1999 EZGO Gas Valve adjustment went south

[reggieone]

while adjusting valves I accidentally with a screwdriver released a valve key. Then trying to put it back in; the other half of the key came out. The valve drop down and now I see no other way to get the valve and the key that drop down into the housing but to pull the head. As this happened to anyone and if so do you have a fast workaround?

[worqhors]

No big deal.Probably sitting on top of the piston. Nowhere really to go.

[crash12888]

can you still see the valve stem down in the valve guide or did it drop completely out of it?
If you see it can you slowly rotate the piston up to help push it back up until you can get it? don't force it.
Or this sounds crazy but if it is still in the guide, try a shopvac or the siphon hose of a sand blaster (anything that sucks) and try to suck it back up the guide and then raise piston to help hold it.
You could try to remove the spark plug and see if you can see it, could also try a 8 or 10" pair of shop tweezers, bend them if you have to, and reinsert it.
If it is out of the guide, pull the head to reinstall.
If you get it back up, use compressed air through the plug hole to hold it in place to reinstall the spring and keepers.
Where was the valve seal? that should've helped hold it in to a degree.

[reggieone]

Well that is good to know that the Valve key probably just dropped on top of the piston. Possibility a magnet could retrieve that. I'll try your suggestions on retrieving the valve. I do notice when I tried to gently rotate the motor there is definitely something restricting it. So probably it's wedged between the piston and the top of the cylinder head.
I'm curious if I have to pull this head is it a big deal. I downloaded a manual from this forum and honestly it doesn't look that difficult. But I haven't tested my mechanical skills for this type of project since I was racing cars 30 years ago.

[crash12888]

Sorry, I missed the part where the keeper dropped into the "housing",do you mean dropped into the head? if so it is probably the oil drain back hole and went to the bottom of the block. you can still get it out by draining the oil and using a magnet or flushing it out the drain hole with Kerosene.
You didn't answer about the valve stem, is it still in the guide or all the way out?

[reggieone]

Well I had to pull the head; not a big problem found the missing Key and discovered I might possibly need a valve job.

[simple man]

Well, sometimes bad things turn out well! At least you didn't have to pull the head for nothing!

I've had several engines that I worked on with valve keepers in the oil pan! :)

[reggieone]

Well here's the update, I ordered parts to do the new valve job, intake valves and gaskets. Unfortunately when I got the parts here in Mexico they sent the exhaust valves only. So I took it to a shop here in San Carlos and they retooled some valves from a Chevrolet motor. It worked out perfect their back on the cart and the card runs better than it ever has. The only problem I have with this is that I am a Ford guy and I wish they would have used Ford parts. Now I have Chevrolet parts in my EZ go golf cart.

[simple man]

That's Cool! It must have took a bunch of grinding to get a big valve turned to the size of the ones in the cart!

[d10shun]

Same thing happened to me. I was in the process of putting new valve keys/collets in when one dropped into the heads oil drain opening. The collet is lost somewhere in the oilpan with no ill effects I notice.

Popping new collets onto the valve without removing the valve spring/cam/rockers was tricky. We ended up jamming a thin screwdriver between the valve and coil spring. A touch of oil on the collets helps to keep them in place for the brief second before you release tension on the spring.