Smoke Machine Automotive Leak Detector,Evap Vacuum Smoke Diagnostic Tester,Pipeline Fuel Leakage Detector Compatible with 12V Vehicles
$69.60
- Additional information
- Reviews (10)
Additional information
| Asin | B0BGB41DLK |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | |
| Weight | 4.64 pounds |
| Manufacturer | AUTOOL |
Jamie –
This product seems solid, mostly metal, shop quality. Located my issue within minutes after days of chasing the problem still getting the same lean code. Cannot use Fogger Juice with this smoker, it is water based. Mineral oil is suggested if you do not have the automotive smoke fluid. I used baby oil original no additives and it worked awesome. This item does not come with the fluid. The bottle that comes with it is empty. The accessories are great. You can block off different size openings with the pump-up bladder. The accessories made my project easy to detect the leak quickly. It does require an air source, air compressor, for it to function. I’ve had it for a few days. I’ll follow up if anything changes.
john w. –
I figured they’re probably all made in China, this one was cheap, so I’ll try it. It’s actually quite nice. It’s smaller than I expected, which is good. I like the metal case. I see the over $900 otc one is plastic. It makes thick smoke. The fittings are nice. The flowmeter is nice.
Any of these is just a regulator, some means of controlling flow, and a heater. I don’t know how anyone comes up with $900-1000 for that.
I regret buying real “smoke fluid” for it, it is obviously just mineral oil. The instructions for this even tell you to use that. No magic here, it just heats up oil to produce smoke. I’ll use mineral oil, not baby oil, which just has a scent added. The smoke gets in whatever you’re testing, condensing and coating things a little, so I suppose there is some minor risk of the perfume decomposition products being corrosive or something.
Speaking of instructions, you sure don’t need them to operate this simple thing, but they are written (or translated) pretty well.
I might like to have a 120vac power option. I would rather not have the more expensive type that comes with an air pump. More moving parts means it’s more likely to break. The 12v might mean they use a cheap diesel glow plug for heat, I don’t know. Maybe I’ll take a look inside.
NutDriver –
This SDT-103 ‘smoker’ is very well made and is of excellent quality. Like others have opined, I would have liked to see a much longer battery power cable to put the smoker near the user laying under the vehicle near (for example) the EVAP canister. But this can be easily improvised by the user. Likewise, the smoke tube could be about twice as long. Yet, that too can be readily extended.
Users: Be aware, that ‘smoking’ an EVAP charcoal canister can yield inconclusive results if one is not careful of how the EVAP system works as a whole. With the canister by itself (on a bench or with all ancillary hoses and valves disconnected), you cannot pass smoke through the two halves of the canister. The whole purpose of the charcoal canister is to store, absorb, trap HC’s which is what the smoke is mainly comprised of. A used can and brand new can will generally NOT pass smoke through either. One might conclude that there is a blockage. That happened to me, so I assumed that the can was plugged and off I went to purchase a brand new can at outrageous cost IMO!! However, the brand new can wouldn’t pass smoke either! But the new can did fix my original problem….that of the gas pump shutting off prematurely whilst filling the tank. As the photo shows though, there was a semi-local blockage right adjacent to the inlet port from the main gas tank vent line. That was apparently due to my negligence of over-filling the tank at times. BTW, my 13 year old truck only had ~18k miles when tank filling issues commenced.
Anyway, just a heads-up if one attempts to diagnose their EVAP system by smoke testing the canister by itself. It may lead to confusing results. One might be better off to measure the flow rate (or Delta P) through the charcoal canister. I could definitely notice the difference OLD vs NEW just by me blowing into each can. (Not sure how healthy or smart that was) 🙁
Teresa –
Works perfectly well. Easy enough to figure out. Good smoke output for it’s size. Does what we needed it for.
C. R. –
I can’t believe I missed out owning this diagnostic tool! I had a vac leak in my Expedition and some of the areas where hoses are run just aren’t easily accessible. With this tool I found the EGR valve diaphragm was leaking.
Despite being Chinese, this unit is quality made with a minimum of plastic parts. It puts out a good quantity of smoke USING BABY OIL. If you notice a reduction in volume, immediately turn the power off, disconnect the air (the oil tank is under air pressure), and refill.
To make things easier, I added a small air pressure regulator to the input of the unit.
Be aware that the smoke does has a smell that will linger for a day or so under the hood.
Check out YouTube for instructional videos.
This is a highly recommended tool that will help pinpoint leaks and keep you from guessing at what component needs replaced.
Kelly –
This review is for the Autool Model SDT103 Smoke Leak Detector. I did a lot of research before buying this product. I opted for this unit, which has no internal compressor, because it has less parts to break and I have my own compressor. (It uses almost no air; just a trickle.) I also liked that it has flow control and a flow indicator. Please be aware, I’ve only used this unit one time, so I can’t comment on its long term reliability.
I read the instructions before using it, and the instructions are pretty well written, and describe how to operate it without a whole lot of difficult-to-understand broken English. The unit is pretty simple, so its operation is straightforward.
I bought a little 3 ounce bottle of baby oil from CVS for a couple bucks. I put 20mL into the unit before turning it on (the instruction booklet said 10mL, but there were two stickers on the actual unit that said 20mL, so I used 20mL). I let the air flow through it for a minute or two before I turned on the smoke switch. The smoke took about 30 seconds to start coming out, and maybe 2 minutes before it got really thick. I used this for diagnosing a vacuum leak in the intake of my Ford Ranger. The smoke was nice and thick and was easily seen (see picture).
The packaging is very good on this product. All accessories are in separate ziplock bags, very organized, very neat. All the accessories (hoses, wires, oil bottle, etc) seem to be very high quality. I was expecting a one-time use throw-away item, but this seems to be well made and has quality accessories.
I’m surprised to hear that some people write reviews complaining about the smell of the unit after using it. It burns oil to generates smoke. The smoke smells like burning oil. Why would someone expect this unit to not smell like burned oil?
This product saved me a lot of money going to a mechanic to diagnose the problem in my car. I’m also going to use it in the future to find exhaust leaks, and leaks in other sealed systems in my cars. I’m not a mechanic, but I do almost all the work on my cars and I think this will come in handy in the future.
I recommend it.
David Reasoner –
I was pleasantly surprised with the build quality, clear instructions, and how well it worked. Thanks to other reviewers I also purchased a bottle of oil when I bought the machine. I was able to easily find the leaking solenoid vent valve on my 2005 Sierra.
The power cable and evap port adapter are the two weak links. The power cable and battery clamps look flimsy. The port adapter has to be threaded very snugly on the plastic service port to seal. I will probably upgrade both of these.
This seems to be one of the few Chinese smoke machines that is regulated below 1psi which makes it safe for evap systems. I would buy this again without hesitation.
Walter J. –
Unit worked great, found the leak quickly and it saved me a lot of money chasing OBD codes. The use of external air to supply the unit is a little more cumbersome but I like it as there is no internal air pump in the unit to go bad
D.B. –
I would recommend this smoke machine. The air flow regulator in this machine works well. The assorted fittings that come with the machine work well. The My only issue with the machine is the length of the battery cables. You may have to use jumper cables to extend the power source. You will also need to buy baby oil or mineral oil to operate the smoke machine. These are not a big deal. For under $90.00 you cant go wrong.
Albert knoblock –