O-kay. Don't ever feel smug.

So there I was, wiping my hands and feeling, well, smug. I had just changed my plugs, and the engine was pidling smoothly and I had not done any of the major sins of turning a wrench. I hadn't done any damage, hadn't banged my knuckles, and hadn't said any dirty words.

Putting away the tools, I couldn't find the Torx driver anywhere. As I started to close the hood, I heard a funny noise. Sounded just like a Torx driver falling into the slot that the hood supports fold into at the edge of the upper fender. Yes, I muttered a dirty word. Yes, it's out of sight below the spring.

Any access from behind to the zone behind the wheel and before the passenger door? Can I remove the liner of the wheel well and get at it? If not, I'll have a funny rattle till they scrap the car and laugh at what they find.
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Just some guy with an old Volvo

Open the front door and use a magnetic pickup tool through the opening at the bottom of the door jam. No disassembly required. Done it, don't wait as your torx will start to rust.

If it fell into the fender, it is probably sitting in the inner fender shroud. The shroud is a bit flexible and you should be able to free-up an an opening to probe for the tool. Last resort, you may have to clip off the rivets holding the shroud in-place, get your tool out, and the reattached the shroud using a pop-rivet tool and some new Volvo rivets.

I use a magnet extension retriever tool thingy for such situations. Probably easier to just buy a new one. I doubt it will rattle.


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David Hunter