I was checking the coolant reservoir today and dropped the coolant cap somewhere in the engine bay... i dont have any jacks to lift the car up, any ideas on how i can get the cap out or if it will cause problems if i get a replacement cap and drive with it somewhere down there??

 

Just removed the plastic cover from the bottom. You don't need jacks to lift the car. Afraid to get dirty? Just get under there!!!

 

nah i been down there before, just never fully removed the panel before. wanted to make sure i can even remove it without needing jacks so i dont waste my time. hopefully, its on the bottom somewhere and not stuck in belts or something god forbid..

 

The first time I took off the panel underneath I found a 3/8 ratchet! I am the second owner so.....a tiny little cap will probably be just fine.

 

Lol it surprises me how you can drive with something on or under your engine and how little it will move after driving even 400 miles. I dropped a nut in my Lexus GS300 down in the engine and couldn't get it out and fount it lying behind my fog light 1200 miles later.

 

yeah, I bought the car in December of last year and took a 1400 mile road trip at christmas. Changed the oil shortly thereafter and found the ratchet!

 

u can take the bottom cover off with a jack but let me tell you that it will be a PITA!! there is very little space to get the bolts in the back out if ur planning to drop the cover and there are over 12 bolts total, having a jack would help immensely.

 

That will be a fun project for you to do. Just do it so you can learn more about the car. Taking things off and putting it back on is one way to know you car better.

 

Turn the wheel full lock in either direction, and shine a light inside to illuminate the pan. There's a good chance you'll see the cap and you can push/pull it out.

Don't ask me how I know (dropped something down there too a long time ago and was too lazy to bust out the ramps/jack).

 

youre lucky that youre not lowed....

 

shake the car, it'll fall out

 

Got the sucker out after an hour of taking off the underbody and digging around with a flashlight... found a bunch of cigarrette butts and a bottle cap in it too... lol

 

How did you get all that under there?

 

Lol no clue... maybe the previous owner or the mechanic was a smoker..

Or, driving high speeds on the highway picked up all that crap

 

^ that sucks. Maybe it will smell better now that all that crap is gone.