Dude all of your videos have saved my life and I cannot tell you how much I appreciate all that you have done. We bought our daughter a 2004 330xi for her first car. I knew it was going to need some stuff but it ended up being a full time evening project. Without your videos I would have been lost and still stumped. I can tell you the smoke tester saved me hours of work. It had the same vacuum leak at the booster and it was making it run like crap. Tightened the clamp and now it’s all better. Again I can’t thank you enough for these informative and excellent put Together videos. Your step by step directions make it easy to understand and takes the intimidation away from the type of vehicle it is.
Excellent!!!! I have a 2004 Ford Taurus and had been trying on and off for 6 months to find a vacuum leak. Within 1 minute after hooking up the machine, I found the leak coming out of the intake manifold runner control valve. The o-ring was leaking like a sieve. I was so happy and proud of myself. lol The o-ring cost me about $7 and $7 to ship. $14 total. Amazing!!! I had already replaced the MAF sensor and PCV valve. Costly and frustrating. That's when I saw your video, was inspired and decided to give it a try. I didn't have an air compressor so I bought a fish tank aerator pump ($15) which puts out 3 psi max and skipped the regulator since I was checking just the intake manifold. Used the same wire and wicks with mineral oil. The wire resistance was 0.814 ohms per foot which for 2 ohms worked out to be 29.5 inches (used 30"). Worked great. Thank you and keep up the good work.
Kid it worked great the only thing I did different was use 2 custom chrome metal valve stems for tires. I used them as the inlet for the air ,and outlet for the smoke. I took the smoke side valve stem out so the smoke can escape ,and put an electric tire pump to supply the air. Thanks Bud!!!
You don’t need a propane regulator. You just need an adjustable valve. I made this almost identical setup. I put a low pressure gauge between the can and the valve. It only needs 1-2 psi. If you run more than that you won’t hurt your vacuum system, you’ll blow the lid off of the can. I also cut a metal paint roller screen that would normally be hung inside a paint bucket to squeeze the paint off the roller. I cut it so it fits inside the smoke can and I put it on the bottom of the can that burning material goes on it. I just light a few pieces of cardboard on fire then drop it in and put the lid on. Have your vacuum line and air line attached first, then open the valve to 1-2 psi. It works amazing. I found the mystery vacuum leak on the back of the carburetor base plate.
I designed and 3d printed a 90mm adapter to plug the smoke tester in at the MAF sensor intake tube. Worked a treat to find a leak in the upper intake tube (it seems the lower had been changed so that wasn't a problem). Now I'm printing an adapter that will plug into the DISA valve junction so I can check the rest of the intake system for leaks without the intake tubes connected.
This video was great, thanks. I connected the smoke directly to the intake boot with a rubber grommet (for lack of a better word) and pumped in a LOT of smoke. No leaks, and once it developed sufficient pressure to actually pop the grommet out of the boot after about 20-25 seconds. No smoke detected anywhere
Thanks again. You have become an invaluable resource for myself and I'm sure many others. I would not be able to afford this car without your great and informative videos.
Hi 50's kid, thanks for the content you shae fella,to say the least i find them all very well narrated and extreemly inspirational...Iwas just about to follow your smoke machine build and start ordering bits from ebay when it stuck me that a small fog machine the types used by DJ'S might be a cheaper and easier way to go about having my own smoker..Sure enough i managed to purchase a bnib fog machine for £25.00, ad it works perfectly...cheers fella ian
Seeing some silly ass comments on here about how “dangerous” this is. Let’s not get carried away here. Should you take precautions such as having a fire extinguisher nearby? Yes. Should you always have one nearby when doing automotive work? Yes. Mineral oil is NOT flammable. It is combustible. The flashpoint of a flammable material is 100F, but the flashpoint of mineral oil is around 335F. Settle down folks. Great video. Keep up the good work. 👍🏼
