Dropped a socket in a unibody and its rattling

dell30rb said:
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
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Won't either increase the potential for trapped moisture?
 
The airsoft pellets won't absorb anything. Yes its possible they could trap some moisture, although pouring in 1oz or so should not trap enough to cause a corrosion problem
 
dell30rb said:
The airsoft pellets won't absorb anything. Yes its possible they could trap some moisture, although pouring in 1oz or so should not trap enough to cause a corrosion problem
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I'm guessing air-soft pellets wouldn't keep the socket from bouncing around either. They're too light and you can't "pack" them in.
 
Tried something with compressed air? Like a blow gun with a long tube on the end?


Fill the SOB with epoxy to keep it from rattling.

If you're willing to drill a hole near it the possibilities are endless. Push it out or pump adhesive into it. 890B1/2 Proseal in a 6 ounce tube like a caulkgun would probably work really well but kinda pricy.
 
jsstevens said:
I'm guessing air-soft pellets wouldn't keep the socket from bouncing around either. They're too light and you can't "pack" them in.
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I don't think I have done a very good job describing where the socket is. It rolled down, and forward and is now stuck down where the subframe bolts in, which is a low point. Its rattling, not rolling meaning its only moving maybe 1/16" from side to side.
 
Brian that's a good idea with drilling a small hole by the socket and filling with some adhesive. A silicone adhesive might be cheap and effective.
 
dell30rb said:
Brian that's a good idea with drilling a small hole by the socket and filling with some adhesive. A silicone adhesive might be cheap and effective.
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Silicone would probably work ok, big globs take eons to dry is only reason I didn't mention it.

Expanding foam would certainly work but I'd think it would hold moisture and cause a different problem.
 
dell30rb said:
I don't think I have done a very good job describing where the socket is. It rolled down, and forward and is now stuck down where the subframe bolts in, which is a low point. Its rattling, not rolling meaning its only moving maybe 1/16" from side to side.
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Turn the radio up louder.
 
Skip Miller said:
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
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Well that was about 8 years before I was born... so not so sure it's still a valid data point.
 
bnt83 said:
Silicone would probably work ok, big globs take eons to dry is only reason I didn't mention it.

Expanding foam would certainly work but I'd think it would hold moisture and cause a different problem.
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Closed cell foam will not hold moisture. It would probably be my choice, assuming I knew where the socket was located. It could be applied via extension.

Of course, my preference would be to remove the socket, but those buggers can be incredibly difficult to find and recover in hidden spaces. I lost one down a storm drain and wasn't able to recover it with various strengths and sizes of magnets, or by flushing it out with water.


JKG
 
Shoot it, and put it out of its misery.
 
borrow a bore scope or buy a cheap one at harbor freight find it and grab it with something
 
dell30rb said:
I don't think I have done a very good job describing where the socket is. It rolled down, and forward and is now stuck down where the subframe bolts in, which is a low point. Its rattling, not rolling meaning its only moving maybe 1/16" from side to side.
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In that case, I'd expect the air-soft pellets to just sit in the gap (on top of the socket) and move whenever it moved. Expanding foam or some very liquid stuff that hardens are your best bet (other than somehow fishing it out.)
 
Ok, now I'm being serious, you haven't tried nearly hard enough to get that socket out. That socket has kicked your ass, what are you going to do about it? And no, you don't need to put any holes in your vehicle.
 
If you were to run a strong magnet on the outside of the subframe you might be able to drag it out (like the old magic trick of moving a coin on a table with a magnet underneath).
 
Another thought-if you were to pull that subframe bolt, does it (a) have a bushing that has a hole in the subframe big enough for the socket or (b) could you then drag the socket out on the end opposite where it went in?
 
denverpilot said:
The first two are just getting broken in. The last one is a baby! ;-)
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Yup. As long as they are economical to keep on the road we don't dump them.

dell30rb said:
But how many track bars/balljoints have you gone through?
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None and none. Now, I have had to replace a few other odds and ends in the Wrangler. Fuel pump, exhaust manifold, etc. But, good grief, it is 18 years old. :)

Oh, and don't stress about the socket. I have a pair of slip joint pliers in one of my tool boxes that I got back in 1975. From the inside of the driver's door of my 1954 Buick Special. That had been there since someone at the Buick factory left them there when the car was built in 1954, 21 years earlier. They were rusted shut, but a quick shot in the solvent tank fixed that.
 
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Omalley1537 said:
If you were to run a strong magnet on the outside of the subframe you might be able to drag it out (like the old magic trick of moving a coin on a table with a magnet underneath).
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Really? how exactly do magnetic lines of force work with iron or steel?
 
Clark1961 said:
Really? how exactly do magnetic lines of force work with iron or steel?
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Yep, got me on that one. Didn't even consider that the material in between is magnetic...derrrrrr....
 
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