The o-ring is not on the plastic piece its literally a piece the size and shape of a mans wedding ring. Here is what happened: I could feel the piece with my pinky and it was stuck in the (intake I guess) and I was unable to pull it out. My friend attempted to pull it out as he has a smaller finger but instead pushed it further inside the intake (down and to the left) where it was unreachable. There was nothing obstructing the new elbow from going in, the elbow seated just fine, there were/are no leaks, the only thing going on is a small piece of plastic floating around apparently in the intake.....not the block. Like I said if/when it causes a problem I will deal with it then. I appreciate the concern I really do but tearing this down further is not an option. My friend has MS and cannot be out in this kind of cold.

 

You ask for help and advice, we give it and you pretty much say we are foolish and you are correct. At that point why did you even ask us in the first place!

Anyway, maniacs last reply is spot on and also how I feel... best of luck to ya!

 

Whoa....where did I act like anybody was foolish or incorrect? First off YES I asked for advice....that doesn't mean I'm going to follow it....its A D V I C E. Everyone in this thread has thrown in their two cents. Personally I don't like being "cautioned" with a ton of exclamation points. I think the point can be gotten across without using a ton of these!!! Am I right!!! Now that's me being an ******* plain and simple. I'm usually a nice guy but when people are going to throw around their concerns and caution and act like I'm a child while throwing in a bunch of exclamation points....that's going to **** me off. Just for future reference.

Apparently not everyone in this thread is understanding exactly what happened as people are only reading part of what they want and then getting all riled up because I don't follow some "advice". The piece of plastic was pushed into the intake manifold....there is NO possible way that little piece is going to be able to push out an aluminum elbow that is fully seated in the intake, and YES its FULLY seated in the intake. If it causes a problem as I said I WILL DEAL WITH IT THEN!!!

P.S. I've tried to be a pretty decent contributing member on this forum but this is the kind of ****� that will make me NOT return!!!!! If you wanted to **** me off and make me be an *******....mission accomplished.

 

To both Turbo and michelob - I'm going to ask that everyone take a step back.
@Turbo - I believe we have shared our thoughts on the matter and given michelob all that we have to offer. He asked for advice, we provided it. He never called us foolish, he is electing to accept a potential risk that we feel differently about.

@michelob - I understand your point and Turbo's regarding advice. You asked for advice, does not mean you have to take it. It's up to you to evaluate what you wish to do with that advice. I know I have seen horrible advice that people blindly took. Such as a non-GM car forum, someone asked how to change their own oil, a guy thought it would be funny to suggest draining, filling with water and run the engine to "clean" it, then drain/fill with oil. Sadly, this young kid took the advice and bricked an engine.
You never called us "foolish" as Turbo stated and I don't feel that's the best description of the situation, but I believe I understand his point.
Your original question about this broken piece was this:
After that you have had 2-3 people advise you to remove it and clearly expressed concerns/risks that leaving this foreign object in the cooling system may cause. It's a gamble if anything bad will really happen and if so, it's a gamble to what extent it is, how much more it may cost, and what inconveniences it may cause. These are risks we would not take with our own cars. The two biggest risks I believe this presents are:
- It may pass from the lower intake into the passages leading into the heads and as an entire piece get stuck in the head or block.
- It may break into fragments and pieces obstruct the radiator, heater core or other small passages coolant needs to flow through.

After we express this, you have elected to not do anything and leave the foreign object in your cooling system. We would not accept the risk, you are willing to roll the dice. We've all made decisions like that.

For the record, I was not clear if that piece was floating in the intake or not. I'll take the blame that I did not properly understand the placement of this fragment and perhaps did not properly explain the issue I was talking about.
I don't mean that the broken piece would ever push the new elbow out, what I mean is that if that piece is still sitting in the port the elbow slides into, then the new one may appear seated and really not be, making it easy for the cooling system, under normal pressure to push the new elbow out (heck, I have even experienced an elbow that was properly seated without a left over piece push out after a year of it being installed). Since that piece is not stuck in the path of the new elbow, that should not be an issue.

I am sorry for the long winded reply. I honestly do not feel there is anything further that can be discussed on this topic. I hope everyone agrees.

 

Yes actually 2 people expressed concern to outright "remove" it....yourself and turbo. Plumbob's response was: Therefore Plumbob also shares my sentiment in that he feels I should deal with it when it proposes a problem.

While I respect your "advice" it doesn't mean I will always follow it. It also doesn't mean you have wasted your time in giving it. Advice is an "opinion"....it means someone is giving their opinion on how they would deal with the situation based on either past experience OR knowledge. Had you OR turbo said "You know I had this happen with an 'XX Monte SS and it found its way into the heads and really screwed things up" OR "This happened to a friend of mine and it plugged up his heater core", that kind of "advice" carries more weight with me than the fear mongering. I know you don't mean it as that but its the best way I can describe it. My question was "will this hurt anything"....and I now understand that YES of course it "can"....that doesn't mean it will.

I am in I.T. as a trade and also hacking on the side. Do you know how many times I have given people "advice" on how to remain safe on the 'net and they have chosen not to follow it? More times than I can count. If I blew a head gasket (forum pun there) each time someone didn't follow my advice I'd be in a mental hospital.

Bottom line advice is an opinion it does NOT mean it will always be followed to the T. Please learn and respect that as you respond and interact with members going forward into 2016.

Thanks.

 

Michelob, I work in I.T. as well (been doing it since 1997), I completely understand and relate to your example about giving I.T. advice.

Speaking for myself, I have been at peace with this topic after I provided my input a day or two ago (I wanted to clarify a couple items and just make sure you had the most info possible to make your decision).

This issue all comes down to accepting risk and the potential consequences of that risk. We gamble on choices every day. Even though Plumbob said he would not worry about it, he did outline the concern of blocking the heater core or radiator.

Even though Turbo and I do not know anyone that has deliberately left this fragment in their engine and the end result does not mean we�re speaking purely from speculation or fear. I agree that it is possible that you may never have a problem as a result of this piece in the engine. But, you asked if this piece would hurt anything, Turbo and I expressed that we are passionate that it could, how it could and it�s a risk we are not willing to take.

At the end of the day, I recognize this is not my car, this is your car. I believe all the potential answers to your initial question have been provided and I wish you the best of luck with your choice.

I am now locking this thread. If you wish to discuss anything further, please contact me or any other member of the MCF.com staff.