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Found in the engine compartment...

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GrantCee

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Aug 23, 2010
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Willamette Valley, Oregon
A few years back my wife bought a pre-owned Saab wagon. Today, while working on the air conditioning, I dropped a fastener down between the battery box and fender. I poked my flashlight into the space, and guess what I found?

A Snap-On TM738! It's a little rusty and doesn't want to rotate very easily — it's obviously been there a while — but some soaking should take care of that.

The eerie part is...

...just last night, I was thinking "I could really use a 1/4" roto-head ratchet." No kidding.

:thumbup:
 

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Wrench97

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Southeastern Pa
Putting a drive belt on a 12L Volvo a few years back I dropped a 1/2" ratchet down in the fan shroud(these belts are inexplicably hard to get off and on) reached down with my big magnet and pulled it out got the new belt on and realised that's not my ratchet.............it was a snap on flex head and I was using a fixed head got the magnet back out and pulled out a 6" extension complete with a 12mm deep socket and then found my ratchet............
 
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Peoria Man

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Mar 1, 2012
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Sometimes the tools aren't even deep down hiding in some dark crevice.

Co-worker got his SUV back from the shop last summer, and a few days later me and him were standing in the parking lot talking. I couldn't help but notice, why is his hood suddenly slightly mis-aligned? It was as if one of the corners was sticking up too high. So I asked him, and he popped the hood to investigate. Sure enough, the tech had left a 6"-long 3/8-drive extension there in the little "channel" where the edge of the hood is supposed to go. Get that out of the way and then the hood closed perfectly.
 
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GrantCee

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Willamette Valley, Oregon
Update:

Well, I took it apart and cleaned it up. The ratchet mechanism was well oiled and had not a trace of rust; I flushed the oil oil and relubed it, and it's working just fine.

The roto head appeared to be rusted in place, but after applying some oil and working it, I found it's just really tightened down — apparently the former owner didn't like the "roto" part of his roto-head ratchet. The adjustment screw is definitely rusted in place, so I have some Kroil on it. I'll leave it overnight and have another go at getting it loose.

This ratchet doesn't have the tooth count of my Wright, nor the low backdrag of my Proto pear head, but for the price I'm not going to complain!
 
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isb cornbinder

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Pacific South West, BC, Canada
I was given the work order to replace a leaking radiator on a mid-ranger truck. The rad had a Proto 3/8" ratchet stuck into the core. The damage was fresh, but the ratchet was well rusted. There was an imprint in the accumulated dirt of the ratchet. I expect the ratchet came loose and hit the fan, sending it into the rad. I put the ratchet into the lost and found.
 
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qqzj

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Nov 28, 2017
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A guy I know found a box with $3k cash hidden behind a furnace he replaced. He was SO happy that he didn't hire a contractor for the job.

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using The Garage Journal mobile app
 
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Moosefire

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Oct 26, 2018
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Detroit
If you get free ratchets anytime you wish, then I'd start wishing for a nice chic with large... personalities shall we say, to deliver you a winning lottery ticket.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk
 
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Ralf11

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hmmm, things found in the engine compartment
 

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Robbie B

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Sunny side of hell
I don’t have a picture of it but I found a 14”? Snappy pry bar under the hood of a car years ago. Took it to work on my current job and lost it in our waste water pit. Didn’t cost me anything but I was still mad at myself for knocking it off in there. Oh well.
 
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LOW1

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ontario
The only thing I have ever found is my own hat when I checked my oil. It was exactly where I put it the previous time I checked my oil.
 
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Bagherra

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Jun 3, 2012
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768
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Virginia Beach, VA
A co-worker asked me to look over a Chevy Silverado he was gonna buy off a used car lot...opened the hood and found a 6" Snap-On extension behind the headlight...
 
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Al Borland

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Jan 20, 2016
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High School auto shop.
Gym Teacher had one of the first Ford EXPs, the bugeyed ones.
He had a "Rattle under the hood and check oil light on"
Mr. Tightwad had changed his own oil on his new car and left the filter, filter wrench and oil cap lying loose under the hood along the back of the engine.
And drove it for two days.
Still ran. We put the filler on and added oil.
Ads far as i remember, it ran no worse than any other ******.
 
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guitarbutt

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Sep 29, 2017
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Sweet, it's always nice to get a free car with the purchase of a Snap On tool.

Those ratchets are so handy and convenient
 
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NYBODYMAN

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Sep 10, 2013
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NY
I remember a few years back when the Mercedes Benz ML 320 SUV's came out, we had a brand new one in the shopo that needed a hood. It had very low miles on it. I removed the cowl/wiper trim and located a foreign looking hammer that Hans or Franz must have left in the wiper trough at the factory. It was very cool. Like an idiot, I gave it to the senior guy in the shop because he asked for it. I wish I still had that hammer. Oh well.
 
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3baygarage

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SW Florida/from Buffalo,NY
One time I unbolted the GMC Jimmy underside splash guard and a couple large green chestnuts and a large green S-K flathead screwdriver (the old green and white) all came rolling toward my face. I was like No!, Yes!
 
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vavet

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Ashland, VA
I’ve been both the giver and the recipient of tools left in cars,
I left my flashlight laying in the middle of the engine’s vee on a BMW e65 [02-08 7 series) while I was getting everything connected. Then I popped the intake back down and didn’t think about it until I d already snugged the manifold down. I decided it was cheap enough that I’d just replace it instead of spending the time to undo all my work.
 
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Jtels85

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May 3, 2017
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Ohio
I can’t even fathom all of the Craftsman V sockets and other tools belonging to my dad that my buddies and I probably dropped under the hoods of our cars in the early 2000’s. My dad used to get so mad when his sockets would go missing and he’d have to replace them.

I would love to find my first car, a black 1991 Pontiac Firebird. Sadly though, I doubt it exists and I don’t have a VIN.
 
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Skin

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Feb 24, 2010
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Boston
qqzj said:
A guy I know found a box with $3k cash hidden behind a furnace he replaced. He was SO happy that he didn't hire a contractor for the job.

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using The Garage Journal mobile app
Click to expand...

From a property he owned I assume. Otherwise that's technically theft. The property owners own everything so, for example, if you are contracted to demo a house and gold bars started falling out you have no right to any of it.
 
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Ralf11

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Feb 29, 2016
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2,275
NYBODYMAN said:
I remember a few years back when the Mercedes Benz ML 320 SUV's came out, we had a brand new one in the shopo that needed a hood. It had very low miles on it. I removed the cowl/wiper trim and located a foreign looking hammer that Hans or Franz must have left in the wiper trough at the factory. It was very cool. Like an idiot, I gave it to the senior guy in the shop because he asked for it. I wish I still had that hammer. Oh well.
Click to expand...

I bet Cooter left it there. The ML's are made near Tusca-looser, Alabama.

....


and Geaux Tigahs!
 
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Plumber4

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Sep 23, 2019
Messages
35
Location
Virginia
I found a Matco branded Streamlight Stinger left in the compartment of my Silverado about 3 years ago. It was worth spending the $15 for a charger for it.
I also found a kitten in my engine compartment several winters ago. I started driving and kept hearing a weird noise which I thought was a slipping belt or noisey pully. I pulled over and found it, luckily unhurt.
 
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Steve_P

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Sep 15, 2010
Messages
5,181
When I was a kid, my mom had a 72 Beetle. My dad brought it in for a tune up and noticed a noise when driving home. It was a 1/2" Snap On ratchet and socket on the crank? bolt. Needless to say he didnt bring it back . And I still have it
 
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