Piece of hard plastic between no. 2 cilinder and engine tin, How can I best remove it? Options

[Marcel Aircooled]

When checking my spark plugs I found a loose piece of hard plastic inbetween the no. 2 cilinder and the engine tin. It turns out to be one of the alternator inspection covers. I have no idea how it got there and unfortunately it is just too big to fit through the spark plug hole in the engine tin so I cannot get it out of there. I found the plastic piece a year ago and only just recently found out it is one of the inspection covers and it does not seem to do any harm where it is now but it just bugs me knowing it is there. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get it out from under the engine tin without removing the engine? Would it be easy to remove the engine tin only where the plastic piece is located? Or any suggestions how to break or bend the plastic piece?

Here's a picture (sorry for the poor quality) of the piece seen through the spark plug hole


This is an example picture of the part I am talking about

[infraredcalvin]

Can you actually grab ut? I’d use one of those lost bolt grabbers to pull it up to the SP hole and cut/break it with some cutters and fish out the little pieces.

[Marcel Aircooled]

Thanks Pat. I can grab it with a pair of pliers but then there is no space left to cut or break it easily and I am a bit afraid to damage the engine tin. Also not sure what happens if I do break it and there are pieces left behind. Might give it a try though unless someone comes up with a brilliant suggestion (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

[IronHillRestorations]

It’s the plug for the access holes for the alternator adjustment.

[Root_Werks]

That's a tough one, probably too large to pull through the spark plug hole? Maybe not too wide, but too long?

[Jack Standz]

You can undo the fasteners for the tin and grab hold of it with a pair of long nosed pliers or a surgical clamp. Did this with a spark plug and/or socket last year sometime (can't remember why we couldn't get it back throug the hole in the tin). And, yes we used a magnetic thing. You don't have to completely remove the tin, just enough to pull it up enough to reach in with extra long pliers or a clamp. Not difficult.

Or try holding it up to the spark plug hole with some long nosed pliers and taking it out in pieces with some side cutters.

But, it's really not necessary. When we got around to rebuilding a motor that was removed from a 914 about 15 years earlier, it had a spark plug that was laying on/behind #3 cylinder. Who knows how long it had been in there. You can just leave it.

[rjames]

It's plastic and light. You could proably get away with just putting some gorrilla tape or some high-temp aluminum tape (that stuff is super sticky) folded over on itself to be doubesided and use it on the end of something skinny to get get in there and snag it.

[Marcel Aircooled]

It’s the plug for the access holes for the alternator adjustment.

Yes I know and I mentioned it in my initial post (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

[Marcel Aircooled]

That's a tough one, probably too large to pull through the spark plug hole? Maybe not too wide, but too long?

It is too wide unfortunately so need to break or trim it somehow

[Marcel Aircooled]

You can undo the fasteners for the tin and grab hold of it with a pair of long nosed pliers or a surgical clamp. Did this with a spark plug and/or socket last year sometime (can't remember why we couldn't get it back throug the hole in the tin). And, yes we used a magnetic thing. You don't have to completely remove the tin, just enough to pull it up enough to reach in with extra long pliers or a clamp. Not difficult.

Or try holding it up to the spark plug hole with some long nosed pliers and taking it out in pieces with some side cutters.

But, it's really not necessary. When we got around to rebuilding a motor that was removed from a 914 about 15 years earlier, it had a spark plug that was laying on/behind #3 cylinder. Who knows how long it had been in there. You can just leave it.

OK, this I can try, thanks Jack! I know it is not necessary and the piece must have been there probably since the rebuild by Auto Atlanta in 2017 or short after but it just bugs me a lot knowing that it is there and that I cannot get it out (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[Marcel Aircooled]

It's plastic and light. You could proably get away with just putting some gorrilla tape or some high-temp aluminum tape (that stuff is super sticky) folded over on itself to be doubesided and use it on the end of something skinny to get get in there and snag it.

Thanks for the tip James. That might be a good idea to get it close to the SP hole only not sure what to use to break it as it is too big to fit through the hole.

[Dave_Darling]

The worst thing it is doing is very slightly affecting the air flow to part of one of your cylinders. Probably not enough to notice in the long term. It might make a little noise as well, but unlikely you would hear it over all the rest of the noise the engine makes.

Removing the engine tin with the engine in the car is possible, but a huge pain. There's a lot of stuff you have to get out of the way first--basically everything on top of the engine on that side. And even then, space in the engine bay is tight to move that large piece of tin around. I don't think it's worth bothering with until you have to pull the motor for some other reason.

--DD