Help...wrench lost in the engine bay

hi. im new here.
i own 2005 honda accord v6.
i just recently replaced my air-filter and accidently dropped an estimted 3" monkey wrench(?) by where battery is held.
i removed the battery only to find a metal base that seems to be welded on to the body. It seems like my missing tool is somewhere below the metal plate. I'm probably gonna try to look for it again tomorrow, but do you know if anyone of you tried to remove this plate? or do you guys think this will cause me a problem in the long run if i somehow don't find the missing tool? the location of the battery is isolated from major belts and such, but im still afraid that this might cause me problem later on. my friend suggested it might fall out...but i ain't so sure until i remove it myself. pls help!

 Hi Member..get your self a mechanics magnet and fish it out from below that box..Good Fishin to you!
 
                            WheelBrokerAng 

OH man, I feel your pain...
 
When I changed a tensioner pulley I dropped a nut from the backside of the tensioner lever.  It fell down behind the alternator.  So what should have been a 5-minute job turned out to include removing the alternator.  And explaining to my wife why it's such a good thing that I know how to work on our own cars.
 

wheelbroker - i tried fishing it out as well. but im not getting anything. that's why i wanted remove the bottom plate cuz it gets in the way. but i'll try that again tomorrow. if not...i think i might try to remove my headlight for more clearance. it's so crowded in there!! thanks for your input!

jimblake - wow. yours sound worse than mine. it's a relief to hear that im not the only clumsy one.

when i was changing my headlights my screwdriver fell down...i paniced..but realized it wasn't in the way of anything major so i drove the car slowly down the block until i heard something fall,got out picked it up and went back home.

I always seems to lose the really vital parts I don't keep stocked in the engine bay like fuel injector seals, spark plug tube seals, C-clips, etc. I left a crow foot on the fuel filter because I couldn't get it off.

Thats happened to me plenty of times. I droped a wrentch as well, and as soon as i moved the car it fell out. Ive also lost a 12mm socket in the rear seats somewhere, it doesnt rattle, but its lost and im never getting it back

i've lost so many things that i rather not think about it... when working on my turbo manifold, a nut somehow fell into the exhaust outlet and it took me half an hour to "fish it"... (tied a string to a magnet and of it goes!)

My magnet is worth its weight in gold.  I have to use it almost every time I open my hood cause I drop so many nuts & bolts.  My dad likes to drop wrenches in there and lose them.  He lost one in my V6 one time near the battery just like you did.  I have still never found it.  I can only assume it fell out on the road somewhere!

Now, I know this wouldn't have helped the OP...  but a while back I bought a those magnetic parts tray.  It's by Craftsman, about 4"x10", w/ 3 round plasticized magnets on the bottom.  It sticks to anything, won't scratch paint, and holds nuts, wrenches, etc.  I don't open my hood w/o it anymore.

quote:

ORIGINAL: peter4jc

Now, I know this wouldn't have helped the OP...  but a while back I bought a those magnetic parts tray.  It's by Craftsman, about 4"x10", w/ 3 round plasticized magnets on the bottom.  It sticks to anything, won't scratch paint, and holds nuts, wrenches, etc.  I don't open my hood w/o it anymore.

Yeah I have the round one and the rectangular one. The magnet itself won't scratch paint, but when it picks up metal shaving it sure as hell will.

I've dropped and left many tools in mine never seems to hurt and the bonus is next time I work on it I find a tool. Besides most cases if you cant get it out it probably wont fall out and if it does fall out there not much it can hurt. I would never cut out a welded part in any of my hondas to get one small wrench the wrench is cheaper and quicker to replace.