Disaster *DIVERTED!*

[shadango]

Well, I think I just ended my summer and it hasnt started yet.

For anyone following my other threads I have been working on adding awood 1/2" spacer under my carb to try and curb hot start issues.

Well, while I was messing with stuff, I put a shop rag into each side of my edelbrock dual plane intake to prevent dropping a bolt or something into the intake while I was trying different combos.

...and guess what I forgot to pull out before I reassembled....and fired th engine.

None of the emoticons above work to express how I feel right now so I wont bother.

Heartbroken is one word.....pissed at myself is another.

Started it up and once it started she was rapping good and running bad.  Shut her right down....checked for stuff and then tried again..same thing so shut her down fast.

Oil pressure was still there so I was confused......then I started thinking about whether I pulled the rags out.

<sigh.

So I can see the end of each rag in the intake plenum, just barely enoughg to grab.

I pulled the plugs and I can see red shop rag in #8.

I know this is very very bad.

Have I pretty much screwed the pooch like I think I have?

[Moparal]

that's a darn shame. It is hard to rag out a 318 to.  Look at the bright side.  You get to go bigger n faster now

[RB2929]

Shadango-
Keep a positive attitude, if you can.
The actual engine is very tough, heck, its made out of heavy metal.
There's a really good chance that after taking it apart and removing the rags, and put back together, the engine will be just fine.
Come Monday morning, you'll be out a few bucks for new gaskets, and two rags
After all, it's a mopar engine

Ron

[Bullitt-]

Whole new twist on the old saying......I'm betting the damage is zilch to negligible. 
    ...In the meantime have Al quote you a 360 build.

[moparmaniac59]

I feel your pain. I've made some dumb mistakes too; like trying to clean injectors that I crapped up and had to buy a whole new set....cha-ching. I have to agree that since it was a soft rag, you may not have too much damage. Maybe a bent pushrod or valve. The hard part is knowing you messed up, but I bet we all have. It would make for a good thread. Hope it's not too bad. Cool off, have a cold beverage and re-group. You'll be up and running again in no time!! I really could start a thread with all the dumb stuff I've done that has cost me money. You'll laugh about it later. I work on naval equipment and can't count the number of times I've found a rag left in something. Keep us posted on what you find. I've got my fingers crossed for you!!

                                               Matt B.

[72rtchallenger]

you might get the heads checked but i dont think that you hurt much,depending on how hard you kicked your own a$$,,and a chance to work on the car again is always good

[shadango]

Here is what I was facing--





Took out all the spark plugs.....Neither rag would budge as we turned the motor over by hand.....

Pulled the intake off and one rag was only in the plenum and came right out...the first picture.....it was on its way into #6   

The other rag (the second photo) was the problem child.

Let me first say I have an angel of a wife.

she layed across the motor, holding a jar in one hand to catch the gas comingfrom the fuel line and tugging the rag in the other hand while I crawled under the car to turn the crank by hand.

slowly but surely....









And then, one last turn...



There is signifigant stretching to the rag, but it seems that a little is missing....I dont know if some of it could have been burnt or what...with a rag coming thru the intake for that cylinder, cant see how any fuel could have gotten thru.....

I layed across the motor and peered into the cavity and can still see some rag burnt to the backside of the intake valve.....got as much as I could out with a flexible grabber gizmo....cant see anything now in the spark plug hole.

The motor seems to turn fine, the rockers go up and down and don't look broken or bent....the rods all seem to be fine, checking them by spinning them in place.....

What else should I check?  Do you guys think I can get by without pulling the head seeing as we got what we got out or would pulling the head be mandatory? And if I remove one I guess I would need to do both so as to make sure the head gaskets I use match right?

I have no way of knowing how much rag was in the chamber...just saw a little thru the spark plug hole....could I have jammed up a rod/piston?

That loud rapping was very scary....I guess it was because the one edge of the rag had been sucked into the combustion chamber and was preventing the valve from closing. and the rocker was just slapping on there??  Or maybe it was low end...I dont know.     Could I have spun a bearing or something from this assinine mistake?

What else can I check for?

And if you think I can try putting her back together, I assume an oil change will be due since some antifreeze gets into the valley when you pull the intake....but anything else?

In theory, since it was a soft shop rag, would the remaining fibers on the backside and whatever may still be in the chamber just burn off?   The missing piece of the wrag looks more chewed up than ripped off, if that makes sense.

I am kicking myself so hard over this.

How stupid.

i could have had her on the road tonight...instead she is in pieces becasue of a stupid, amateur mistake I made.   

The ironic part is that I put the rags in there while I was working to PREVENT something getting into the engine.

Ifele like such a dumb@ss.

so, tell me what you would do at this point.

Thanks guys.

On the upside of this (if you can call it that), I think I now know I have a "purple cam".......the front end of the cam is very purple.

And to my wife -- I couldnt have married a better mate.   

[Super Blue 72]

Real sorry to hear of your troubles. 

I say get out as much rag as possible, put it back together and see what happens.  It's hard to know the extent of the damage just by looking at it.  Do a cylinder pressure test and see what it looks like and go from there. 

[BIGSHCLUNK]

Wow that sucks out loud! But that aside, I'd think I'd try to run it. That small bit of rag would burn off I would think. You could also try to do a compression test on the affected cyls to assure the valves were straight. 

[Bullitt-]

   What's the pink stuff around the cam?..forward most section.

[4Cruizn]

Wow sorry that sh!t had to happen . . . 

[BIGSHCLUNK]

Good eye Wade,  but I dont see how rag could have got there.

[Strawdawg]

Purple paint


I would do a compression check as well as do the visual that you have done already.  If the compression is comparable and the push rods are straight, I would crank it up with the cover off and see if the rods are all rotating like the others and nothing is jumping around....

I bought a car and later found a shop rag in the pan when I pulled it...stuff happens

[72rtchallenger]

just me but i would probably pull that one head off as you already have the intake off,,may be a waste of time but easier now to have it checked ,,have the valves checked and reseated but thats just me 
 it may be just fine,,as the rag is soft

[dodge freak 2]

I would pour a little gasoline in the cylinder-port and turn in over a little (let what is left of the rag get some gasoline on it)

Seal up the intake and fire the motor up and let it rip at 3,000 rpms for a while to burn the rest of the rag up. 

Unless the rag hold the valves off the seats so much that the piston hit it, I think no harm was done.

You aren't running 11 to 1 compression and a race cam--right? If the pistons have valve relief pockets and your running a mild cam it should be OK.

If it runs a little rough then check the compression, a vlave may have bent but lets hope not.

If it did I see no harm in running the motor to see how it runs.

Now if the heads are due for a valve job pop them both off--no point on doing just one head.