Front differential drain plug magnet fell out, inside of front differential

So there I was... replacing my front differential fluid and I stripped the hex bolt. So, what do I do? I get a bolt extractor of course! well, by using this bolt extractor I got it out (which did its job, thanks Ryobi) but it went so far down in the drain plug that it pushed out the magnet at the end and now I can't feel where it is in the front differential gear box. I am considering plugging up my front differential with the new plug, filling it with gear oil, and letting it run with the possibility of getting this magnet to shatter and just replacing the oil again in about 1000 miles to see the aftermath or lack thereof. OR should I go a different route? Oh hell, I can already see these comments getting bad.

 

Fyi, next time instead of drilling, cut a slit with a Dremel cutout wheel and hammer it out with a chisel, mush easier then extractors. Can't fish it out with a wire loop or something?

 

I have ordered one of those wire things with the magnet at the end. So I am going to try that out. The one I bought from the store was too chunky of a magnet so I have to wait a couple of days.

 

Snake cam it should be close. I wouldn’t want it to run through my diff. That said you may get lucky and it’s on the housing out of the way

Milwaukee etc. make them or borrow/rent one. Flashlight mirror might work it should be close. Good luck

 

That is a good idea with the camera. I have rolled the propeller shaft just to see if it was on the gears and it was smooth and I didn't hear a noise, so that was good.

 

I have dropped something into the diff before so I feel your pain, but it was something non magnetic, fell to the bottom, and I got it out.

I wonder what the strength of that magnet is? If it’s on the case and out of the way of the gears, could you just go on like that forever? Or might it slowly vibrate to a position where it gets into the gears?

I hope you’re able to locate it with a cam and extract it somehow. Hope you come back and let us know the outcome.

 

It sucks most becuase I was SO excited when i broke that bolt. That noise is amazing, then as I get out the bolt I see the magnet so I try to pull it out, well when I go to pick it up with my finger it flicks over to the left of the differential housing. Talk about high highs and low lows...

 

I wouldnt want to take a chance leaving it in. Even for a little while. There is no way to know the actual strength of the magnet to know if it would just stay on the inner housing. Id never be able to get it out of my mind every time I drove. Seems like you might have a general idea where it is cuz you mentioned it flicked to a certain direction. Im gonna go old school here (cuz I am) and say bust out a wire coat hanger, fashion a hook on the end and just scrape the inner housing in the direction you think it went. Best case, you snag it and pull it out or push it towards drain. Worst case, you get crazy frustrated. I suggest having a beer next to you for comfort.

 

I did try the coat hanger and fashioned a hook but I didn't get successful. The next plan of attack is going to be getting a borescope and locating it and then using the coat hanger method I believe. The beer will hopefully make me a better mechanic and give me luck!

 

I would definitely prefer to get it out, but keep in mind the front diff doesn’t spin in 2WD. Only the spider gears spin, and it’s doubtful the magnet went into them. So if you won’t be in 4WD, you could potentially have some time to figure it out in the meantime.

 

Oh wow! Thank you for the info. definitely did not know that.

 

I’d say you are probably right. But I’m not testing my theory on my diff.

 

I was walking through the internal soliloquy that would leave me to never be able to drive that truck again (or sleep) until I got that magnet out.

 

take the front axles and prop shaft out.

 

Just to clarify, the passenger diff CV shaft connects to an intermediate shaft. There is a motor built in that shifts a fork over which locks the passenger CV to the intermediate shaft in 4WD. When that’s disengaged, only the left side of the diff is spun (by the driver CV) which spins the spider gears and the spider gears spin the intermediate shaft. No ring and pinion movement.

Even with the diff spinning I doubt you’d have a problem but it is concerning. I’m not sure how long I’d attempt recovery before saying fuck it and removing and disassembling the diff.

taking out the left cv shaft might give you enough room to reach through the seal hole. Maybe. Although doubtful because the other side of the opening is the splines of the carrier and I doubt you’ll be able to get down to the magnet from there.

 

Is there more removal involved or just those items you can do on their own?

 

Of course there are various options up to and including diff removal and disassembly. I hope it doesn’t come to that.

 

Agree 100%. Ive been in similar situations, although not with this truck. Every backyard mechanic has been thru shit like this. He will get it, just gotta stay cool. Getting pissed is the enemy in these situations

 

Elsewhere on here is the part number for lexus diff drain bolt that fits right in and has a bolt head so you never have screw w/that hex again. Uses the same washer too.

 

It's actually the intermediate shaft that's locked to the small inter shaft sub assembly by the ADD mechanism. It's this short sub shaft that is connected to and spins with the diff's side gear. The cv is always splined directly to the longer intermediate shaft and free spins it in 2wd and the ADD doesn't break the connection there. Small detail I know.