2014 Ford V-10 Dropped plastic cap down oil fill tube

[waterboy502000]

Heres a good one for you. During the process of changing oil I accidently dropped a small plastic cap down the oil fill tube. At this point I'm not sure what to do if anything. Anyone have any ideas? It's the 362 HP version.

[JoeH]

If you haven't torn out the oil filler tube yet, try hooking it up to a shop vac seal it with duct tape and see if you can suck it out.

[navegator]

Mr: RLS7201

I started working with Diesel and gasoline engines at the age of 12 on my uncles farm, I owned a marine repair in the late 70's then an auto repair shop and have worked for Volvo, Saab, Mercedes Benz, BMW, Volkswagen, Audy and Porche and in San Diego I repaired police, fire, emergency and general heavy duty machinery, excavators, backhoes, rollers, etc.

I graduated as a Volvo master mechanic from the Volvo technical school in Gothenburg, the last engine that I helped repair was 2 years ago, today I am
75 years old.


You would bee surprised at what I have seen stuck in oil galeries in engines and the damage done by things droped in oil filler orifises, specially in marine engines.

Thank you for letting me know that I have no idea how engines work!!

navegator

[RLS7201]

navegator wrote:
It all depends if it is the transmission or the engine oil filler tubes.

If it is the transmission filler tube, take the oil pan off that will drain the oil, it will be messy and if the cap is not with tne oil, tnen take the dip sgick and push the cap down, the dip stick extens below the rim of the transmission,

If it is the engine oil filler neck tube, with a good flash light try see if you can locate it and get it out.

It Will not go down to the oil pan DO NOT RUN THE ENGINE the cap will stay on the valve gallery and can really do a lot of damage.

Should the cap brake into small pieces by running the engine, severe damage will be done to many components by the plastic debry pluging oil pasages and oil galleries , if the cap can not be retrieved, then the valve cover needs to be removed there is no other way.

navegator

How would that debris get past the oil filter to get into the oil passages and galleries?
Obviously you have no concept how the engine oiling system works.

Richard

[navegator]

It all depends if it is the transmission or the engine oil filler tubes.

If it is the transmission filler tube, take the oil pan off that will drain the oil, it will be messy and if the cap is not with tne oil, tnen take the dip sgick and push the cap down, the dip stick extens below the rim of the transmission,

If it is the engine oil filler neck tube, with a good flash light try see if you can locate it and get it out.

It Will not go down to the oil pan DO NOT RUN THE ENGINE the cap will stay on the valve gallery and can really do a lot of damage.

Should the cap brake into small pieces by running the engine, severe damage will be done to many components by the plastic debry pluging oil pasages and oil galleries , if the cap can not be retrieved, then the valve cover needs to be removed there is no other way.

navegator

[wjschill]

Well,gee...wiz, Mitch.

I stand corrected....

Skip

[MitchF150]

The oil is filled from the top of the engine thru the valve cover. For a MH, there will be a long extension tube attached to where the same engine is in a regular pickup truck where you open the hood and there it is..

So, the cap will just be stuck in a spot that won't really let you add any additional oil... It's not going to get stuck in the pan, or even the top of the head...

There would have to be a way to pull the 'tube' off and then clear it out.

It also ain't gonna get into the oil pan... The dip stick goes to the oil pan, but not the oil fill tube... gee wizz..

Anyway, decide if you are going to do it yourself, or take it in to a shop... You can run the engine!! It's just going to have the oil in the pan it already has... You just won't be able to fill it very well until you get rid of the blockage.. 🙂

Good luck! Mitch

[RLS7201]

Chanced are the crank shaft will beat up the plastic cap, The oil pump will pick it up, grind it up some more and feed it to the oil filter, for the end of its trip. It will never get into the lubrication passages.

Richard

[Rocky2]

Am I the only one who thought of using a shop vac to suck out the fill tube?

[wjschill]

I would think the filler tube routes directly to the oil pan reservoir.
The oil pump should have a pre-screen before supplying oil through the oil filter and then to the engine ports.

Running the motor shouldn't be a problem. It's not like the old motors with the sump/splash pickup.
Now, I'm showing my age...LOL.

If it's not stuck in the oil filler tube, just drain the oil and remove the oil pan to retrieve it.

Not a fun job, but very doable.

Skip

[bgum]

rjstractor wrote:

bgum wrote:
When I was a teenager I worked at a full service gas station and a guy came in with a new car he had just won at a school raffle. He had dropped a plastic cap in the radiator and had been fishing for it for a couple hours. I was able to catch it after about 10 minutes.

I would suggest letting the motor idle and look in the hole to see if it will float by.

The cap was dropped down the oil fill tube, not the radiator. Running the engine would be a terrible idea!

I agree pardon my misunderstanding.

[willald]

The filler tube on V10s in Motorhomes, I believe in most cases is pretty long and has a turn or two in it. is it possible, the cap is still stuck in the filler tube, and didn't make it down to the engine?

Ify ou can confirm somehow using the methods already suggested that the cap is in the filler tube, and you can't pull it out with a grabber tool of some kind....Then I'd just pull the filler tube off, then you should be able to push the cap out.

If its not in the filler tube and is already down in the cylinder.....Then like already said, you need to go ahead and pop the cylinder cover off and try to get it out before it does serious damage.

Oh, and like already said.....Running the engine now, before you get that cap out, would be a very, very BAD idea!

[rjstractor]

bgum wrote:
When I was a teenager I worked at a full service gas station and a guy came in with a new car he had just won at a school raffle. He had dropped a plastic cap in the radiator and had been fishing for it for a couple hours. I was able to catch it after about 10 minutes.

I would suggest letting the motor idle and look in the hole to see if it will float by.

The cap was dropped down the oil fill tube, not the radiator. Running the engine would be a terrible idea!

[valhalla360]

waterboy502000 wrote:
It's the 362 HP version.

Good thing it's the 362 HP version. They thrive on misc plastic bits 😉

But seriously, flash light and/or scope and something long to snag it out.

If that doesn't work, it looks like you are popping the valve cover off.

Update: Did it go in thru the cap in the valve cover? The tube for the dip stick normally wouldn't be big enough for the cap to go thru.

Also, don't run the engine hoping to find it. It might just bounce around on the valve train or it might get chewed up until little pieces block something and part of the engine stops getting oil.

[bgum]

When I was a teenager I worked at a full service gas station and a guy came in with a new car he had just won at a school raffle. He had dropped a plastic cap in the radiator and had been fishing for it for a couple hours. I was able to catch it after about 10 minutes.

I would suggest letting the motor idle and look in the hole to see if it will float by.