Dropped a socket in a unibody and its rattling

dell30rb

dell30rb

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2011 Chevy Equinox with a 2.4L 4 cylinder engine. I dropped a socket inside the unibody. There is an access hole for you to get to the serpentine belt that goes clear through the unibody... when I was removing my socket, the lip of the socket hit the inside edge of the unibody and it fell off, rolling downhill and forward, lodging about where the subframe bolts on.

I have tried to get to it with a magnet on a flexible stick, no dice. My next great idea is to pour in some media that will settle around the socket, keeping it from rattling while driving around.

Right now i'm thinking plastic airsoft pellets. Thoughts???

PS never buy one of these with the piece of trash 4 cylinder. Ours threw a timing chain at 70,000 miles, the replacement (under warranty) engine is now burning almost a quart of oil every 1,000 miles.
 
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Yeah I have those.. I don't think it would work. The hole it went in, is about the diameter of the socket. Then it rolled about 8-10" down and forward. Even if I could blindly pick it up, I would have to maneuver the socket (its a deep well socket) to get it out of the hole.

I could drop the subframe but that would take a full day. I could also cut a hole and weld it back - but I have some experience welding on unibody vehicles which tells me to avoid it whenever possible.
 
Surprised you can hear it, on a rough road I'd think you'd hear a lot of other things first.
Otoh, I couldn't sleep knowing one of my tools is awol. I have a borescope I would try first to get the lay of the land, then decide on a plan.
Have used magnets, not in the hole but on the surface to drag stuff up closer to the hole.
 
Most of those automotive magnet sticks are pretty weak. Maybe you can get a rare earth magnet on a (strong) stick and poke it around there?
 
MAKG1 said:
Most of those automotive magnet sticks are pretty weak. Maybe you can get a rare earth magnet on a (strong) stick and poke it around there?
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Or just put that rare earth magnet on the subframe near a hole and just drive around (stopping and starting briskly.) Hopefully the socket will go by the magnet and attach. Once you stop hearing a rattle, go and see if you can fish out the socket that is attached to the inside frame wall near the magnet.
 
MAKG1 said:
Most of those automotive magnet sticks are pretty weak. Maybe you can get a rare earth magnet on a (strong) stick and poke it around there?
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Or bubble gum on a steek?
 
Expanding foam might hold it in place
 
AggieMike88 said:
Or bubble gum on a steek?
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I have lots of cow magnets, send me your address. Probably on Amazon or ebay too.
 
Well, since the OP already stated the vehicle is a pile, why not just trade in and get something else? (And then, the rattling socket becomes someone else's problem to fix!) :p
 
This is daily fodder for A+Ps (well, the clumsier among us).
P-lead nuts and washers in the cylinder fins? Nah, not me! :D
Mag drive gear rubber bushings in the oil pan? Haven't done that one yet.
Innumerable small hardware parts on the belly of any airframe?
You learn to lay rags and blankets down before hand to catch some of this stuff.
 
rtk11 said:
Well, since the OP already stated the vehicle is a pile, why not just trade in and get something else? (And then, the rattling socket becomes someone else's problem to fix!) :p
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Right now i'm trying to get Chevy to fix an oil burning 70,000 mi engine on their dime, not mine. If that gets fixed I will put some new tires on it, brakes and keep driving it.

I'm liking the magnet idea. Appreciate the offer letsgoflying but it looks like they are less than $10 on amazon so i'll just do that, no need to send me a used cow magnet :)
 
dell30rb said:
I dropped a socket inside the unibody.
Click to expand...

That's what happens on a bad day.

On a good day, my socket rolls onto the ground, exactly under the middle of the car, where it's hardest to reach.

Some people keep a roll of tape on hand, taping the socket onto the socket extension. That way you don't lose it, they say. But I'm too cheap and lazy to try that.
 
NoHeat said:
That's what happens on a bad day.

On a good day, my socket rolls onto the ground, exactly under the middle of the car, where it's hardest to reach.

Some people keep a roll of tape on hand, taping the socket onto the socket extension. That way you don't lose it, they say. But I'm too cheap and lazy to try that.
Click to expand...

What they didn't tell you was when it fails to work, you already have tape on the end of something you can use to go fishing with. Hehe.
 
ktup-flyer said:
All the American brands suck. The LS3 in my Camaro blew up at 48k, and my interior rattles like nobodies business.
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GlennAB1 said:
I'm very happy with my 10 year old Ford Escape, 150hp DOHC 4cyl, 5 spd manual, with 180k + miles on it.
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Let's see about poor cars -

Our 1999 Jeep Wrangler has over 191,000 miles on the clock and runs fine.