Any form of mineral oil, including baby oil is fine, that's what comes with a machine if you buy one. Adding glycerin is just an expensive waste. If you get lavender babu oil, your car/garage will smell nice after the test! 😆 The wire your using is called "resistance wire." It's designed to produce greater resistance in a shorter span. You may or may not have access to resistance wire, though you can use stainless steel, mig welder wire, "safety wire" or even bailing wire, whatever you have, it just may take more of it. *Important* Don't let the coils of wire touch as you wrap your wick. If the coils touch, it creates a short which will change the resistance and you could end up with too much or not enough which could cause issues. So, just leave a little space between each of the coils. The goal is to make enough resistance to burn the fluid without over powering it so, about 2 ohms of resistance is perfect. You Gan go a little bit lower, don't go much higher. *Properly determining the length of wire to achieve 2 ohms...* Keeping your choice of wire straight, attach one end to one probe of an ohm meter (hold in a small vise or between your fingers), then pinch the the other probe and wire in your fingers and slide along the wire (use a rubber/nitrile glove so the resistance of your hand oils don't change the value), getting the probes farther apart until the meter reads *2 ohms,* then cut the wire about an inch longer to give you room to attach to the screws, etc. 2 ohms is an appropriate value, it'll be close enough. You can get the blow gun and (most of) the fittings you'll need in a kit from Harbor Freight really cheap and should even come with an extra rubber tip (or they used to). They've got most everything but the propane reg., hose and can if you look. You can use a half gal. or even quart sized paint can, it doesn't need to be larger than a quart, which is what a lot of the commercially produced machines have now. Be careful not to missinform the uninformed, there are some options... 😆 You can add a small pressure regulator, like you would put in line before another air tool, somewhere between your compressor/air pig (the portable air tanks that you charge with a compressor are called "pigs." Hey, I didn't name them...) which will drop the pressure as low as you want to go before it gets to the can, then have the propane regulator as a backup/secondary regulator if you wish. The adjustable style you show is great, though most standard regulators on a barbecue, that you would salvage, are pre-set to *8 PSI* or you can buy them pre-set to about 1 PSI. The adjustable are best, however because you don't want to go much above 1 PSI but you could use that regulator elsewhere @ higher pressures, should you choose. *Note that there are low and high pressure propane regulators,* be sure you get the low pressure (cheaper) regulator like shown in this video. Also, you can eliminate the need for any of it, including the compressor, by installing a Schrader valve like on a bicycle or car into the can and use a bicycle tire pump (there are small, very portable types that mount to the bike frame as well as the traditional "stand on it and pump" types). Just apply a few pumps periodically and it does a *very* good job without the chance of over-pressurizing the system. People with no expensive equipment, air compressor, etc. and/or the need to be mobile with their tester (testing friends and family's cars, etc.) can function just fine, independently from compressed air other than a hand pump. 😀 *Pro tip* If you've got a leak but it's so small that you can't really see the smoke, turn out the bright lights and use a laser pointer to find the smoke. Just run it around the suspect areas and look for "hazy" light. These leaks just aren't always visible to the eye under standard, white light.
I have watched most "car guy" videos and they all have their merits. However the 50skid is by far the best at good quality mechanical engineering advise. There are many others that provide more entertainment factor or bodge it jobs. The 50skid videos are packed full of information without gimicks. It's a gem that his videos are e46 specific and I shall be watching all of them.
Just a little warning: 12V over 2 Ohms gives a 6A current. 6 x 12 = 72 Watts. These 72 Watts of heat will have to be dissipated over some area. If you get the area wrong (wrong gaugue of wire, wrong size of can, whatever), the temps may raise and your whole can of oil explodes in an uncontrollable oil fire, covering your engine with this burning oil. Note: Misunderstanding the instructions, or a simple implementation error (aka "clever improvement"), may give the same result. A simple error can easily double (or worse) the power that needs to be dissipated. I'd just use some smoke pellets, cigars or whatever instead!
@@dreece2000 and we all know cigars are terrible for evap testing. I've seen billowing smoke not pass thru small holes only to find that soap and water did the trick . I'm about to don't his paint can setup and will use a laser thermometer to test temps throughout. And a maybe a 5 min timer
Thank you! I always wanted to have my own "smoke machine" just because all of my BMWs have been over 200k kms. :D Now, I can make one! Thanks again. :)
an inline fuse (10A) in the positive lead would be helpful if the can ever turned over and grounded the terminal connection to the car chassis or if the rubber grommets at the can-end of the leads ever rot or split and ground-out to the can.
Made this setup....Works great! The only thing I would change on my setup is..... I would put the air inlet hole about 2 inches up. I put mine about 1 inch up and t is too low, but it still works. Can dial the smoke up or down with regulator.
Thanks for this video, I used your instructions to make my own basically the same. I didn't bother with the propane regulator - I just dialed down the pressure to just cracked open on my air compressor.
