Having the worst luck this weekend. Trying to finish up my exhaust install I dropped an allen key between my gear drive and engine some place and it did not fall out the bottom. Took out the shift linkage can't see it any where. Do I have to remove my gear drive cover to find it or is that a sealed unit and I don't need to worry about it? Figuring when I am riding down the road it will fall out at some point.

Just don't want to damage anything. I have to be the worst newb Harley guy on these forums.

 

Step 1:take a deep breath & relax
Step 2:if you don't have a inspection mirror, get one
Step 3:if you don't have a telescoping magnet, get one
Step 4:find "da bitch" I gaurantee ya it will be in the last place you look.
Hopefully this lightened the tension some. Good Luck !

 

As a mechanic one of the best sounds is somthing hitting the ground when you drop it. +1 on Smug's advice plus a super bright preferably LED light.

 

Will go out and get a inspection mirror and magnet. I took a break for a bit to calm down. Is there any open parts down there that it can fall in and damage? Will do my best to find it.

 

As far as I know, no open parts. While your out get a light like Soft02 suggested. If you go to Sears, Lowes, or Home Depot you can get a "bend a light", it will have a flexible shaft about 10" long. If you have a air comp. you can blast some air around the area and it may dislodge it.

 

Trust me, it happens to all of us.

 

I would think that the only risk would be if it fell onto the belt.(?)

 

Similar thing happened to me when I changed my battery. Dropped the bolt that holds one of the battery cables on, and couldn't find it. I knew it was on or somewhere around the belt, and didn't know where it would go if I tried to ride. Took a while - and a lot of patience - but I finally found it. Would have bothered me if I had left it in there. And I still don't know if it could have hurt anything.

Hate it when that happens.

 

Dropping things like that is a regular occurence for me. Matter of fact, just happened last night on the new truck I just got. Heard the nut fall, heard a solid clunk, but for the life of me, I couldn't find it. Used my mirror, my LED light, my magnetic pick up stick and even swept the driveway with my rolling magnetic pick up bar to no avail.

 

Finally found it. Had to put the bike on the lift and crawl up under it to see it. Got it out shew. Slowly getting the bike back together. It has been a HUGE learning experience.