Pro tip: A $2.99 magnet saved a whole engine job on a 2012 F-150

Had a truck in the bay last Tuesday with a nasty lifter tick. Pulled the valve cover and couldn't find anything loose. Before I went deeper, I ran a small, strong magnet from the tool truck along the head's oil drain back passages. It pulled out a tiny, broken piece of a plastic guide from the timing chain tensioner. The piece was about to drop into the pan. Found the problem without pulling the engine. Anyone else have a simple trick that caught a major issue before it got worse?

3 comments

3 Comments

karenc2015d ago

Yeah, I saw a video where a guy used a cheap borescope from the parts store to check inside a cylinder without taking the head off.

anthonyrivera15d agoMost Upvoted

@karenc20, those cheap scopes are a gamble, aren't they? The picture is usually so fuzzy you can't tell a piston from a potato. Save your money for the real tools.

drew70615d ago

Actually got a decent look at mine with a cheap one last week.