Lost a Nut in the engine bay.

[kindtampa]

While removing the battery switch on my AR195 I lost a nut. I managed to find the washer by randomly swiping my hand under the engine, but the nut evades me. Any suggestions for finding it? I fear it will eventually find its way to the bilge pump, and damage it?

 

[malibu Dan]

Maybe one of those small magnets on the flexible handles u see at auto part stores... shouldn't effect bilge due to screen

 

[Neutron]

It most likely is made of stainless so magnets wont work if it is.
Try blowing compressed air under to blow it in view

 

[sstegh]

A metal nut won't float so it's not a threat to your bulge pump; I'd be it's not the only one down there either. Yamaha seems to hide lots of stuff in the bilge during assembly.

 

[kindtampa]

shouldn't effect bilge due to screen

Thanks! Thats a relief.

Try blowing compressed air under to blow it in view

Great idea!

 

[Neutron]

I work on a lot of jetskis and thats usually the best way to find it. We would put ski high up in nose and blow to the back to get what we dropped and usually find other goodies that someone else lost

 

[MrMoose]

A metal nut won't float so it's not a threat to your bulge pump; I'd be it's not the only one down there either. Yamaha seems to hide lots of stuff in the bilge during assembly.

That's where all the spare parts are kept.

 

[Scuba_ref]

My initial thought when I read the title was OUCH!

 

[swatski]

Sorry, I couldn't resist...
--

 

[Julian]

I've used a shop vac (empty it first) with much success with "finding" things dropped into the bilge! The item that it was most useful for was the nut off the back off a cleat....it fell off and I never noticed until I went to use that side I noticed the cleat was loose on one side.

A couple of minutes with a shop vac hose poking all over and I got the nut, washer and other bits and pieces unrelated!

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

I just use a garden hose to wash under the engine toward the back of the boat and look for it after it gets blown out by the water.

 

[swatski]

There will be so much other crap from Yamaha post production if you flash the bilge, you may be surprised, LOL.

 

[ToddW850]

I've used my GoPro. You can put the camera down there and use the GoPro App on your smartphone to view what it's seeing. I've done this under my swim platform to check the status of my hose clamps too.

 

[Matt Phillips]

I dropped a retaining screw for the port-side fuel line back in June. Searched for 30 minutes looking for it (as we were on the water and had a loose fuel hose). I never did find it as the ONLY think I can surmise is that it dropped down the little 2x3" space to the very bottom of the boat. I'll find that another day.

Luckily the local napa auto parts store had hose clamps and I bought two...one for the starboard side and we were back on the water shortly there after.

 

[d_coyne1984]

It most likely is made of stainless so magnets wont work if it is.
Try blowing compressed air under to blow it in view

Try blowing to get his lost nut back he says. Hi-oooooo!

 

[skrip345]

I've used a shop vac (empty it first) with much success with "finding" things dropped into the bilge! The item that it was most useful for was the nut off the back off a cleat....it fell off and I never noticed until I went to use that side I noticed the cleat was loose on one side.

A couple of minutes with a shop vac hose poking all over and I got the nut, washer and other bits and pieces unrelated!

If you put a sock over the end of the shop vac you don't have to empty it first. Snap a zip tie over the sock so it doesn't slip off and you can vacuum around down there.