# I fudged up need help **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Created:** [April 14, 2014, 4:29am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/i-fudged-up-need-help/84597 "2014-04-14T04:29:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rollen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ea666f/32.png) [@Rollen](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Rollen)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2014, 4:29am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/i-fudged-up-need-help/84597/1 "2014-04-14T04:29:21Z")
I have Acura TL 2006 I took the intake manifold off the engine and was attempting to remove the wire harness that was zip tied to the engine. One of the zip tips i yanked off flew into one of the holes in the center of the engine theres a line of them in a zigzag and they smell like gas. My question is how do i get it out and how screwed am I if I can’t? ---
**Author:** ![Rollen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ea666f/32.png) [@Rollen](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Rollen)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2014, 4:36am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/i-fudged-up-need-help/84597/2 "2014-04-14T04:36:33Z")
this is a drawing of where it fell… ---
**Author:** ![BustedKnuckles](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bustedknuckles/32/25_2.png) [@BustedKnuckles](https://community.cartalk.com/u/BustedKnuckles)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2014, 5:49am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/i-fudged-up-need-help/84597/3 "2014-04-14T05:49:56Z")
Yeah, that’s the intake port. You need to get it out of there. The intake valve is down there, and pieces of the zip tie can cause real issues. Take a piece of wire with some ducttape on the end, sticky side out, and see if you can fish those pieces out. ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2014, 6:42am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/i-fudged-up-need-help/84597/4 "2014-04-14T06:42:17Z")
Try double sided duck tape. If you know someone with a borescope, it might help you see where the piece is. That might make fishing it out easier. By the way, I sincerely commend you for providing an exploded view drawing. Fantastic. ---
**Author:** ![cigroller](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c68b51/32.png) [@cigroller](https://community.cartalk.com/u/cigroller)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2014, 4:05pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/i-fudged-up-need-help/84597/5 "2014-04-14T16:05:30Z")
If the specific spot that you circled is where it went, then I have to assume that you have only removed the upper part of the intake manifold. Remove that lower manifold. If the bit of zip tie just ended up in there, then you can probably just shake it out. If not, in addition to duct tape, I have fished some tricky things with a small “probe” hose on the end up a shop vac. ---
**Author:** ![common-sense-answer](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/common-sense-answer/32/716_2.png) [@common-sense-answer](https://community.cartalk.com/u/common-sense-answer)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2014, 6:30pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/i-fudged-up-need-help/84597/6 "2014-04-14T18:30:30Z")
**_I Like Cigroller’s Vacuum/hose Idea. That’s How I Clean My Furnace Heat Exchanger._** However, _" . . . one of the holes in the center of the engine theres a line of them in a zigzag and they smell like gas."_ When doing something like this around gasoline, I always get concerned that gasoline fumes sucked into my Shop Vac could become a bomb if ignited by the vacuum motor. Is this a legitimate concern or am I on the wrong track, being overly cautious ? _ **CSA** _ ---
**Author:** ![cigroller](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c68b51/32.png) [@cigroller](https://community.cartalk.com/u/cigroller)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2014, 6:35pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/i-fudged-up-need-help/84597/7 "2014-04-14T18:35:20Z")
CSA makes a very good point about the gasoline fumes as that part escaped my attention. After it has been sitting open, any residual fuel & vapors should just disappear eventually, but do be cautious and make sure the fuel pump is not energized. ---
**Author:** ![Mustangman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mustangman/32/44130_2.png) [@Mustangman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mustangman)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2014, 9:33pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/i-fudged-up-need-help/84597/8 "2014-04-14T21:33:57Z")
@common sense answer, vacuum cleaner motors are generally universal induction electric motors that do not have brushes. Brushes are what makes sparks in an electric motor. It is also very hard to get the exact air-fuel ratio to ignite gasoline explosively. There is little risk in a shop vac. It is still good to be overly cautious. Let the fumes dissipate before working on it in a well ventilated area with a fire extinguisher handy. Good advice with any garage work. ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2014, 10:19pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/i-fudged-up-need-help/84597/9 "2014-04-14T22:19:36Z")
I’ve got about a 12 inch forceps that has come in handy for retrieving items. They are long and narrow and some are even bent. Good luck. ---
**Author:** ![jtsanders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c2a13f/32.png) [@jtsanders](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jtsanders)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2014, 12:34am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/i-fudged-up-need-help/84597/10 "2014-04-15T00:34:13Z")
An auto parts store near you might have a borescope you can borrow. If you can see the zip tie, you might be able to get it out. If not and you can get at the bolts on the bottom of the intake manifold circled on the left, take it off and see if you can get at the zip tie. Keep the borrowed borescope until you retrieve the zip tie. ---
**Author:** ![Rollen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ea666f/32.png) [@Rollen](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Rollen)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2014, 7:41am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/i-fudged-up-need-help/84597/11 "2014-05-08T07:41:52Z")
I found some one with a borescope and it worked like a charm we could see it with a little lighting thanks guys! ---
**Author:** ![shadowfax](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/shadowfax/32/13026_2.png) [@shadowfax](https://community.cartalk.com/u/shadowfax)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2014, 6:32pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/i-fudged-up-need-help/84597/12 "2014-05-08T18:32:22Z")
Glad you got it out. If you’re interested, Amazon sells cheap borescopes with lighted ends that hook up to a laptop for viewing. I’ve found all sorts of unexpected uses for it, like water heater inspections and rodent den location. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2014, 8:04pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/i-fudged-up-need-help/84597/13 "2014-05-08T20:04:31Z")
I too am glad you found it. And I sincerely thank you for posting back. We rarely hear the results of our efforts, and it feels good. Like Shadow, I use mine for all manner of things. I even used it to photograph a deteriorating filling in a molar, to bring into the dentist. He laughed and said “you have better system then we have!”. I’ve actually know him for perhaps 25-30 years, and I wanted to be the first patient to bring in a photo of his cavity… just for fun. He got a kick out of it. ---
**Author:** ![insightful](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/insightful/32/2732_2.png) [@insightful](https://community.cartalk.com/u/insightful)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2014, 9:55pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/i-fudged-up-need-help/84597/14 "2014-05-08T21:55:06Z")
``` "There is little risk in a shop vac." ``` Not so: [http://store.advancecarbon.com/prostores/servlet/-strse-Carbon-Brush-cln-By-OEM-cln-Shop-Vac/Categories](http://store.advancecarbon.com/prostores/servlet/-strse-Carbon-Brush-cln-By-OEM-cln-Shop-Vac/Categories)