I dropped this bolt and can't find it. However, this was after I got the new crankshaft position sensor into it's hole. I was merely trying to get the bolt in to fasten it. Could the bolt have fallen into a spot where it will do some damage? If not then I'll just replace the lost bolt. Tia

Get one of those extendable magnets that looks like a car aerial and run it around in all those hard to get at areas.

I would try to get it out of the bell housing area. The picture below shows the damaged tone ring on my car after one of the pins on the front side of the drive plate got between the tone ring and inside of the bell housing. The car quit running and required replacement of the drive plate and tone ring assembly.

This can occur even with the rpm sensor in its' hole? Any suggestions on how to find it?

I doubt the bolt fell into the hole. I would think it is resting somewhere on top of the tranny or just rolled away on the ground. If the CPS was in place nothing can enter the tranny from that location. Get a magnet and feel around.

Try looking on top of the exhaust pipes. The two pipes come together at the transmission bracket and there is a nice valley for such a small bolt.

Another place is on top of the transmission behind the bell housing, as there is a "somewhat" flat area with bolt head depressions casted into the top. Take an air hose with a thin tube nozzle and blow around down under there.

Other than that, it is the mystery of "Bounce and Roll" or a statement; I cannot believe it went that far!

Phil

This can occur even with the RPM sensor in its' hole? Any suggestions on how to find it?

I would take the plastic vent cover(s) off the bottom of the bell housing and try to find the bolt. The picture was taken looking through one of those holes.
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john

John, didn't you find the culprit and ID it? Am I confusing your story with one where a seal carrier bolt worked loose?

How could Ray's bolt have reached that area?
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Art Benstein near Baltimore

Two peanuts walk into a bar, and one was a salted.

The culprit, that time, was one of the pins from the front of the drive plate. The pins are riveted in, and this one had worked loose. I heard it running around inside the bell housing just before the engine completely quit.

When I replaced the rear main seal on my wife's 940, I found one of the bolts for retaining the seal carrier in the bottom of the bell housing. The hex head was pretty round, and the bolt beat up. However no damage had happened to the tone ring so the car ran fine.

One of the two pins in the picture is loose.

John, thanks for the reminder. You made me feel less confused by including the story about the seal carrier bolt, but I did indeed forget about the rivet-pin. First thought was to fault the engineering group for not removing that vestige of Mono-Tester -- not that anyone could have anticipated what happened to yours -- but for the expense of assembling the pins. But then, someone probably reasoned it would make the superseded flex plate a backward compatible part.

Good to see Ray found the "second elbow" needed to get that bolt started!


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Art Benstein near Baltimore

A gossip is someone with a great sense of rumor.

Thanks John, will do that Tuesday. I don't need the car for over a week so I won't rush this.