Flange nut left over after oil change

[ASVMO]

Just changed the oil for the first time in my EcoBoost FX4. Found it to be a pain in the butt compared to all my prior vehicles. While putting the skid plate back on, I found this 15 mm flange nut lying directly under it on my garage floor. It looks brand new. I don't recognize it from any other projects. I also don't remember using my 15 mm wrench or socket for anything other than the oil plug bolt. I don't see anywhere it would go on the truck, but it seems like it came from it. Does anybody recognize this and know where it goes?

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[Rivers90]

Does not look like any nuts I have seen on my oil changes. But I don't have an FX4.

 

[ndmiller]

Came out of the engine when you changed the oil. Good on you for getting it out of there.

Looks like a nut from part of the suspension. Maybe an extra in the underbody shield dropped during production?

 

[ASVMO]

Thanks, my guess is that it has just been lying on the skid plate since new. Maybe it accidentally got dropped during production. I can't remember taking any 15mm nut / bolt off except for the oil bolt, but who knows. Just drove to the store and back and nothing clunked or fell off, so hopefully all is well.

 

[Montana]

Like my father working on something around the house. Somehow we end up with extra washers and a nut on every project. He goes "those were extra anyways".

10 years later the ceiling fan is still attached and not wobbly so I guess they were indeed extra

 

[Toddman45]

Like my father working on something around the house. Somehow we end up with extra washers and a nut on every project. He goes "those were extra anyways".

10 years later the ceiling fan is still attached and not wobbly so I guess they were indeed extra

Your Dad must know my Dad....

 

[CajunMick]

Always a “nut“ hanging around.
When I was a mechanic my younger days, in spite every effort to put every screw, bolt n nut back in, had 1 or 2 leftover. Just went “Humm”, threw em into the bucket of bolts n nuts, look other way. And one thing for sure, drop a nut ot bolt or screw or tool in engine bay, could never find it !

 

[paneubert]

And one thing for sure, drop a nut ot bolt or screw or tool in engine bay, could never find it !

@ASVMO found it

 

[MetalsGeek]

Always a “nut“ hanging around.
When I was a mechanic my younger days, in spite every effort to put every screw, bolt n nut back in, had 1 or 2 leftover. Just went “Humm”, threw em into the bucket of bolts n nuts, look other way. And one thing for sure, drop a nut or bolt or screw or tool in engine bay, could never find it !

I dropped a nut in the engine bay while working on my stepmother's Pontiac. It bounced around several times before coming to rest, but of course never hit the ground. It was used on something important, like maybe the alternator. Took me 20 minutes with a light and an inspection mirror before I got lucky and found it - inside the frame just beyond the hole it flew thru. A rare stroke of luck!

 

[CajunMick]

I now have flashlight, both hand held, head mounted, mirrors, couple magnets, one of those flex tube spring loaded 3 fingers grabbing tool. Sometimes I take hammer, bang on fender, frame rails or suspension to try make it move, drop. If it falls into a channel shape support, and you under vehicle, not gonna see it.

Waiting a day someone stops me, says an object fell out, under vehicle, cracked his windshield. Oh boy!

 

[Oscarcat]

Just changed the oil for the first time in my EcoBoost FX4. Found it to be a pain in the butt compared to all my prior vehicles. While putting the skid plate back on, I found this 15 mm flange nut lying directly under it on my garage floor. It looks brand new. I don't recognize it from any other projects. I also don't remember using my 15 mm wrench or socket for anything other than the oil plug bolt. I don't see anywhere it would go on the truck, but it seems like it came from it. Does anybody recognize this and know where it goes?

Examine it close-up and carefully for wrench or socket marks on the outer surfaces. If it looks pristine, then I go with the school of guessers here that says it fell down during the assembly process.

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