IF THIS HAPPENS TO YOU READ THIS!!!!!!!

Could not put this into the write-up's section, so if it would be better off being move then thanks.
early in the spring I had to replace the CPS. I was aware of the hole on top of the bellhousing and was very very very careful not to drop the bolt, But it fell down the hole any way. with a butt ton more research I had found nothing to help me other than dropping the tranny and removing the flex plate.
That wasn't going to work for me. Time was a major issue's, weather (spring in the middle off the rockies can be cold and wet, I don't have a Garage). I got back under it and was thinking of anything I could come up with. Then It hit me like a ton of bricks. I thought to myself " I'm a fisherman I'll fish it out of there"
I had some 52 lb. test ( fishi'n line if you don't know) fluorocarbon ( mono would work fine to) in my pike fishin' tippet material. Got a ( nut and bolt) Nut and tied the fishing line to it as if the nut was the eye on the hook. Next I dropped the nut and fishing line down the hole and it appeared in my view from the inspection plate area. I pulled the nut and line threw ( opp's should have said to make sure the nut you use is going to be thin enough to make it in between flex plate and bellhousing) clipped the nut free and tied a "clinch knot" around the CPS bolt stuck in the bellhousing then I gently pulled up on the line to tighten the knot while pinning the threaded end of the bolt down with a screwdriver, so that the knot would rest under the hex head of the bolt. then I tried to pull the bolt out and it stopped somewhere in there. decided to put a ratchet ( and 19mm socket) on the crank shaft pully at front of the engine) and see if it would let the bolt brake free. Well it did
you should flip the bolt over to whatever side the nut and line fall to
this is totally worth a shot before dropping your tranny. this will save you a lot of worry and aggravation

 

Why not just the dust shield and use a telescoping magnet?

 

My thoughts exactly. When I did my CPS I dropped the bolts down the hole a few times After the second time I just left the dust shield off till I was done

For the record I have next to no feeling in my hands so I drop things all the time.

 

Clever, and thanks, but like mentioned there is an inspection/dust cover below. Not always easy there! Every poster has gotten it though. Wire, water jet or even removing the starter have come up....Thanks though.

 

Basic rule of changing the CPS is remove the TOP bolt first. No hole yet for it to fall into. Bottom bolt is below the hole. Then with the new CPS install the BOTTOM bolt first. You will be working below the hole. Then the top bolt. That way gravity will not betray you to an opening in the bell housing.

The job was a piece of cake on my 96 XJ. I fixed the new CPS into the BH from above and I did the bolting from below with about 42 inches of ratchet extension and a wobble joint up on the socket. I taped each bolt to the socket for installation so as not to have them drop out somewhere. And I put some tape around the wobble joint to keep it from flopping over too much.

One hand was up high to guide the extension/socket assy. The other hand was down and back to operate the ratchet.

 

tried a magnet. It kept sticking to other places before it could reach the bolt. From the inspection ????? maybe the bolt on mine was bigger ( on the hex head) because it would not come out from the bottom.
as far as top bolt first I must not have picked that up in my research before starting the job, or perhaps I just forgot. easy job would be even easier with smaller hands I would bet.
just been blindly learning to wrench, and figure My mess up's can help someone else. Done a lot of stuff that I never thought I could do by doing it. next is a tranny rebuild after I swap out the old one. Can't lie tho I am preety terrified of inside of a transmission, but it not so bad this way. I f it was make or break it would be way more scary

 

The bolts don't like coming out between the ring gear and bell housing for sure.