Our 2006 Jeep Commander has over 130,000 miles on the clock and it runs fine.

Our 2013 Ford Escape with over 67,000 miles on it runs fine.

I guess not all American cars are junk. Past vehicles included a 1981 Buick Skylark (GM X body) that ran great for years (yeah, I did have to repair/replace some stuff now and then) and a 1988 1/2 Ford Escort that was one of the most reliable cars I ever had. Wasted a lot of money buying the extended warranty, which we never used.

Now, the 1974 Subaru we had? Needed a complete tear down of the engine every 50,000 miles when the head gaskets sprung a leak. You couldn't just pull the heads. Sleeved cylinders, sitting on crush washers. The crush washers had to be replaced whenever the heads came off. Other than that "minor" problem, not a bad car.

And don't get me started on British cars. I had a 1976 MG Midget. Once. For about a year. You didn't walk up to that car without a wrench or a screwdriver in your hand. There was a shop in Santa Clara that specialized in old MGs. They had a bumper sticker I should have bought and on put on mine. "I'll have you know that the parts falling off this car are of the highest British quality!"
 
Ghery said:
Let's see about poor cars -

Our 1999 Jeep Wrangler has over 191,000 miles on the clock and runs fine.

Our 2006 Jeep Commander has over 130,000 miles on the clock and it runs fine.

Our 2013 Ford Escape with over 67,000 miles on it runs fine.
Click to expand...

The first two are just getting broken in. The last one is a baby! ;-)
 
ktup-flyer said:
All the American brands suck. The LS3 in my Camaro blew up at 48k, and my interior rattles like nobodies business.
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Meh.

My Suburban has 188k miles, smooth, quiet, true. Great truck. I intend to drive it several years longer.

My clients (construction businesses) routinely run up 300,000 miles on work trucks (mostly Fords, some Chevy and Dodge), then the foremen buy 'em for personal use for another 100k. In heavy-duty use, Japanese trucks don't hold up as well.
 
Ghery said:
Let's see about poor cars -

Our 1999 Jeep Wrangler has over 191,000 miles on the clock and runs fine.
Click to expand...

But how many track bars/balljoints have you gone through?

Actually this chevy has been fine in every aspect except the garbage motor. If it was a jeep or truck of that vintage I would be on the 2nd set of front end steering parts. The suspension/steering is still tight and feels factory new after 160,000 miles.

The best high mileage car I owned was a 2004 Acura MDX. My dad bought it new and I bought it from him with 190,000 miles. I sold it with 260,000 miles. It looked and ran like the day it left the factory. It never required anything except tires, brakes, spark plugs, timing belt/water pump on schedule, and new shocks/struts at 200k miles.
 
SCCutler said:
Meh.

My Suburban has 188k miles, smooth, quiet, true. Great truck. I intend to drive it several years longer.

My clients (construction businesses) routinely run up 300,000 miles on work trucks (mostly Fords, some Chevy and Dodge), then the foremen buy 'em for personal use for another 100k. In heavy-duty use, Japanese trucks don't hold up as well.
Click to expand...
It's hit and miss. All the brands have their quirks. My engine blew up because the oil pump failed. GM is known for that and water pumps. I'm not big on Japanese cars either. My dads land cruiser has it's share of squeaks and crap falling off
 
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ktup-flyer said:
All the American brands suck. The LS3 in my Camaro blew up at 48k, and my interior rattles like nobodies business.
Click to expand...
My half brother has a 2005 Chevy Colorado that he inherited from his father. It has over 300,000 miles on it and he hates that truck, but it won't break down. He keeps promising his wife that he will get rid of it the next time a repair cost more than an oil change.
 
Getting back to the original question, if I couldn't get the socket out and wanted to stop the rattle, I'd get a can of foam insulation and fill up the rail.

Cheers
 
Foam is one thing I have definitely considered. My concern is that the foam will not make it all the way down to where the socket is hiding. I can't see it, I just know its "down there somewhere".

My idea with the airsoft pellets is that they will roll down to wherever the socket is and pack in around it.

All of these have the potential for backfiring lol
 
dell30rb said:
I can't see it, I just know its "down there somewhere".
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You need a video borescope.

You can get a very cheap $30 dental camera on eBay. It's a small USB camera at the end of a wand. It has an LED for illumination. Use it with your laptop.

You'll find other uses for it as well.
 
Mtns2Skies said:
Every Ford I've owned has been rock solid.
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The only Ford I have owned came in on the hook or was unsafe to drive five times in the first year of ownership. A Taurus, circa 1987. Got rid of that sorry POS quickly.

--Skip
 
Saws all, notch out a hole, stick your fingers up there, grab the socket, gorilla tape the frame piece back in.
 
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