Build a Smoke Machine for Under $10 | How to Smoke Test a Car | Check for Vacuum Leaks
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ต.ค. 2024
- A DIY smoke tester for your car can cheaply and easily be made for around $10. This smoke tester can help identify vacuum leaks, boost leaks, evap leaks and more and is really simple to make! In this episode we show you how to make your own smoke tester machine and save hundreds vs taking it to the mechanic or buying a pre-made machine.
Parts List:
Jar - glass or metal works as long as it doesn't melt.
2 empty pen casings
Cheap soldering iron - amzn.to/3VgiKfQ
Tubing - any size as long as it fits over the pens and your car. 3/8" was used in the video. amzn.to/3lm5iF9
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**All modifications and work performed on your vehicle are at your own discretion and risk. Please use a fused power strip to avoid electrical damage or fire, never leave unattended and properly dispose of the rags. Always have a fire extinguisher handy and nearby.
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#mazdamiata #miata #miatabuild #mx5 #projectcar
DO NOT apply more than 2-3 psi pressure to the evap system... pull all the vaccum u want. I like using a cheap 3$ aquarium pump (they are 1-2 psi) to induce smoke so I'm able to move around freely with 2 hands. I also recommend using a metal paint can with a handle rather than glass because iv had glass gars crack and break from the heat. Just some tips from some guy on the internet
thanks for the tips!
BATTERY POWERD BLOOD PREASURE PUMP... VERY LOW PSI
Thanks!
Will this work for leaks at the rear of the car by the charcoal canister?
@@Pinkielover mine hit 30 psi when I checked
Found my evap leak immediately thank you for the advice good sir 👍
ayyyee glad it worked!
To prevent the smoke from coming out the air box I have seen mechanics pull the air cleaner hose off where it hooks to the Mass Air Flow Sensor. They then put a plastic grocery bag or garbage bag over the tube and then install the tube back on the Mass Air flow sensor.
yup that works too! you dont even need to put the intake tube back.
I've seen a rubber glove works well too
Yes, you should always remove the MAF because it's very sensitive to deposits
Thank you! I had everything needed to make this except for the baby oil. I put it together, connected it to my evap system, plugged it in and WOW. Works amazingly well. Lots of smoke. Can’t believe how much smoke it produces. Thanks again!!!
Glad it helped!
That’s wild. I did everything shown on the video and barely any smoke at all. Maybe my old soldering iron is bad?
Just what i needed to find , 580 at harbor freight , im digging through the shop and house for supplies , no baby oil ? You think KY warming liquid would work instead ? 😂😂😂
A much more simple way to smoke test is to buy a cheap AC / DC air pump (normally for filling air mattresses). They come with different size nozzles. The input side you use a cigar, the output a piece of hose to a vacuum line. Turn the pump on and watch for where the smoke comes out and there you are. Cost like $10. Works perfectly and it is instant.
thats a great idea!
You have to be very careful with cigars, tobacco releases resin when burning and that resin sticks to everything including the insides of your engine's vacuum system.
@@8307c4 you're probably right. I guess in the end burning mineral oil really is the best way to leave no residue!
You think a blunt would work ? 😂
@@MikeSmith-nu9wt Yeah it works for that too. Blows a nice smooth stream of smoke straight to the lungs. A fish aquarium pump will do the same thing, only even better. It won't burn it up as fast as the bigger pumps do. An old friend of mine made one, like 45 years ago. Everyone loved that contraption!
Thanks for the idea! I put one of these machines together and finally found my leak around the bottom of the throttle body. P0171 code fixed. Thanks
glad it was useful!
So did you just replace the throttle body?
First I have seen about opening throttle.
Definitely making one of these
A fish tank air pump would work perfectly on this
If you would’ve just hooked up the hose to the intake manifold itself (like the pcv hose u pulled off and broke the pcv 😂)you won’t have to hold the throttle open manually.And I would actually pull the intake off and plug up the throttle body with a rag to get better results as u don’t really need to worry about leaks on the intake as much!
Baby oil stinks like crazy, I went to the grocery store and spent 2 or so bucks on glycerin, it's for your skin but it's the exact same thing as smoke machine and vapes
I will be trying this soon. Thanks for the video.
glad you found it helpful!
