Smoke Machine

White Lincoln

White Lincoln

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New Mexico
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1994 Mercury Cougar XR7, 3.8L, all stock
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Yes, they can be very useful, especially when the carb cleaner spray trick is hard to execute or for EVAP leaks. I don't know about that Chinese piece of crap. You used to be able to buy a machine made by Stinger for not much more than that. If you are creative you can make your own as well.
 
White Lincoln said:
Anyone ever use a smoke leak detector tool?


I was wondering if they really can help you find a vacuum leak in an engine.
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I have a smoke machine. They do work. They are a helpful tool in certain situations.
 
Bill Clinton used a cigar.
Homemade, jar contains 2 socks, bottle of baby oil and a soldering iron. bicycle pump to the white pen gives pressure.
End with glove fits over whatever you can fit it to, throttle body for example.
I use it while it in that box so it doesn't roll around or fall and break.
 

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3_97_Sports said:
Bill Clinton used a cigar.
Homemade, jar contains 2 socks, bottle of baby oil and a soldering iron. bicycle pump to the white pen gives pressure.
End with glove fits over whatever you can fit it to, throttle body for example.
I use it while it in that box so it doesn't roll around or fall and break.
Click to expand...

Overkill yet I love contraptions, I kind of want to make one lol
 
I'm gonna make a version of that but with an inflatable mattress pump... Let batteries do all the work.
 
Kidd-7 said:
Gas station cigars are also

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That guy gives me the willies.... I don't know if its his glasses, the way he talks or his hair cut, but yeah... he kinda freaks me out.
 
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3_97_Sports said:
Bill Clinton used a cigar.
Homemade, jar contains 2 socks, bottle of baby oil and a soldering iron. bicycle pump to the white pen gives pressure.
End with glove fits over whatever you can fit it to, throttle body for example.
I use it while it in that box so it doesn't roll around or fall and break.
Click to expand...
Dang! Look at you Mr. Wizard! Nice work on that design!
 
White Lincoln said:
Come on guys... I said "Smoke Machine", not "Dope machine"....

Geez, 1000 clowns out of business and here you guys are... :facepalm:
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Out of business because their contrabulous fabtraptions do the same thing a cheap cigar does 😝 I don’t even smoke but that’s my go-to method for smoke tests.
 
3_97_Sports said:
Bill Clinton used a cigar.
Homemade, jar contains 2 socks, bottle of baby oil and a soldering iron. bicycle pump to the white pen gives pressure.
End with glove fits over whatever you can fit it to, throttle body for example.
I use it while it in that box so it doesn't roll around or fall and break.
Click to expand...
I took an old empty bottle of 75W-90 and stuck a hose on the nozzle cap. Cigarette goes inside the cap. Then I punched a hole in the bottom and siliconed in a cheap PCV grommet and valve. Squeeze to smoke, release to "inflate" the bottle back.

That or I just stuck the cigarette in the line itself.

White Lincoln said:
In what country?

A pack here is about $8 - $12 depending on where you buy them. That is one expensive habit.
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If all you're doing is smoking an engine, you don't have to splurge on Marlboros. But that's why I love my pipe tobacco. A $5 ounce lasts me for weeks.
 
Derphound01 said:
I took an old empty bottle of 75W-90 and stuck a hose on the nozzle cap. Cigarette goes inside the cap. Then I punched a hole in the bottom and siliconed in a cheap PCV grommet and valve. Squeeze to smoke, release to "inflate" the bottle back.

That or I just stuck the cigarette in the line itself.


If all you're doing is smoking an engine, you don't have to splurge on Marlboros. But that's why I love my pipe tobacco. A $5 ounce lasts me for weeks.
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I can't argue with either of those statements. Nice work on the "smoke machine"!

I orginally asked about a smoke machine because Junkyard Digs was showing how they found a vacuum leak using a machine they got on Amazon. I started wondering if anyone else had used these. Then I was entertained with several "other ways" to get the same results.

What a site! Thanks guys.
 
White Lincoln said:
I started wondering if anyone else had used these.
Click to expand...

The last time I used a smoke machine was over 20 years ago during Advanced engine diagnostics course in college. The machine they had took some time to get working - we would fill up the engines until the smoke was coming out of the exhaust pipes ( also useful for diagnosing exhaust leaks ).

In the very few times I've had to look for a vacuum leak - a cigar usually did the trick. One of my neighbors used this method to find a valve cover leak on his BMW recently, turned out to be missing a bolt.

I was considering buying one last year when my SS threw a lean code on both banks, until I noticed the evap fitting came loose from boost. 😉

Otherwise I wouldn't bother checking for vacuum leaks unless you have a related code.
 
White Lincoln said:
Can you check exhaust leaks with a cigar or cigertte?
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Of course .. best done on the tailpipe side rather than blowing through the engine.

I was just pointing out that smoke testing for vacuum leaks for long enough time will eventually have smoke coming out of the exhaust
 
dDUBb said:
Of course .. best done on the tailpipe side rather than blowing through the engine.

I was just pointing out that smoke testing for vacuum leaks for long enough time will eventually have smoke coming out of the exhaust
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Understood, thanks dDubd.
 
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