ID this mystery bolt please?

[manley]

I found this on the garage floor after an working on my truck for awhile. I don't remember removing it. In case it might be related, I pulled the engine to replace the oil pan, pulled the transfer case, replaced front rotors and installed new manual hubs.

 

[brinker88]

Set screw for on a PTO shaft or something simular.

 

[manley]

Thanks... that gives me at least an idea where to start looking!

 

[jcd302]

Looks like something from farm equipment.

 

[brinker88]

Looks like, what, 3/8" bolt?

 

[Mark_88]

Looks like a brake line plug or, perhaps, a plug for the differential...I keep a few line plugs handy in case I pop a brake line...then I plug up the master with it and drive to some place where nobody is shooting at me (lol) or sometimes till next pay day...

 

[wahlstrom1]

Brinker88 got it, it's a set screw for a shaft.... no place for it on a ranger. The square block on top should have a hole through it on the side's not showing for a lock wire.

 

[GoodOld85BlueBalls]

That bolt is to drain the 4 oz. of oil in the blinker fluid reservoir. Use 75-90 weight oil to refill it. You can drain it while standing on your head. Remove the bolt above it (the filler hole) then remove the bottom bolt. Don't spill any as that is some thick oil and takes a while to spread on the garage floor before you can wipe it up.

For real it looks like some kind of a jack screw or a set screw, old style set screws were like that before the allen wrench. If the tip of the threads has an "X" in it then it is a set screw for sure. I am sure that is not for sealing of any kind of fluid. If it was for holding something in it would have a head on it. It also kind of looks like the adjusting screw on a lifter???

Perhaps one of your friends put it there to mess with you?

Drive slowly till you figure out where it goes!

 

[manley]

Well crap.... maybe it doesn't go to the truck? I wonder where it came from. I took the truck for a test drive and it was on the floor by the garage door when I got back.

It's driving fine, so

 

[gwaii]

might be from the garage door.if yours is one of the overhead types,they use a set bolt just like that to hold the cable wheels to the shaft.

 

[adsm08]

Not sure exactly what it's from but here is what I do know.

It is a set screw, as stated before. Given the patina on it the only place it COULD belong on your truck is as the throttle hard stop BUT it doesn't. It is too long, too wide, and the head is wrong. Which means, it doesn't go to your truck.

 

[MJ'sBlkBII]

I've seen something very similar, but I can't place where. Thinking maybe steering shaft? I can picture it, in a seating, of something tubular. Possably thinking of my rigs though. I see more under the hood of them than anything else...

 

[martin]

Looks like one of the garage door spring lock screws.

 

[manley]

Looks like one of the garage door spring lock screws.

While working on my garage door a couple weeks ago, I discovered you are exactly right! I only use one spring because the setup is for a wooden door and the previous owner of my house installed a nice insulated aluminum door at some point. So, one of the set screws on the "loose" spring fell out.

 

[adsm08]

That sounds like this one time at work. The big garage door was going up and I saw something fall in front of me. Looked up and saw one of the bolts that holds the carriage swing arm to the door was missing it's nut.