I’m gonna use a dirty sock in mine! Thanks!
😂😂 if it works it works!
Well done! Short and to the point. The "music" doesn't add anything IMO.
thanks for the feedback!
The only issue I have with mineral oil as a "smoke fuel" is not knowing how it will affect various sensors after coating them with that smoke. I like the idea of a fog machine, as it is water-based which is harmless as long as you're not going crazy on the smoke: just enough to get it done.
I think mineral oil is the generally accepted solution for smoke machines but then again I am a backyard mechanic so I shouldnt be quoted on that.
I will say I'd imagine that any light coating that may occur possibly couldnt be any worse than the blowby that occurs naturally during engine operation?
@@HazardGarage my cousin has a snan on machine at his shop and they be using cooking oil and shit
You can use literally cooking oil. You’re correct blow by is far worse than any small coating you give it. Residue will be burned off and ejected as soon as you bring it to operating temp.
Mineral oil with dye is literally what is in the smoke machines that you buy and mechanics all over will tell you that.
@@Quintos. what kind of dye might one use in a DIY machine? AC dye, engine oil dye?
Bro thank you so much for this. I am about to try this 👍
glad it was helpful!
I'm going to construct something very similar to test for a vacuum leak causing a low idle condition. However, I would imagine you could simply just connect a second hose to the inlet and gently manually blow the smoke into the system.
yup! you can use a bike pump, hand pump, just anything to blow the smoke through!
That's basically what Scotty Kilmer did after puffing on a cigar; he just blew the smoke right into a hose.
@@SuperJ213 probably not the most efficient or healthy way lol. Also using burnt stuff like cigars or burning wood, Id worry a little bit about it leaving carbon or something on sensors. My understanding is mineral oil is the industry standard because it smokes clean.
The mineral oil when getting hot creates an oily vapor which in turn , loosened the epoxy mountings... Just an fyi
This works fine maybe add a Warning Disclaimer to the video example use a power strip with built-in fuse breaker and properly dispose of oil soaked rags to avoid changing Channel Name to Fire Hazard Garage 🔥 jk keep up Good Content!
lol yes good suggestion!
Using mineral oil in a DIY smoke device for diagnosing vacuum leaks can be safe, as long as you take proper precautions. Make sure the mineral oil is pure and doesn't contain additives that could produce harmful fumes. Additionally, use the device in a well-ventilated area, and avoid excessive heat to prevent the oil from producing hazardous vapors
Thanks for the tips!
There should be a warning disclaimer with this, lol. Good job though.
Damn, I was quoted $180 for an evap test that doesn't even include the price to maybe patch it if needed. I would love to do it myself but I'm too unfamiliar with engines to trust myself with this.
If you aren't able to potentially fix whatever may be leaking. Then its probably best to just let your mechanic do the diagnostic and the repair. Sometimes shops will waive the diagnostic if you get the repair done with them. Cars can be expensive and complicated unfortunately. No shame!
Thank you for 😢 tutorial on making a smoke machine, the noise machine the background needs to be lower.
I will try the bee smoker that beekeepers use
dang if you got one lying around why not! Just need a way to blow air at like 3psi or something so it goes through the whole engine.
How long the soldiering iron will last? Mine burned after 2 attempts
I've only used it a few times and its still working good for me. We are using cheap soldering irons (to keep costs low) so maybe that has something to do with it.
Considering how expensive smoke machines are, a $5 soldering iron every so often might not be a bad trade off for some who just needs a smoker for light use.
Can this method be effectively used to pump smoke into the gas tank to find an evap system leak or is there another entry point where the smoke should be introduced?
In the video this would apply to vacuum lines. I don't have any experience with using it for evap leaks, but from what I've read you can commonly use a smoke test for evap as well.
Have you tried replacing the gas cap with an OEM gas cap? That is a common failure of the evap system and sometimes those auto parts replacements dont seal very well.
Does the car need to be running? Opening the throttle wouldn't you flood the engine?
Car should NOT be running. If your car has a cable throttle, then you can just manually open the valve with the car off. On cars that have a drive by wire, I think there is a hidden method dependent on the car, that will open the throttle with the car still off.
