Nitile glove in intake

[1agos]

I put a nitrile glove over the intake to stop debris  when I removed the air filter while I did the fan belts. Started the engine and realised after it started getting lumpy which was almost immediately that the glove had sucked into the intake.  I know, I'm a numpty...but what is the best way to remove it from the engine.

Thanks in advance to anyone who has experience of this problem

 

[Tony Brooks]

What engine?

 

Take the inlet manifold off to see where it has to to but I suspect it it inside the engine and will soon get burned, torn and crushed so the engine will smooth out. No guarantees though. Otherwise take the head off and have a look. Diesels have been known to eat small nuts and run without apparent problems. At least  a nitrile glove won't embed itself in to a piston or even bend a valve.

[1agos]

It's a Vetus 42 engine, I tried to have a look down the intake with a endoscope to no avail. Would the glove go into the fuel pump at all. If not I may do the run it and burn it approach. I looked on line and a suggestion was use acetone which would disolve the glove but that was on a petrol engine.

 

[Tony Brooks]

1 minute ago, 1agos said:

It's a Vetus 42 engine, I tried to have a look down the intake with a endoscope to no avail. Would the glove go into the fuel pump at all. If not I may do the run it and burn it approach. I looked on line and a suggestion was use acetone which would disolve the glove but that was on a petrol engine.

 

 

No, it won't go into the fuel system. it can only get to the inlet ports, the vave heads, the cylinders and the the exhaust. by the time it has been through the cylinder it would probably just be ash. I don't think it is a good idea to put anything into the engine that will  wash the oil from the bores and introduce a volatile liquid into the sump. doing so may even cause an explosion in the crankcase as the engine heats up and evaporates the acetone.

 

Taking the manifold off is probably the best way and being an inlet manifold you can just reuse the old gaske, howeevr I ssupect there may not be much left of the glove there you can get to it..

[1agos]

Thanks Tony, I'll take the manifold off to take a look first. Do I have to remove injector lines first to remove it.

[Tony Brooks]

Just now, 1agos said:

Thanks Tony, I'll take the manifold off to take a look first. Do I have to remove injector lines first to remove it.

No idea, are they in the way? Perhaps a photo of that side of the engine so I can see or a Vetus owner will reply.

[MtB]

Before going to the trouble of taking the inlet manifold off I'd be inclined to run the engine for a while and see if it smooths out. Say 10 or 15 mins, or even several hours.

 

I really can't imagine it doing any physical harm even if it is partly bunging up an inlet valve and it may well just fall apart with heat and airflow given enough time. Any parts of it which come free and pass into a cylinder are bound to burn away instantly to nothing. 

 

 

[Tracy D'arth]

Its not going to wedge a valve open enough for the piston to hit it, Run it and it should settle down.

[StephenA]

Just don't hang round the exhaust as nitrile gloves are usually acrylonitrile which when it burns produces CN

[Higgs]

Chloroacetophenone (CN): Riot Control/Tear Agent, unless it's the Cartoon Network. 

 

 

[robtheplod]

32 minutes ago, Higgs said:

Chloroacetophenone (CN): Riot Control/Tear Agent, unless it's the Cartoon Network. 

 

 

I hope no school children see this or they'll be havoc next week!!

[MtB]

6 hours ago, 1agos said:

I know, I'm a numpty...but what is the best way to remove it from the engine.

 

I have to say, there is little point, it will be completely messed up. You might as well get on ebay and try to buy another one.

 

[TheBiscuits]

46 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

I have to say, there is little point, it will be completely messed up. You might as well get on ebay and try to buy another one.

 

 

I agree, but my nitrile gloves come in boxes of 100, so the OP should have a few spare...

[Tam & Di]

You're lucky. A friend left a pair of gloves on a shelf in the engineroom to dry and set off to cross the Channel. The wind got up and the ship started to roll which caused his glove to fall off the shelf, and it got sucked into the air intake as did yours. He had to call out a Dutch tug at great expense.   😟

 

Tam

[1agos]

Thanks for your input guys.

 

Update.... the inlet manifold came of without disturbing the fuel lines, filter housing had to come of to slide the manifold out. Been busy with a hook for a few hours to get almost all the glove out from a valve. so will put back together and give it a good run to burn of the rest of the debris after I have sourced a new gasket, the old one was damaged when  removed.

 

Cheers all.

 

[Tony Brooks]

35 minutes ago, 1agos said:

Thanks for your input guys.

 

Update.... the inlet manifold came of without disturbing the fuel lines, filter housing had to come of to slide the manifold out. Been busy with a hook for a few hours to get almost all the glove out from a valve. so will put back together and give it a good run to burn of the rest of the debris after I have sourced a new gasket, the old one was damaged when  removed.

 

Cheers all.

 

 

Modern diesels do not even need an inlet manifold so the certainly wont suffer from a slit or even missing gasket in the short term - especially on a Vetus where the "air cleaner" is often nothing more than a silencer box.

[cuthound]

4 hours ago, 1agos said:

Thanks for your input guys.

 

Update.... the inlet manifold came of without disturbing the fuel lines, filter housing had to come of to slide the manifold out. Been busy with a hook for a few hours to get almost all the glove out from a valve. so will put back together and give it a good run to burn of the rest of the debris after I have sourced a new gasket, the old one was damaged when  removed.

 

Cheers all.

 

 

Yes but is the glove still usable or do you have to get another pair? 🤣😅

[Alan de Enfield]

8 minutes ago, cuthound said:

 

Yes but is the glove still usable or do you have to get another pair? 🤣😅

 

He only needs one - the other is still fine.

[1agos]

Update 2

 

Today I got back to the boat with the new gasket -  it came  from the Netherlands. Put the manifold and air silencer back on and started her up, after initial lumpiness  (5 seconds) the engine  smoothed out. I will leave her running for an hour or two as suggested above.

 

Lesson learnt i will use an empty can to cover the inlet in future.

 

Thanks again for all the helpful comments

 

 

[john.k]

An apprentice left rags stuffed in the intake ports of a 6 cyl engine .....started ,serious damage .....bent valves ,bent conrod on one cylinder,marks on piston tops where valves wedged open hit pistons.

[Dav and Pen]

One of our camping boats came back on a Friday night being towed. The engine had “just stopped” and wouldn’t turn over. Fearing the worst changed it for the spare and then got Ted Ward to strip it down. Monday afternoon he told me it had a T shirt down the air intake and wrapped up in the head with no real damage. The air cleaner on the PD2 was an oil bath type so how come. Steerer claimed it fell from the washing line I replied here’s your wages goodbye.