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I accidently knocked the wiper motor arm down the cowl and I heard it land somewhere in the fender. Do'h!
I've tried reaching from the door jamb, behind the plastic inner fender, and from underneath and just can't get any real access. Randomly poking around with a telescoping magnet didn't work either. I'm not worried about buying another one, but I'd rather not leave it laying in there. Is retrieving it a lost cause?
You can unbolt the bottom lip of the fender and pull the lower part of the fender outward to gain access. I would just leave that arm where it is, though.
Is the arm stainless steel? Possibly zinc or phosphate coated? My concern is it could cause rust laying down there, but it's exposed to the elements while mounted on the wiper motor, so it may be OK.
I dropped a 9/16 swivel snap on impact socket down in the exact area your describing. I tried to retrieve it with a magnet, no luck I pulled the 2 bolts from the bottom of the fender and it fell into the ground. Great! Reinstalled the bolts, finished whatever I was working on, thought all was good. Until I opened the door. I obviously didn’t get the fender in exactly the right position, the door/fender touched when the door opened. Lots of chipped paint. Buying a nee socket (probably a new set!) would have been much cheaper!!
I wouldn’t hesitate to remove the bolts to get the arm out, but DEFINITELY make absolutely sure the fender is in its original location. Open the door slowly, watch for possible contact.
Did it go into the cowl, or between the cowl and the fender? If it's inside the cowl, pull the kick panel inside the car and you can reach into the cowl.
Is the arm stainless steel? Possibly zinc or phosphate coated? My concern is it could cause rust laying down there, but it's exposed to the elements while mounted on the wiper motor, so it may be OK.
A chunk of metal shouldn't be an issue at all. What causes rust is all the leaf debris that collects in there. My original fenders rusted from the inside out due to about 6" of mulch in there that stayed wet all the time from rain and car washings. I couldn't believe how much came out when I unbolted the bottom of the fender.
I didn't realize there was two cavities back there. I thought the area the wiper motor arm fell into was between the cowl and the fender. I did not know there is a space within the cowl itself.
Pulled that access panel by the fuse box out, and it was laying right there. Thanks Joe!
Is it normal to have a piece of insulation in there too? Because there was a ratty (yet intact) piece hardly attached in there.