You need to be critical of videos like this one. Unless you love life on the edge. First off it takes forever to heat up the iron. What you use to connect the in & out hoses on the lid of the jar is very important. In most of the videos the guys are just drilling holes sticking the outer piece of a Bic pen in the hole & sealing in up w/gasket maker/sealer. Not a good idea because before the soldering iron gets hot enough to create the smoke the jar lid has been getting hotter also & whatever plastic touching the lid will be melting. Second is the fact that most jars aren will crack or shatter,possibly explode(depending on the conditions). Third,You won't get alot of smoke unless your pushing fresh air into the jar. So while you don't see smoke that shit in the jar has gotten hotter than you think. So when you introduce O2 it could ignight & blow up(depends on amount of oil & what type). The jar will be to hot to hold in your hand so you will have to run the hoses from where you place the jar(hopefully on the ground inside something that isn't flamable)flammable. Another thing to consider is the length of your iron. When it's flush mounted onto the lid will it extend down far enough to make contact with the material you use to create the smoke? So you should use a short round jar. So for under 10 bucks you get a piece of shit that could blow up & start your shit on fire. Bad trip! Tips: Use a clean 1 gallon paint can. It's not going to tip over from the weight of a hose. Use air fittings w/ nuts. Won't have melting problem. Good luck , Be Safe , Smoke Pot & prepare for the REVOLUTION!!
just made this... how are you not getting smoke coming out of the solder iron harness? im using the same HF one as you.
(EDIT), i see you are too.
do you mean where the soldering iron meets the cap?
@@HazardGarage nah ive got a good jb weld seal there. but smoke blows out from the end of the solder iron where the power cord comes out of the handle.
@@tvillaa ohh i see. It is possible our cheap soldering iron isnt the best build quality 😅but as long as you are getting some smoke through your car system then thats all we need!
I wasn't having the best of luck with the smoke. So I grabbed my quag , put a tee in it. Next thing you know, it was smoking like a chimney.😂
Nice Miata!
thanks! check out the timelapse build on the channel if you havent already 😀
I think an aquarium air pump could be used to pump smoke
anything that can push air should be fine. even a manual bicycle pump!
Looks like something I made in highschool....
👀
So I'm working out of an apartment and don't have access to an outlet. Is there either a safe way to use alligator clips to the battery, or to use a propane soldering iron?
You can purchase a 12v soldering iron for about $10US.
thanks man ...i pulled number 6 spark plug wire and heard a whitelisting noise, then the engine died on a old v6 taurus ........i can pull all the other wires and the engine wont die ....why does it keep dying on 6 and i hear the wistele right before it dies any ideas....
Does the soldering iron need to be touching the rags? Or just close?
it should touch the mineral oil soaked rags.
The rags should be soaked in oil but not so much that excess is pooling up.
Yes they should be touching
Hello what is the safest way to store this after use since the rags are oil saturated?
honestly i just stored as is. not sure if the mineral oil dries up or will be good until next use. I got my mineral oil from the dollar store and rags are always a plenty around the garage.
@@HazardGarage Did you have to crack the lid or empty out the rags and oil at all?
@@organic80 not sure I did not lol
the good news is there shouldnt be any safety concerns since its just mineral oil. If you want to keep things tidy you could just throw away the rags/clean up the jar and store it.
Thank you :)
Is there any part of the soldering iron that is touching the rag? Or is it just to heat the air inside the jar?
Yup, soldering iron touches the soaked rag. Mineral oil prevents the rag of igniting and also provides the 'smoke'
I dig the funky tune!
I just bought a bmw with a p0174 code. I know bmw’s are delicate sometimes so I’m wondering would this tester mess with my mass airflow sensor or any other sensors?
If you use mineral oil, than you should be ok. I believe professional testers also use mineral oil for smoking.
would a party fog machine also work?
theoretically it could, but you have to be careful about the fluid you use. I think fog machine fluid condenses really easily which can leave residue on sensors and such. Mineral oil is the generally accepted fluid to use in professional automotive smoke machines but I dont know if they would work/hurt fog machines.
@@HazardGarage thank you! i wasn’t aware of that concern.
Does the car need to be running? ..or in the on position?or just off?
