good Luck!

 

[800PowerFanatic]

s

I can't heaer it roll around, so I figured its lodged somewhere. I will try my camera thing tonight and the mirror thing. I think I will definatly look around on the floor I never thought of that. Gosh That'd be a relief.