Urgent help please, need a some advise on the following... MAF TUBE STUCK :-)

[K£150N]

Hi guys and gals,

Today my grand father passed away so I decided to stick my head under the car to forget about things. One of the small jobs I was doing was cleaning the PB maf sensor; I've got a cut out of the top engine cover to supposedly help things. Well I disconnected it and sprayed some electrical contact cleaner on the MAF, I then got on with a few other items while it was drying.

I came to refit and a small section of the sensor top broke off as I was putting it back in place, it was my clumsy-ness through being fed up more than anything that did it.

Great I thought, I'll purchase a new MAF and just run the car without one until it arrives. Oh cr*p, the small piece of the MAF has fallen down what I think it the turbo charger duct.

It was getting dark and I'm cheesed off to say the least so I've just packed up and come in to drown my sorrows.

Questions: I'm guessing that I had better not start the car up with that piece down that ducting tube? How hard is it to remove that tube for further inspection; so I remove that piece of plastic? I guess the PB shouldn't look like the attached picture?! Can I have a "P" please bob?

HELP appreciated from a rather fed up individual.

Rob :(

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_31SbmJrhdOs/TUxBVS9eWMI/AAAAAAAAG94/F-cgnV5ogQM/s800/IMAG0015edit%20%28Large%29.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_31SbmJrhdOs/TUxBVYnbqmI/AAAAAAAAG90/Dq9NhCIj5sU/s512/IMAG0019%20%28Large%29.jpg

[v-man]

Rob

I can't help with the technical question, but you have my condolences on your loss.

Just remember him as he was and the good times you shared.

[K£150N]

Rob

I can't help with the technical question, but you have my condolences on your loss.

Just remember him as he was and the good times you shared.

Much appreciated, he always had a smile on his face, always cracking jokes and that is how I shall remember the guy.

[Thomas]

Very sorry about your loss, I have moved your thread into technical help forum for better coverage :}

[K£150N]

Very sorry about your loss, I have moved your thread into technical help forum for better coverage :}

Many thanks Thomas.

[James.uk]

Would it be possible to retrieve the broken piece with a vacuum cleaner??
...

[K£150N]

Would it be possible to retrieve the broken piece with a vacuum cleaner??
...

Brilliant idea James, I'll give that a go first, thank you.

[The Rover Man]

I only spotted this post when I was getting ready to shut the computer down. Your situation moved me as I can remember doing something similar when my Grandfather died. I still miss him, even though it's been a long time now. My eldest son is named after him.

I hope you can retrieve the missing bit with a vacuum, but if not, I hope a magnetic extendible probe (if there's any steel on the missing bit) or a pick-up tool will do the job. It could be a real problem job, but it will occupy your mind and that's a good thing.

[K£150N]

I only spotted this post when I was getting ready to shut the computer down. Your situation moved me as I can remember doing something similar when my Grandfather died. I still miss him, even though it's been a long time now. My eldest son is named after him.

I hope you can retrieve the missing bit with a vacuum, but if not, I hope a magnetic extendible probe (if there's any steel on the missing bit) or a pick-up tool will do the job. It could be a real problem job, but it will occupy your mind and that's a good thing.

Thanks Rover Man, it was foolish to start messing but I thought that it would as you say occupy my mind for a while; seems it'll occupy my mind for much longer now! In the grand scale of things it's blooming funny! Thanks for sharing buddy, I'm glad it wasn't just me that has done something similar. I'll give all those other options you'd mentioned a go before heading for the part removal which I don't fancy to be honest. I've found out that the tube in question is on a u-bend, a bit more of a pain, it's next to number 6 on the diagram.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_31SbmJrhdOs/TUykSblIO2I/AAAAAAAAG-M/bXnfgLkCAxQ/s512/GRID001955.jpg

[The Rover Man]

Thanks Rover Man, it was foolish to start messing but I thought that it would as you say occupy my mind for a while; seems it'll occupy my mind for much longer now! In the grand scale of things it's blooming funny! Thanks for sharing buddy, I'm glad it wasn't just me that has done something similar. I'll give all those other options you'd mentioned a go before heading for the part removal which I don't fancy to be honest. I've found out that the tube in question is on a u-bend, a bit more of a pain, it's next to number 6 on the diagram.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_31SbmJrhdOs/TUykSblIO2I/AAAAAAAAG-M/bXnfgLkCAxQ/s512/GRID001955.jpg

You could be lucky. The missing bit might not have gone too far... hopefully! Maybe you can pick it up with some of the methods mentioned (mine included), but the safest way might to be carefully remove the bottom of the 'U-bend' and hope it drops out (a bit of a pain, but will fill a couple of hours).

I don't normally do 'sharing', but I vividly remember creating lots of problems for myself to stop me thinking about the next few days (I decided to replace the clutch on my Charmant). Good luck and chin up!

[K£150N]

You could be lucky. The missing bit might not have gone too far... hopefully! Maybe you can pick it up with some of the methods mentioned (mine included), but the safest way might to be carefully remove the bottom of the 'U-bend' and hope it drops out (a bit of a pain, but will fill a couple of hours).

I don't normally do 'sharing', but I vividly remember creating lots of problems for myself to stop me thinking about the next few days (I decided to replace the clutch on my Charmant). Good luck and chin up!

Cheers "The Rover Man", I've appreciated your comments of the past two days. Tomorrow I'm off to help sort and bag up the items out my Grandfathers room at his care home; not so much fun but it's got to be done.

The good news is that I managed to get the get the part from offending tube earlier this afternoon. I got the old hoover from the garage and sawed the end off the flexi tubing section. I then fed it down the pipe, switched on and hoovered up the part! Hurrah hurrah, it didn't take more than 30 minutes all in!

Here is the part, it seems to be a clip/cover for the MAF, I hope I haven't been running the PB MAF after all this time incorrectly and it should look like the picture I've originally added above without this part attached?!?!

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_31SbmJrhdOs/TU3OrbQm-uI/AAAAAAAAG-o/PtU_jT-4qQA/untitled.JPG

Thanks to all, esp. Rover Man and James.UK

[The Rover Man]

Thanks to all, esp. Rover Man and James.UK


Result! I'm pleased you were able to locate the piece. Good luck over the next few days.