While refitting the petrol flap on my MX5 I dropped a bolt into the tank. Will I need to retrieve it or will it cause no problems. Any thoughts.
While I have no idea of the mx5 setup most cars I have had the pleasure of playing with tank/fuel systems of cars which have in tank pumps also have a filter so unlikely to be an issue but would always be on my mind and if easy to get to whip the in tank pump out and drop a magnet stick or on a bit of wire etc to fish it out
The filter should prevent it from travelling any further. Can you tilt the car to one side (to move the bolt into a corner) and then use a magnet on a stick to retrieve it?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/SilverlineTools/page/42484CEA-9D4D-44C5-843D-0CF247691BF5?ref_=ast_bln
Flexible pickup tool
Forget it. It won't do any harm. There's probably an anti-syphon valve/flap and youight get a flexi probe stuck in it... Don't ask how
I know
As above, It'll be fine
Helped with an old Volvo once though with an intermittent fuel starvation problem and that had a piece of wet & dry in the tank 
quote:
Originally posted by perksy
As above, It'll be fine
Helped with an old Volvo once though with an intermittent fuel starvation problem and that had a piece of wet & dry in the tank
only problem I can foresee
if it locates itself under the float for the fuel level; causing it never to read low.
I think I will see how it goes and wait for a problem. It could turn into a big job to remove it, Many thanks.
oh, another thing it could do is 'rattle'
is it a steel bolt? in an ali or plastic tank? if so a strong magnet on the outside could pull it out of the way
[Edited on 30/8/21 by gremlin1234]
Tintop fuel tanks that I've had to deal with have had in tank lift pumps in them with a mesh basket around the pump to filter out crud. The fuel then goes though another filter in the engine bay. Appreciate you'll know it's in there, but I'd leave it myself - masses of time and effort to retrieve it when it can't do anything in there.
quote:
Originally posted by theconrodkid
quote:
Originally posted by perksy
As above, It'll be fine
Helped with an old Volvo once though with an intermittent fuel starvation problem and that had a piece of wet & dry in the tank
pah, when i was doing breakdowns, i went to an old escort with a fuel blockage, took the tank out and found someone had put a dead snake in the tank, snake was about a foot long
quote:
quote:
... and found someone had put a dead snake in the tank, snake was about a foot long
You need one of those fuel tank anti-python valves for that
like
Knowing mx5 fuel tanks, although the fuel pump and sender assembly is easy to get at, the access you get into the tank with it removed is still poor,
so the effort to remove it outweighs the risk so just keep it as it is. There is a large sock filter on the mx5 pump assembly so there is no danger of
it blocking, and the sender doesn’t hit the bottom of the tank so you would still know it is low on fuel anyway. Might hear rattling but I doubt
it.
All the above being said, are you aware that the fuel filler pipe has a large ball in it that acts (I believe) as a rudimentary roll over protection
device? It is possible the bolt could be stuck at that point, if you could carefully remove the pipe from behind the flap in the boot you may find the
offending article there..
quote:
Originally posted by theconrodkid
pah, when i was doing breakdowns, i went to an old escort with a fuel blockage, took the tank out and found someone had put a dead snake in the tank, snake was about a foot long