This is a good one. Last fall while winterizing my 120 HP Johnson 2
stroke outboard the little red straw plugged into the nozzle of my can
of engine foamer popped off inside one of the cylinders in the engine
through the spark plug hole. I tried my best to get it out (with a
bent wire) through the spark plug hole but when I dropped a tiny LED
on wires into the cylinder to help me see what was what I find the
little straw fell into what may be the intake transfer port and
possibly into the crankcase. Yikes! So my question is do I have to
remove the head and hope I can still see and capture the straw or
worse, tear down the engine or can I start the thing up and hopefully
grind up the little straw without plugging up anything vital?

Any suggestions would be appreciated. It is almost time to put the
boat in the water.

I'd say ignore it ... it will go away all by itself.

Stephen wrote in message
om...
This is a good one. Last fall while winterizing my 120 HP Johnson 2
stroke outboard the little red straw plugged into the nozzle of my can
of engine foamer popped off inside one of the cylinders in the engine
through the spark plug hole. I tried my best to get it out (with a
bent wire) through the spark plug hole but when I dropped a tiny LED
on wires into the cylinder to help me see what was what I find the
little straw fell into what may be the intake transfer port and
possibly into the crankcase. Yikes! So my question is do I have to
remove the head and hope I can still see and capture the straw or
worse, tear down the engine or can I start the thing up and hopefully
grind up the little straw without plugging up anything vital?

Any suggestions would be appreciated. It is almost time to put the
boat in the water.

Tough call.

I might start it and hope for the best. If it's an exhaust port your prolly
home free anyway. Intake port is a little iffy, but it might grind up just
fine.

Worst you're gonna have to do is tear it down ANYWAY. LOL

Or try applying a big vaccum to the hole with that carb wide open and hope
it gets sucked back up through the intake port.

-W

"Stephen" wrote in message
om...
This is a good one. Last fall while winterizing my 120 HP Johnson 2
stroke outboard the little red straw plugged into the nozzle of my can
of engine foamer popped off inside one of the cylinders in the engine
through the spark plug hole. I tried my best to get it out (with a
bent wire) through the spark plug hole but when I dropped a tiny LED
on wires into the cylinder to help me see what was what I find the
little straw fell into what may be the intake transfer port and
possibly into the crankcase. Yikes! So my question is do I have to
remove the head and hope I can still see and capture the straw or
worse, tear down the engine or can I start the thing up and hopefully
grind up the little straw without plugging up anything vital?

Any suggestions would be appreciated. It is almost time to put the
boat in the water.

Clams Canino wrote:



Or try applying a big vaccum to the hole with that carb wide open and hope
it gets sucked back up through the intake port.

-W


Don't do this! You really dont want atomized gasoline vapors going
through your shop vac and out it's exhaust!

Rob

Point!!

Drain the carb 1st.

-W

"trainfan1" wrote in message
...
Clams Canino wrote:



Or try applying a big vaccum to the hole with that carb wide open and
hope
it gets sucked back up through the intake port.

-W


Don't do this! You really dont want atomized gasoline vapors going
through your shop vac and out it's exhaust!

Rob

Good point! But, most wet/dry vacs I know of don't mix motor cooling air
with the suction fan/blower. In any case, for safety, drain the bowl(s)
first; make sure your wet/dry vac does not use the vacuum air for motor
cooling. and duct tape a pc of 1/4 or 3/8" OD copper or plastic tube to the
vac hose or tool so you can go through the plug hole. That is, if you can
still see the tube in the port. On my merc, the intakes are on the outside,
exhaust on the inside. Like was said, if it's in the exhaust it definitely
won't be a problem to leave it.
The other option would be to pull the intake manifold/reed block and go at
it from that side. I would think however that, unless you forced it down
the transfer port, it wouldn't make the bend by itself and it should still
be there, rather than in the crank case.
LD
"trainfan1" wrote in message
...
Clams Canino wrote:



Or try applying a big vaccum to the hole with that carb wide open and
hope
it gets sucked back up through the intake port.

-W


Don't do this! You really dont want atomized gasoline vapors going
through your shop vac and out it's exhaust!

Rob

"LD" wrote in message
ink.net...
Good point! But, most wet/dry vacs I know of don't mix motor cooling air
with the suction fan/blower. In any case, for safety, drain the bowl(s)
first; make sure your wet/dry vac does not use the vacuum air for motor
cooling. and duct tape a pc of 1/4 or 3/8" OD copper or plastic tube to
the
vac hose or tool so you can go through the plug hole. That is, if you can
still see the tube in the port. On my merc, the intakes are on the
outside,
exhaust on the inside. Like was said, if it's in the exhaust it
definitely
won't be a problem to leave it.
The other option would be to pull the intake manifold/reed block and go at
it from that side. I would think however that, unless you forced it down
the transfer port, it wouldn't make the bend by itself and it should still
be there, rather than in the crank case.
LD
"trainfan1" wrote in message
...
Clams Canino wrote:



Or try applying a big vaccum to the hole with that carb wide open and
hope
it gets sucked back up through the intake port.

-W


Don't do this! You really dont want atomized gasoline vapors going
through your shop vac and out it's exhaust!

Rob



Maybe leave the gas in, even add a little extra. The resulting
overpressure, just might blow the straw out.
Bill

Connect a small flexible tube (fish tank style)
to a vacuum (vacuum cleaner) and let it wander
around in the cylinder.

-might work.


db


"Stephen" wrote in message
om...
This is a good one. Last fall while winterizing my 120 HP Johnson 2
stroke outboard the little red straw plugged into the nozzle of my can
of engine foamer popped off inside one of the cylinders in the engine
through the spark plug hole. I tried my best to get it out (with a
bent wire) through the spark plug hole but when I dropped a tiny LED
on wires into the cylinder to help me see what was what I find the
little straw fell into what may be the intake transfer port and
possibly into the crankcase. Yikes! So my question is do I have to
remove the head and hope I can still see and capture the straw or
worse, tear down the engine or can I start the thing up and hopefully
grind up the little straw without plugging up anything vital?

Any suggestions would be appreciated. It is almost time to put the
boat in the water.

I had the same exaxt thought. Make sure you shut off your fuel supply
and get all of the gas out of the carb before doing this or you'll
have the same air/gas mixture that runs your engine flowing through
your electric vacuum motor. It would be fun as hell to watch from 300
feet.

trainfan1 wrote in message ...
Clams Canino wrote:



Or try applying a big vaccum to the hole with that carb wide open and hope
it gets sucked back up through the intake port.

-W


Don't do this! You really dont want atomized gasoline vapors going
through your shop vac and out it's exhaust!

Rob