I thought this was gonna be a how to video to make something to smoke out other drivers on the road 🤣
lol thats the rest of the miata build 😋. Check it out!
Great…thanks
glad you found it useful!
I have diy smoke machine, and it works fine. I'd like to be sure I understand the process -
Car off
Throttle plate open (a little? All the way?)
Cover air box (optional?)
Hook machine up to *any* single vacuum hose (brake booster?)
Did I leave anything out? Anything I got wrong?
Many thanks!
yes! car off. throttle open (to allow the smoke to travel through the system) and attach it to a vacuum line. preferably before the throttle body (so you dont miss vaccum areas).
Then just see where it leaks out (if any) and thats it!
@@HazardGarage Thank you so much again!
Great video, thank you!
glad you found it useful!
There's no reason you shouldn't be able to retro fit some more modern controls on your boat Heidi
So this might be a silly a question but is there a reason why no seems to use smoke bombs/tabs? I use them when testing the sewers I install but I never seen anyone suggest them for car vacuum leaks. What am I missing?
I'd imagine it might be residue and sediment that those would leave behind on sensors?
I think a smoke ball would work better.
they make smoke in a different way, mineral oil produces a weird aerosolized mineral oil which is similar to petrochemicals and will just burn off in the gasoline with little to no harm done, but smoke bombs can have salts in them from the oxidizer which will corrode metal parts
Ok that makes sense. Mineral oil burns cleaner. Got it. Thanks
Thanks dudecycle!
I just built one with a Harbor Freight soldering iron but air is leaking through the soldering iron.
I sealed mine up with some glue. If you have any silicone or caulk lying around that could help!
Thanks
What if my engine running with electric throttle?
should be ok. just pull a vacuum hose and run the smoke to see if you have any potential leaks.
My truck has a code for a leak but I tried starting fluid cant find the leak. The engine doesn't change at all when spraying it around the lines. My truck has these weird plastic lines and they don't make them any more. Each side is a different size and connect using rubber elbows so no idea how i can use standard hoses to replace them. One I glued back together with e 6000.
Does this ruin the soldering pen?
possibly. thats why we use a cheapo one.
Brilliant!
glad you found it helpful!
can i use glow plug instead of soldering iron ?
not 100% sure but theoretically you should be able to use anything that gets really hot short of a flame. The mineral oil prevents the soaked rags from catching fire, and instead just smokes.
@@HazardGarage thank you.
Nice
😀😀
Can I not use a vape and a hose to do the same progress
vapes can leave a residue. Also you'll probably need some huge lungs lol
what kind of oil do you use ? you said "Mineral" but I can't found anywhere baby mineral oil where I live in france. Thank you
yeah specifically here in the US its called "mineral oil" and "Baby oil" (which is a type of mineral oil). I wouldn't know what it could be called or where you can get it in France. You can try searching "automotive smoking oil" but it would be more expensive I think.
@@HazardGarage thanks you, i've found this oil on internet. ✌️
Not make the smoke generator yet... But I got all'the stuff. 👌
@@S0LlDSNAKE let me know how it goes!
I want to be 110% sure will the baby oil contaminate the gasoline and make it not ignite properly ???
Never heard of any issues. You're just blowing a little vaporized mineral oil through the vacuum air system.
@@HazardGarage trying to find a way to find a leak in my gas tank with out taking it off or gating a new one is all
Your pcv is leaking...
👀
Will olive oil work
I dont think so. mineral oil is basically what mechanics use in their $500 machines. It smokes clean.
i have a 09 toyota yaris , im seriously looking at my engine right now , i really dont know where to attach it too
look for vacuum hoses going into the valve cover or intake manifold. Those will be the most common places.
It's a jar dude! If you need help building this, stay away from cars!
I cannot believe I have 2 do this nonsense. I cannot wait until AGI fixes all of this
so that was actually 80 bucks stomach ache machine, because the Pcv valve is probably 70 bucks itself already and the smoke smells like cats anaI tubes
Can i use incenses?
theoretically any smoke should work, though I have never tried. The industry standard seems to be mineral oil smoke.
@@HazardGarage thanks for the info!
Dang that’s pretty genius. Did you think of this yourself or do you wanna give some credit to someone else?