@@bren_howorth They do but the gauge is pretty useless at the flow rate you need for the smoke can. I just barely crack open the valve and watch the smoke come out of the hose. You just barely want a steady stream of smoke. If you put your finger over the end of the hose you should not have enough pressure to pop the lid off the can.
@@bren_howorth Yes. And then just barely opened the valve on the compressor until I got a small stream of smoke out of the outlet hose from the can. No regulator needed.
I'm building mine now as I type...very excited as I have a couple of cars to try this out on. For those of you folks that are anally retentive on having to have a nut on the back of your fittings...I finally found success at Ace Hardware. Of all places...found in the lighting aisle. Check out Jandorf Hex Nut...assorted steel...item number 60167. Fit perfectly!
I don't know why modern cars want to cover everything with shrouds. It takes forever just to change oil. This is an excellent video! You show where to hook it up and give different scenarios.
Its so that the mechanic has to spend way more time taking off things so they can charge you more at the dealership. Its not like anyone looks under the hood anymore.
Dont know if this has been mentioned but those grommets he talks about are to insulate the wires so they don't short agsinst the tin can. Otherwise you could have a electrical/oil fire possibly. Yes longer hoses to put the can on the ground. Also helps if you need to source a leak from around the top of the intake manifold.
Hmmm. Intake is a closed system except it is connected to the crankcase via PCV (or CCV in this case.) There is a diaphragm blocking the passage. The smoke is only 1-3 psi. It should not push the diaphragm open (if it is even at the right direction). What does that mean if u remove the oil fill cap and smoke coming out from there? Bad CCV?
I got my grandpa some tobacco for his pipe but put it into a bong (he’d never seen one before). He sat there for an hour huffing & puffing & blowing through the pipe connected to the car. He had a nice afternoon.
I tried this, worked perfect. Except in use. My wife doesn't take great care of her car, an 03 Subaru, and has had a slow leak for 5 years. I plugged into the oil filler and inspected in the dark with a strong flashlight for a few minutes until smoke plummed out of the air intake...... I give up.
Thank you for posting this video, very informative. I have watched some of your other videos just recently and they are detailed as well. I am in the process of getting the parts to assemble my own smoke machine. I read all the questions and feedbacks. Some of the questions were the ones I was going to ask you, so am glad I read them first.
I made me a smoke machine based on your video and it works like a charm, thank you!, The one thing I would've done differently in building it, for those who try to build one later, it would've been installing the air regulator on the same side the can's handle. That way, when you lift the machine it wouldn't tilt off to the side because of the weight of the air regulator. Just sharing my experience.
you may know this answer best; Are there any potential vacuum leaks on E46 that would NOT show up with a 2psi smoke test (injecting into the intake tube where the MAF used to connect)? I understand the brake booster would be one because of the one-way valve at the connection to the booster, but I've accounted for that by removing the hose from the booster, sealing it manually, and sitll having lean issues. Also have replaced fuel pump and filter and have good pressure. I'm down to injectors, O2 sensors, or MAF, if the vacuum is fine. I am not seeing smoke anywhere but idk if im missing something that can suck air in (and be a vacuum leak), but seals itself under my pressure smoke test....
Vegetable glycerin is actually flammable around 320° F . 2ohms at 12volts will easily get to that temperature. You would have to dilute it to safely use it, and that would severely reduce your cloud production.
@@stanleyrucci21 I read that mineral oil Flash Point is 335° F while vegetable glycerin has a flash point of 320° F (closed up) or 349° F in open can. So they both seem similar in where they would combust. So is your suggestion to lower the temp of the coils or use another type of light oil?
On the e46 m54 engine there is only one check valve at the brake (vacuum) booster ... and yes, the check valve does stop the smoke, so the booster needs to be tested separately.
I failed to build a smoke machine ! I use Copper wire to wrap around the Tikki Torch and when I connect to car battery , the positive terminal is short , causing a small zap . You have any idea ? The copper wire is 18 Gauge , not nichrome gauge 24 gauge
Great detailed video! How much mineral oil did you use? Or how high needs to bee the level of the mineral oil? Does it have to be under the self made heating element or is the element "swimming" in the oil?
Please tell me..., i can't understand just one thing.., the wire is one right that? In one end is for positive clip and in other end is for negative clip? Many thanks...
Is there a vacuum line diagram out there? I need to know where the fuel breather line goes, the line with a plastic piece connects to the rear intake and 2nd air pump line connects back of intake somewhere.
