Braums Ice Cream straw in sealed transmission.

Can you use a piece of wire to either hook it or poke down the straw enough to recover it?

 

What is "dum dum"?

 

I dropped the pan and of course no straw. It is above the valve body. I removed all of the bolts from the valve body and it wouldn’t move with very light encouragement. I know the internals of a motor well but nothing beyond this point about a transmission. I cleaned my mess, organized the tools and parts. Decided it is time to go to the cabin and spend the evening with my friend Jack Daniels contemplating my next move. Before packing the new Ranger (dang, I was really wanting to drive the Tacoma) I decided to check the forum for any words of wisdom. Spacecoast suggested using a shop vac. Hmmm…why not try. I stuck the end of the hose over the fill hole, told my wife to turn on the shop vac and almost immediately felt something. Sure enough it was in the bottom of the shop vac. Now I am going to the cabin and will celebrate. I will put it back together tomorrow.

Thanks for all of the great comments and suggestions. You saved me a ton of $$$$. I am going to spend some time checking out the links several of you sent.

 

Google: 3M Strip Calk 08578

From the web:

"3M™ Strip-Calk is a soft butyl rubber caulking material that quickly and permanently fills all types of seams, joints and openings – long-lasting auto body maintenance and repair in much less time. Strip-Calk is paintable immediately and never hardens, shrinks or becomes brittle, eliminating rework. 3M™ Strip-Calk is ideal for filling non-visible automotive joints, seams, voids and gaps."

I would add: It sticks to just about anything, and it's also removable. Might leave a little residue behind, but alcohol or Prep-Sol takes it right off. It's good stuff.

 

@OkieCowboy - I enjoy reading about success stories like yours , congratulations

 

SUCCESS!!!

Great news! Good Job.

Think about it: Even though dropping the pan and attempting to remove the valve body didn't resolve it, you stuck to plan and cleaned up, took a break with Uncle Jack and that allowed some time for all the ideas to keep coming and in came
"Shop Vac": voila!!

Karma!

 

Way to go, OP!

This reminds me of an incident with my '04 Lightning. I wanted to clean the throttle body, so I held open the throttle plate and sprayed brake cleaner so I could wipe it down. The red straw immediately launched past the TB and into the blower. Realizing how much work it would be to remove the blower, I said fuck it and and started it up. I guess the blower ate the straw and sent it into the engine because I never had an issue.

 

I don't know if I would have enough *fortitude* to try that!


Sir, you have:

 

Yes!!! IMO: This is the #1 cause of heart attacks in professional and shade-tree mechanics: It's under-reported because when they bring you into the Emergency Department half dead smelling like starter fluid or carb cleaner, they assume it's the Ether or whatever and that you used the whole can. They prob put: Cause of Death: "IDIOT" right on the medical report. NO: it's that $#@%* little red tube that -always- shoots out of the nozzle button into something where it doesn't belong. For me the worst has been a four barrel. Easy fix: I've been lucky. Hercules himself could put those tubes in the nozzle and they'd still fly out!.

 

If you super glue the tube in when it is brand new they stay pretty well.

 

Time to use some of the money you saved and head to Braums for milkshake!

I may have just returned from there myself...

 

Every time I use SuperGlue I stick my fingers together tying to put the tiny cap back on the tiny flimsy tube. (...and your medical insurance will only pay the bill to fix you up one time....... )

 

I have a brother-in-law in Denver who owns a transmission shop. He has told us a lot of stories. So I can’t wait to show him the straw and tell him the story this summer. That piece of straw will be part of the truck for a long time.

 

One of the funniest reads ever. Thank you for linking this.

 

Shop vac to the rescue, nice!

 

Lotsa reading for those of us dunno what a braum straw looks like.

Good job on getting it out.

 

Dum dum, if you have to ask, your lucky enough to of never had to use it, or just not worked on vehicles long enough.

 

Thanks, that was most helpful.

 

glad to be of help . . .