I think its one of those old "mechanic hacks" that have been around for a bit. Some variations more complicated than others. I went for the cheapest easiest solution but definitely not completely my own idea.
Is that a bread tie on the air box 😂
it was a snap-on bread tie. 🤣🤣
@@HazardGarage what's the payments on that a week, 😂
you can just use a vaper and blow it thought the house
I cannot get this to produce enough smoke.
make sure you dont soak the rag with too much mineral oil. Just soaked enough so that the rag doesnt burn/catch on fire
@@HazardGarage
That’s probably what I did wrong, thanks. I really soaked it with the oil.
@@wdtonydid it r work
👌💯
Fish bubbler
10$ I think your math is a little off...But since some things you would keep for further use, ill let it slide
inflation is real! When I made this video the soldering iron was like $5 and the tubing was a few bucks. Mineral oil was $1 from the dollar store. Rags, glass jar and pens were lying around the house.
@@HazardGarage yeah, solid point..Im making about 8% more in my check vs say 3 years ago..Yet I have much less "disposable" income
@@thepseudomasterchef7238 yeah man. jobs be giving you a "cost of living increase" but from like 2005 not the 10% a year we've been having since covid. 🤣🤣😭😭
Or just buy the machine from Home Depot and return it after you finished lol free
Instructions unclear; engine is now a bong. Plz advise.
puff puff pass
Nice bomb
damn i tried this and it did not quite work. Smoke was created indeed but it mostly came out of the soldering gun.
like it was leaking from the soldering iron hole? Try sealing it with like silicone glue or something.
10 bucks, eh? a cheap bicycle pump is more than that by itself. still cheap... but not 10 bucks cheap.
That is definitely not a $10 smoker. Especially with that tubing lol. If someone is young and living in an apartment with nothing laying around the garage like most people have, I think they are looking at a $20-25 set up realistically
Has tubing gone up in price?! 😮 I remember buying it from home depot for like $5.
@@3stanTflip that is a very interesting alternative! Thanks for sharing!
@@3stanTflip These dollar store incense are just burning out in like 2 seconds.
They bought the wrong car lol
How to build it from the start..
Sorry I didn't include that part but its not too difficult.
1. Find a glass jar
2. Drill a hole to fit the soldering iron
3. Drill 2 holes for tubing
4. put wet rag soaked with mineral oil into jar
5. Insert 2 clear tubing into the holes
6. Turn on soldering iron and wait for smoke gather
7. Gently blow a little air into one tube and to push the smoke through the the other into the car and observe (this is shown in the video).
Hope that helps!
I’ll just have my buddy who vapes blow in the tube
lol I have thought of this too. Just be careful as vape juice can leave a sticky syrupy residue.
My issue is the music on this kinda of videos shouldn't be nothing but car noises
pot heads getting crazy ideas! LOL
lol shot gun my car.
Hey I see here people bashing you for the cost of things. Thanks Biden for that, but moving on if you have a spare tire well you have air pressure, go fill it at Costco for free with 40 PSI. Get a paper clip fold in half next take a bic cap and put hole dead center push paper clip to expose aprox 1/4 inch thru cap, now wind the extra clip wire around the cap. Now push it into the hose with the protruding paper clip to depress the tire valve in the hose aprox 5/16. Me I would loosen the valve with core remover but want to keep the cheapies satisfied and push into hose over air valve and now you have a somewhat air supply for free. If you do this when you get gas you can do it for free.
jfc quit blaming presidents already and realize it's the whole fucken government that has failed us. Welcome to late stage capitalism.
Straight copied from the 'error code guy' channel....
Simple and straightforward, I like it.
Thanks for watching! Consider subscribing for more videos!
@@HazardGarage just did since I saw that spray paint video.
@@FranksShitBoxCollection thanks! 😁👉👉
I like your neck mole!
Can I use heater core plug to heat the mineral oil?
I am not 100% sure, but you basically need a very hot heat source. A cheap soldering iron just tends to be the most economical choice.
I think heater core plug might get too hot...it’s best we provide slow and steady heat burn 🔥
Does the car need to be running? ..or in the on position?or just off?
car off! you'll be slight air pressure into the system so thats how youll get air flow.
Thanks you