XJ XJ6 / XJ8 / XJR ( X350 & X358 ) 2003 - 2009

DIY Smoke Tester for Vac Leaks

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Old 05-16-2014, 12:22 AM
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Default DIY Smoke Tester for Vac Leaks

As some background, I normally use a vac pump to do the initial testing

I use the vac pump to pull a vacuum and leave it for a few hours. If the vacuum is not lost no leaks
But to pinpoint a small leak it often easier to inject smoke into the system as you can visually see the leak

Here i show I made mine. Cost was $12 aud

What you need is
Sealed container
1 * Glow Plug
2 * Air Fittings

The only Item i needed to purchase was glow plug. Make sure you get a 12V one not a 24V one
For the container you can use an old paint tin, but I used an old pot with a sealing lid (don't tell her indoors!!!)

I drilled hole in the pot for the glow plug and bolted it in using a pair of washers
Before bolting in the plug I used a bolt to compress the side of the pot.
The pot is aluminum so this was easy done
As the sides are also tapered I jut bent the bolt up so it lined up parallel to the bottom
You can see this in the pics

You will also notice the glow plug is set off the bottom about 40mm
I use baby oil to produce the smoke which works really well.
You dont need to have the glow plug in the oil just near it. If it is in the oil it needs to heat all the oil before you get smoke.

On the lid I just drill 2 holes and inserted 2 Nitto air compressor fittings. I also used a washer either side and used some brass compressor fittings I had in the toolbox as nuts.

The lid itself did not seal that great so I just added a bead of sealant to produce a good seal when the lid is clamped on.

In one of the fittings I also glued in a short section of tube using selastic sealant.
This is the air inlet and I set the tube so its at the bottom of the pot but not touching

As the air comes in it goes down the tube and caused the oil to bubble and splash. This splashes it on the glow plug and instant smoke is the result

A word on pressure, no more than 3psi. A cheep compressor is good but turn don the regulator to the absolute minimum

Using the tester
1. Fill with baby oil close to but not over the glow plug
2. Attach the lid, air hose (max 3psi), and a tube to the outlet
3. Remove the Intake hose from the airbox and plug with pressure pack can lid (or similar)
4. Connect the smoke pots outlet to a hole on the plug in the intake hose
5. Turn on the air and power the glow plug

DONT run the engine!!!!









Cheers
34by151
 

Last edited by 34by151; 05-16-2014 at 12:42 AM.
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Old 05-16-2014, 03:04 AM
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Great piece of invention.
Graham
 
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Old 05-30-2016, 11:51 PM
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Old 06-19-2016, 04:09 PM
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34by151
Looks very straight forward and will keep in mind when the need arises! I had some small hose fitting vacuum leaks some time back on my XJR, replaced the o rings and that solved it at that time.

RyeJag
 
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Old 06-22-2016, 03:19 PM
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A lit cigarette works too...
 
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Old 06-27-2016, 07:36 AM
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I rigged up a disco/club/stage smoke machine. Of course, you need your workshop audio cranked to 11 for the full effect.




whoa
 
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