DIY Smoke Machine

sdw

sdw

Registered User
Well not a machine really.

After reading David Dalke's comment that every SC he's seen has had a leak I decided since my car is a couple of weeks away from firing up I would leak check it.

I phone around and the best price I could get was $70.00 to have a garage do it. So I figured I could something similar for lots cheaper.

Found an empty bottle that fit my intake. Drilled a hole in the cap. Took an old bicycle inner tube i've been using and cut the valve out so I could stick it through the cap and the rubber would seal against the bottle when the cap was tightened down.

Bought some HVAC smoke bombs used for checking duct work. I had some leftover tin so I put that in the intake tube as a base so the rubber wouldn't get damaged. Then clamped the HT102 in a small vice grips to hold it up. Lit it, placed it on the tin, put bottle in place and clamped it down.

Used bicycle pump to pressurize the intake. and viola, leaking TPS and a line that I left off the back of the intake.

Total cost $3.75 plus tax for the smoke bomb.

Now to figure out where I made the mistake on the vacuum lines. :eek:

Here's some pics.

Regards

Sean
 

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sdw said:
Used bicycle pump to pressurize the intake. and viola, leaking TPS and a line that I left off the back of the intake.
Click to expand...

Any idea how much pressure? It isn't unusual to see leaking by throttle shaft seals. That side isn't designed to be pressurized and the seals seem optimized to prevent leaks into the throttle body, not out.
 
Any idea how much pressure? It isn't unusual to see leaking by throttle shaft seals. That side isn't designed to be pressurized and the seals seem optimized to prevent leaks into the throttle body, not out.
Click to expand...


I didn't go more than 3 lbs on the gauge. Most of what I read said that was all you needed.

Sean
 
Kevin:

Go down the street to Refrigerative Supply 132 West 2nd.

I worked there for 8 years or so.

Say hello to Ross Len and Wade for me.

Regards

Sean
 
Thanks Sean will go this morning. we just have a car at work that's getting a miss fire code for all four cylinders and we like to know if there's a intake leak since everything else is fine. odd thing is, you never feel a miss fire, and it throws those codes only when the engine is in overrun/deceleration going down a hill.
 
nice idea

think it is better than the true smoke pro tester cause the one i have here will not pressurize more than 1psi great idea!
 
Sorry for the bump but I was thinking about doing this to test my vacuum lines as well as my boost pipes/intercooler for leaks. If I opened the throttle body, removed the pcv and capped it would I be able to pressure the whole intake to test for boost leaks as well without doing any damage to seals at say 22PSI? Or would it just go into crank case or out the exhaust depending on the valve positions.

Thanks
 
Well... Another way to do it is to use a propane can with a rubber tube on the end. You need to be careful but if you take your time and keep away from sparks you will hear the RPM's change when you pass over the leak.
:eek:
 
J dot Miller said:
Well... Another way to do it is to use a propane can with a rubber tube on the end. You need to be careful but if you take your time and keep away from sparks you will hear the RPM's change when you pass over the leak.
:eek:
Click to expand...

I thought about doing something similar with carb cleaner however I read on here by DD where he said that the EEC is so fast that it would compensate for the excess fuel so fast that we wouldn't notice the change in RPM's so that particular test wouldn't work. Any ideas?
 
SCDan35thANV said:
I thought about doing something similar with carb cleaner however I read on here by DD where he said that the EEC is so fast that it would compensate for the excess fuel so fast that we wouldn't notice the change in RPM's so that particular test wouldn't work. Any ideas?
Click to expand...

I disagree. It works, at least on larger leaks. You do have to pay attention, but it works.
 
Carb cleaner works too but I think it has a higher chance of catching fire. I prefer propane. When I had my 90 35th I let Fast Freddie check for leaks with carb cleaner and he set my engine on-fire. SWe put it out fast but he burned up the best part of the car: the under hood thunderbird insulation pad.
:eek:

Oh yea, it worked! We found the leak!
 
J dot Miller said:
Carb cleaner works too but I think it has a higher chance of catching fire. I prefer propane. When I had my 90 35th I let Fast Freddie check for leaks with carb cleaner and he set my engine on-fire. SWe put it out fast but he burned up the best part of the car: the under hood thunderbird insulation pad.
:eek:

Oh yea, it worked! We found the leak!
Click to expand...

LOL considering my underhood insulation pad was eaten by rats i'll try and take it easy with the carb cleaner for now but thanks guys!
 
he junked the car anyhow

J dot Miller said:
Carb cleaner works too but I think it has a higher chance of catching fire. I prefer propane. When I had my 90 35th I let Fast Freddie check for leaks with carb cleaner and he set my engine on-fire. SWe put it out fast but he burned up the best part of the car: the under hood thunderbird insulation pad.
:eek:

Oh yea, it worked! We found the leak!
Click to expand...
if the motor was tuned right it wound,t have burped :eek::D but trash goes to trash :p miller the junk man !!!!:(
 
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