Help! Bolt in exhaust downpipe. Can it stay?

[TazMan]

I'm trying to get the rear exhaust manifold in on my van and I dropped a manifold bolt and can't find it anywhere. I'm starting to wonder if it might have fallen into the downpipe that splits into the 2 cats. It's 92 degree's outside and I don't want to pull the exhaust apart again when I'm not even sure the bolt is in there. If I don't pull the exhaust and it did fall in, will it cause a problem?

[3400-95-Modified]

yeah it will either break up your cat, or cause it to clog after doing some damage to it.

I would try to find it.

[Baldeagle242]

I'm trying to get the rear exhaust manifold in on my van and I dropped a manifold bolt and can't find it anywhere. I'm starting to wonder if it might have fallen into the downpipe that splits into the 2 cats. It's 92 degree's outside and I don't want to pull the exhaust apart again when I'm not even sure the bolt is in there. If I don't pull the exhaust and it did fall in, will it cause a problem?

Can you hear it in the pipe or cat if you bang on it with a rubber mallet or your fist?

[1988GTU]

With a cat it will do damage, but no cat... Just a rattle.

[TazMan]

I can't hear anything rattle when I hit the pipe but I've looked all over for this bolt and still haven't found it. I guess I'm gonna have to pull the exhaust again to be safe. From berries in the oil pan to bolts in the exhaust I can't get a break. Thanks everyone for the responses.

[geldartb]

berries in the oil pan, what kind of berries. how did they get in there.

[bszopi]

berries in the oil pan, what kind of berries. how did they get in there.

http://www.60degreev6.com/showthread.php?t=37231

[geldartb]

thanks i missed that one. sucks about the berries. should get one of those portable tents or something to put the car under

[IsaacHayes]

Dingle berries? LOL

[TazMan]

The tent idea would be great if I had a place to work on it. I live in an apartment and I work on the cars on the street. The tent would attract too much attention. I started to take apart the exhaust and one of the ramps the van was on broke! As pissed off as I wanted to be that yet something else had gone wrong, I'm just happy the ramp didn't just break, and bent slow enough for me to get out from under the car. For anyone with metal Sears ramps older than 12 years, replace em.

[TazMan]

Any chance that bolt could get stuck at the Cat? I pulled the Cats, turned them over, and nothing came out. I shook em, tapped em with a tool, but still nothing. I never ran the car after the bolt fell. I'm figuring the bolt has probably moved on to the world of disappearing bolts that exists somewhere under the hood of all my cars, but I just wanted to see what you guys thought.

[Baldeagle242]

If you have the cat off and did not find anything I would start the car and rev it up to try and blow it out the end of the pipe. If it was in the cat it should fall right back out the manifold end if you turn it upside down. There is no way it would/could go through the cat. (unless your cat has been hollowed out) After you get this all back together check your shirt pocket thats where I always find things after I go through this kind of crap.

[TazMan]

Yeah I do the same thing with the shirt pocket, but not this time. If it's in the exhaust, there's no place it could really be but one of the cats so there's nothing to blow it out from. It didn't fall in the manifold, it fell in the engine bay, but it was right over the opening to the y pipe and I was working directly over it. I didn't see where it landed.

The cats aren't hollow, I replaced them myself about 2 years ago. I guess it's just lost. I'll shake it out some more and if I don't find anything, I'll just put it back together and be done with it. I already have extra bolts.

Thanks again

[TazMan]

Well the cats are hollow. The van belonged to my parents. When they failed inspection they were told it needed the 2 cats replaced. It was $1000 for the parts alone, so they shopped around for the part and found it at an autopart store in Jersey for what seemed to be a reasonable price. Apparently they paid $475 for a y pipe. I sure wish I had checked them better when I put them in, but I never imagined someone would charge $475 for hollowed out cats and say they were new. I think thats big trouble here for something like that. Anyway, lesson learned. Anyone out there shopping for a cat, check it good!

[IsaacHayes]

LOL! "Damn the old cat must of been clogged, these new ones sure are LOUD!" haha