Can a tensioner piston fall into the timing cover from OUTSIDE?
 

I have a dilemma. When I was changing my water pump I had to take out the tensioner on an angle, piston first. My pin mustve gotten loose cause as soon as the piston cleared the edge of the timing cover, it shot out into the engine bay like lightning.

The problme is that I havent recovered the spring, piston or the little plastic thingy becuase I have no idea where they went. I had the window to the water pump open as well (with old pump still in there) but can the tensioner and everything fit around the pump if it bounced off the wheel well went into the timing cover? I did hear a few metallic 'dropping' sounds of something bouncing off other objects but couldnt discern where it was coming from.

Do I take off my timing cover or assume the piston is lost in the crevices of the engine bay?

All i can say, is anything is possible. Look in the engine bay and on the ground around your car. If its not there, then it very well could have went back into the engine. If you don't find it around the car, looks like you'll have to start taking things apart to find it. Or you might be able to get a magnet stick and fit it into the WP access spot to see if it will grab it, if it's even down there. Of course, if you can't find it anywhere, Courtesy parts might have everything you need. Good luck.


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Right on the button with the info. If you want you could also drop the lower pan to see if its down there.

Ive removed the pan and looked with a maglite, cranked the engine and felt around with my magnet but theres no sign of any parts anywhere.

Probe through the timing case for a good while. It could have gotten stuck somewhere there. If no luck finding it, then just proceed cautiously with the work and finish

I'd search every crevice of the bay. And if no luck, take off the timing cover. If its not inside the timing cover just buy a new assembly. Sure, you'll be out some money, but at least you'll have a new tensioner, and you won't have to worry about any metal pieces being somewhere they shouldn't :)

I shot my tensioner piston into my crankcase when I did my water pump even though I knew it was under pressure and was trying to keep it compressed while removing it. I never did recover mine some 30k miles ago. You might try dragging a strong magnet across the bottom of your oil pan to see if you could draw it to the drain hole and then some how fish it out from there.

If you drop the oil pan, chances thatbtou will find it there. When I did mine, I dropped a bolt into the crankcase from water pump opening, after O dropped the oil pan, it was right there on the bottom of the pan. Since you took out water pump , you may have some coolant in the oil anyway, so drop the oil pan will get rid of coolant, you need to Chang oil anyway.