Dropped a nut into the bike...

[cmvsm]

My odometer had moved a bit cockeyed, so thought I'd straighten it up a bit. When I was pulling off the bolt that squeezes the tank to the frame at the front of the seat to free up the tank trim, the nut on that bolt dropped down on top of the transmission case. I went to grab it and it either went towards the back of the bike down the crevice or to the other side (left side) and dropped straight down over by the belt.

I can't for the life of me see anything lodged anywhere, even when I put it up on the jack. I did hear it bottom out on something. Thought it had went straight through the bike to the garage floor, but I don't see anything. I can put my hand through the bottom of the bike through the crevice where I thought it might have rolled off the transmission case, but nothing.

I'm a bit afraid to drive it at this point, just in case something comes out in the wrong spot. Although I'd like to get it up to Iron Eagle tomorrow morning and see if they can spot anything, but it is a 10 minute drive to get it there.

Any ideas on how to locate this thing or advice in general?

 

[Hoople]

What else could you do other than to keep looking for the one that fell or drop another similar nut from the same spot and see where it goes. I would not ride it because then you will never know if it fell out while on the road. Keep looking because it sure didn't vaporize. A wiring harness will hide a nut really well if it gets wedged between groups of strands. Compressed air has also worked for me in the past. Good Luck.

 

[Fossil]

As a last resort get a mechanics telescoping magnet and stik that down into all the crevaces you can get to. You do the old trick of in pitch black get you a small very bright light and start flashing it down into every thing. I assume you did start the bike up and rev it up to see if the nut would fall out. Keep looking and maybe switch sides to look for it.

 

[cmvsm]

Thanks for the responses. The question was basically geared towards any known crevices that the nut could roll into off of the tranny cover.

I looked it over again for about the 10th time, and sure enough, I did find it. Seems to be some little indentions in the transmission housing that the nut found a seat in. I went to Wally World, bought some magnets, and sucked it out of there. So all is good.

Thanks again.

 

[fin_676]

Pesky little rascals those dropped nuts spent a bit of time looking for one to eventually find it between the cooling fins on the rear of the front cylinder but a telescopic magnetic pickup is a really handy thing to have

Brian

 

[Iceman24]

Been there too & I've got a nice little snake-light to locate these pesky nuts/bolts. Luckily I've always been successful - you should be able to locate - just be patient & slowly scan every area where the debris fell...it's in there somewhere.

 

[ProF]

Would someone please explain to me how a hex shaped nut can hit ground and manage to roll faster than a ball bearing straight under my tool chest.

 

[r44s]

Would someone please explain to me how a hex shaped nut can hit ground and manage to roll faster than a ball bearing straight under my tool chest.

Another eye witness account that Murphy is alive and well.

 

[Hoople]

Would someone please explain to me how a hex shaped nut can hit ground and manage to roll faster than a ball bearing straight under my tool chest.

It's Positive Proof that they were all wrong. Energy CAN be created!!

 

[Mad Dog Jim]

Gremlins...

By the way, the exact same thing happened to me. Same nut, same deal. I just got really friendly with the bike and stared at it until I saw it. Fished it out with a screw driver. I was about to give up. Figured it couldn't be anymore dangerous than a pebble flying up. If there's a hole that a rock can get into and destroy the bike, I would think they would have fixed that issue by now