'08 GT/CS - Urgent: Where does this go (hard to explain in text, please read)

RSalamon said:

So, I've been hearing a "tick" or loud "tap" sound coming from the engine at idle and low RPM (anything below 1500). Oil level is fine, and it's not detonation or anything like that. Sounded a lot like valve tapping or something like that. Definitely top end. Anyway, so tonight I pull off the cover on the drivers side figuring I'd take a look before I find out it was fatal when I'm sitting on the side of the road .
Anyway, so I pull that off and start looking around. I found a few metal shavings. A little concerned I busted out the shop light to take a good look. I saw a rather large (1/8" maybe) chunk of metal in there. My heart sank. I knew I had to get it out, so I grabbed pliers (mistake, I know) and attempt to grab it. Well, I succeeded in grabbing it, and then promptly losing grip on it. I hear it plink it's way down into here:
http://resting-blade.com/where.jpg

My question is... where do this GO? If you pull your cover, this is on the bottom most part. I believe it's just an oil channel, and would like to assume it goes right down to the oil pan, but I'm not normally so lucky.
Can anyone out there let me know where this indeed does go, and if it doesn't go to the pan, how can I get whatever that was out of it? I do not have the tools, time or space to pull the whole engine out. Heck, I don't even have an accessible torque wrench at the moment, so even pulling the cam isn't possible.

For what it's worth: mostly stock 2008 GT/CS. Please help

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The hole in lower corner of the cylinder head is an oil passage that does make its way to the oil pan. I would be curious where a "larger" piece of metal came from. Have you drain the oil into pan? run a magnet through the oil and see what you find.

SilverGTvert said:

The hole in lower corner of the cylinder head is an oil passage that does make its way to the oil pan. I would be curious where a "larger" piece of metal came from. Have you drain the oil into pan? run a magnet through the oil and see what you find.

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I haven't yet drained the oil out of the pan at all yet. Just to make sure we're talking about the same thing, I believe there were 3 of these same holes, I just took a picture of the one it happened to go down (the rear most one). I'd have to double check, there's either 3 or 4.
I'm assuming if it was small enough to make it INTO that hole, then it likely made it the whole way to the pan? Is there anything "safe" I can run through that channel just to be sure it's not lodged/blocking in there?
I'll drain the oil tomorrow over my lunch hour and hopefully whatever it was will be in there. Shouldn't even need a magnet to find it really, as long as it falls out, as it was large enough that I should be able to feel it.
Thanks for your prompt reply.

RSalamon said:

I haven't yet drained the oil out of the pan at all yet. Just to make sure we're talking about the same thing, I believe there were 3 of these same holes, I just took a picture of the one it happened to go down (the rear most one). I'd have to double check, there's either 3 or 4.
I'm assuming if it was small enough to make it INTO that hole, then it likely made it the whole way to the pan? Is there anything "safe" I can run through that channel just to be sure it's not lodged/blocking in there?
I'll drain the oil tomorrow over my lunch hour and hopefully whatever it was will be in there. Shouldn't even need a magnet to find it really, as long as it falls out, as it was large enough that I should be able to feel it.
Thanks for your prompt reply.

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Yes the cylinder heads have multiply oil passages. Hard to say where the metal piece ended up. Have you tried an retractable magnet? Slide it into the hole see if you can pull anything out. Draining the oil would be a good idea either way!

Ugh, so nervous now. I really hope it made its way to the pan. Bad thing is, if it's in the pan, it doesn't have to come out with the oil. Just went down to the garage to jack it up and do it tonight to find my floor jack won't lift my car. Oi. Going to run to the store tomorrow to get a new floor jack and pull the oil plug and hope it comes out. I'll also get a magnet... didn't think of that for some reason. Really hope it just comes out so I can fix whatever's needed and get it all back together.

RSalamon said:

I haven't yet drained the oil out of the pan at all yet. Just to make sure we're talking about the same thing, I believe there were 3 of these same holes, I just took a picture of the one it happened to go down (the rear most one). I'd have to double check, there's either 3 or 4.
I'm assuming if it was small enough to make it INTO that hole, then it likely made it the whole way to the pan? Is there anything "safe" I can run through that channel just to be sure it's not lodged/blocking in there?
I'll drain the oil tomorrow over my lunch hour and hopefully whatever it was will be in there. Shouldn't even need a magnet to find it really, as long as it falls out, as it was large enough that I should be able to feel it.
Thanks for your prompt reply.

