tiny piece of metal dropped in injector hole - pull head or not on low budget

[Dakotakid]

How did this ever end? Inquiring minds want ter kno'!

The problem with opening up an original '87 engine is that it is going to look like hell! More than likely complete with a ridge you can break your leg on. I HATE opening up something like this for that reason. Then what....put it back together as is? 

[shorttimer]

One thing to consider. Not all tools are magnetic. Some picks are made of stainless. And some stainless IS magnetic and some are not. My first thing to try, before going further with the magnet approach, is to determine that the part that broke off is magnetic. I hope it is & good luck.

[Toby]

You guys worry to much. Roll the motor over by hand and see if it binds anywhere. If not, run it. A chunk of steel that small is unlikely to do much more than scar up the top of a piston a bit before it goes out the exhaust port. If this were a known good motor that I wanted to get another 200K miles on in a nice car, then It might be better to pull the head. But this is an old DD. Put the GP and injector back in and run it.

FWIW about half of the IDIs that I have been into had some kind of scaring on at least one piston. Did not seem to have any effect.

N.B. I am not saying this is "best practice". Just that it is unlikely to hurt an old motor enough that you will notice.

The chunk of steel is so tiny that all of the things you guys have been catastrophising about are very, very unlikely.

[Dakotakid]

Exactly! (applause)

[libbydiesel]

I wonder what it will do if it hits the turbine.

[Toby]

Who says it has a turbo? Did I miss something?

Even if it is a turbo, it is very unlikely that it would damage anything. We are discussing TINY chunk of steel. None the less, if it were a turbo, and mine, I would just let it idle for a while to blow it out and then drive it gently for a mile or so.

[libbydiesel]

He says so in the initial post.

This is an 87 hydraulic 1.6td.

[Dakotakid]

I gots $10 that sez it won't........