engine and drivetrain Used My Smoke Generating Leak Tester for the First Time

[thehackmechanic]

Used my smoke generating leak tester for the first time. A couple of guys make and sell these on eBay for about $125. It's a basically a paint can with a heater element and a pressure regulator that pushes out smoke at a very lazy 2 or 3 PSI, which has a far greater effect than you'd think. Fill it with medical grade mineral oil, connect it to your battery, pressurize it with your compressor, plug the output into the hose to the intake manifold before the brake booster check valve, seal up the throttle body and exhaust with a latex glove and, if necessary, a zip tie, and look to see where the smoke comes out. In my case, troubleshooting my friend Mike's tii, it was coming out the warmup regulator on the Kugelfisher pump, which, when cold, is normal, so I clamped off the hose leading to it. The smoke then pushed the dipstick up. I held that down with my thumb, and the glove on the throttle body got pretty big. Conclusion -- no obvious vacuum leaks. A big thumbs up for this first test.

Edited September 2, 2015 by thehackmechanic

[skipsfcr]

Rob, I use a smoke machine daily, typically for testing evaporative emission systems or finding vacuum leaks like you were looking for. No doubt, it's a really handy and revealing device!

[TobyB]

Jim Levie approves...

 

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[JohnH]

▲▲▲ best reply ever.

 

This is mine, knocked up from a minifog.

 

 

 

[adawil2002]

I remember those from my days working at an independent BMW garage in Pittsburgh in 1993. Great tool, removes the usual home mechanic guess work.

Edited September 2, 2015 by adawil2002

[rover1]

they have many use in auto repair. i just pumped smoke into the cumbustion chamber to find a leaking headgasket. kind of like a poor mans leak down. just dont inhale to much smoke that stuff cant be healthy.

[plape]

I've been struggling for years with the famous gas smell in trunk problem. New sender O-ring didn't help, new fuel line didn't help.

 

Today I plugged my smoke machine into the vent port on the fuel fill boot. It immediately showed a big leak around the gasket between the boot and bracket on the trunk. So, I ordered a new boot that hopefully won't be fossilized plastic, and might supplement the paper gasket with some RTV.

 

I made my own smoke machine, similar to the paint can one pictured above, for about $15 in parts and an old soldering iron for heat. Works great.

[Son of Marty]

I had a smoke generator in high school, it was called a Suzuki X-6?

[Dudeland]

 

He he.... smoke generator. LOL 

 

 

 

 

[02Les]

That reminds me...…..

 

[Ian]

Smoke generators are great tools, especially on the '91 318is, which I swear has a vacuum system thought up by Rube Goldberg.  I like the Singer version, it's simple and robust.