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First thing to come to my mind would be some oil. Take it and poor it down the channel to ensure its not blocked. That hole is ment for oil so pouring oil down it should not hurt it

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Compressed air might work also, but that does look like an oil drain. I would be concerned as to where the piece of metal came from.

Well, today's the day. Going to get a new floorjack, and open the oil pan to see if anything comes out. If not, I'll have a long evening ahead of me. Thank you all for the ideas, suggestions and input - I appreciate it very much.

The saga continues. I emptied the oil pan and nothing at all came out. I knocked on the bottom of it and didn't hear anything rattle around (not conclusive I know, but something I thought of while I was under there). I fished around a little with a screwdriver as best I could, but nothing was there that I could feel or hear. I tried to peek in the drain plug, but couldn't see anything at all in there, let alone if there was an "object or not".
So, I grabbed a magnet. Felt all around the bottom of the pan and never heard anything sliding around in there. Either there's nothing there, or whatever it was is not magnetic.
I then fished a cable down the oil channel. It hit not obstructions at all. So the channel "should be" clear.
So, I thought "hm, well, what to do". My options are limited with my work space. I don't have the tools or money to drop the pan and fish around in there for it. I have a single floor jack and a pair of stands. So I put it all back together.
I was going to just dump 6Q of oil back in there and fire it up. At this point I'm even questioning whether or not something actually even DID get down in there... I definitely dropped a "something", and it didn't make its way to the floor, but that doesn't mean it went where I think it did, right? :-/ haha... wishful thinking. I figure there's only a few scenarios that can happen by doing this:
1) There is something, and it gets in the crank or something and well, end result: dead engine.
2) There is something and the oil filter sucks it up. Hurray for me!
3) There is nothing there.

But, before I do this, I figured I'd post what I found thus far and get more input here. I don't know engines THAT well to say whether or not a possible chunk of "something" can be fatal for sure simply by being in the oil pan.

In the first place, there should be no metal shavings or chunks where you found them: you need to look at the rockers, cam, etc. in the area of the metal and try to see where they came from. You could have a busted rocker arm.

A far as where it went...well, if it's that big, it should, as mentioned, fall down into the pan, or it got stuck in a oil drain passage. Not knowing where it's from means you also dont know if it's steel or aluminum, and of course, aluminum is non-magnetic. Regardless, once the big piece is in the pan, it cant get pickup up from the oil pump.

If it was my car, I'd drain the oil (looking for metal), change the oil filter (cut it open, looking for metal), and drop the oil pan to have a look-see. There could be quite a bit of metal down there.

But, finding what broke is just as important!

TexasBlownV8 said:

In the first place, there should be no metal shavings or chunks where you found them: you need to look at the rockers, cam, etc. in the area of the metal and try to see where they came from. You could have a busted rocker arm.

A far as where it went...well, if it's that big, it should, as mentioned, fall down into the pan, or it got stuck in a oil drain passage. Not knowing where it's from means you also dont know if it's steel or aluminum, and of course, aluminum is non-magnetic. Regardless, once the big piece is in the pan, it cant get pickup up from the oil pump.

If it was my car, I'd drain the oil (looking for metal), change the oil filter (cut it open, looking for metal), and drop the oil pan to have a look-see. There could be quite a bit of metal down there.

But, finding what broke is just as important!

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That's the weird thing. I found it in the drivers side valve cover. There is *nothing* there with any issues. The cam looks fine, all valve springs look pristine, rocker arms etc. are all OK. Not even burred down or anything at all. I'm more convinced that I knocked something down into there after pulling the valve cover off. I thought I cleaned the area off well before hand, but maybe not quite as well as I had though.
After draining the oil, I found nothing in it what so ever. I ripped apart the old filter and it was as clean as one I'd expect with a hair over 5k on it since last change.
With all of that, I'm really starting to assume I pushed that debris in there myself.
I'm considering pulling the pan to see what might be in there. Bad thing is, I don't have to place to do that here, so I would have to run it to the closest place with a lift, about 11 miles. Having it towed there isn't much of an option due to funds (cheapest place I know of to tow it would seriously cost me over $200. It's ridiculous). Unless, of course, there's an easier way to pull the pan without dropping the K member or having to jack to engine up.

Thank you for your input though