Fantastic! Thank you for showing us the parts of the home made evap smoker.. I will build a skinnier model or at least try ..will make a video on it if it works. Thanks
When you pull the hose off the brake booster are you pulling just the hose off or the valve out of the brake booster? Is there a trick to pulling it off or just “pull hard”?
When you are getting parts for this, buy the tiki torch wick that is the rope type like in this video. The only ones I found at the store were white and they seem to be of a fiberglass material and they are very difficult to shape and work with so I would not recommend them.
Hey 50's, do you think that I'd still need the propane regulator of my tank already has a a variable hose pressure valve? Part of me thinks that I have to keep the line highly pressurized but not the tester, hence the need for a propane reg.
no you don't need the propane regulator if you bump your pressure down at your air compressor. I should have clarified that I used it so that I wouldn't have to keep lowering it. I find that the more you change your air pressure on those valves, the sooner they wear out and begin to leak so I try to avoid it.
Oh no, I failed, please help! I bought 22ga wire and found 2ohms at about 16” of wire. I built my pot, mostly like yours and attached it to 12v at the car battery. After a moment of bright light, the wire inside the can burned at the ends, eliminating contact from the can terminals. What did I do wrong? I did use baby oil but otherwise, everything is the same as yours. Thanks for the help.
I was not going to pay Snap On 2K for one. I made one from a steel ammo can from Harbor Freight and a GM diesel flow plug , baby oil and a candle wick . 30 bucks total . Works great
just dawned on me watching this, for such a low PSI, wonder if anyone's tried using an Ezibleed kit that connects to a spare tyre for pressure and use a smoke pellet?
I have 740i sport e38 that has a evap leak which I can hear it under the car on the driver side I'm getting a smoker to find it so the car will pass emissions
Love the video. Seems to work good. Would this set up work on the evap system. I have a code that says I have a large leak somewhere in the evap system.
Ty Kendrick: because of the rubber grommet. It breaks the conductive contact to the can. This way, both sides are connected only through the wire and cannot short out through the can, as you indicated.
Josh River I can't see why not I came here looking for a diy smoke machine and comments from other videos say they use those incense sticks, one guy soaked a rag in baby oil and lit on fire and that seemed to work well.
Sure. Anything that produces smoke and fits in the can should work. If you hook an air hose to your can, you can blow the smoke out (a bicycle hand pump can work)
I've no vacuum leaks but I think I'll make one just in case haha. Also a tip for the wires in the plastic harness that run in front of the cabin air filter ... You don't have to unclip it and take the wires out before removing it. Leave the wires in the plastic case and lift it up in one piece. It slides on and off ;)
Hi. Great video. I followed your instructions exactly and made a smoke machine. Works great! I made a video using the smoke machine on my 1996 Ford Mustang. In my description I put a link to this video of yours. Thanks again!
I'm trying to figure out the fitting or fittings you ran from the regulator through the paint can. I know the fitting from the regulator is 1/4 ID but my concern was the fitting threads opposite the middle hex key that go through the can would not have enough thread to place a nut on the with the grommet taking up thread space. in your video, the threaded end that appears inside the can looks really long. did you use two pieces?
… just for clarity that was not mentioned… is that a coil spring you have stuffed the wicks into for stiffness after you wrapped the 20g wire around the wicks or what is the coil made out of … ? thanks
The coil IS the wire that I mentioned and that I linked to. I wrapped it around the wicks to secure them and because the wire needs to be quite long to achieve the right resistance.
Hey I'm making a smoke tester similar to this, is there a maximum pressure you can send into the system before causing more problems, only source i have is an electric automotive tyre pump. Would this be ok to use? Thanks
Dude, 6 amps through 2 ohms resistance is 72 watts. That's a lot of heat to concentrate in such a small space as your coil. You might want to put a little more wire on your next coil, or, maybe use an inert gas instead of air. If you should overheat that thing with just the right mix of air and oil vapor inside, your paint can might end up looking "kind of" like a daisy! I know because I busted a stove pipe that way once. I had an old wood heater sitting outside in the yard where I was working. It was cold outside, so I built a fire in it. Later, I threw some dirty grease into the heater. In a few minutes, the grease vapors built up enough that they exploded. But if you're bent on creating a bomb, you could use a 100 watt light bulb and an old lamp. Just disassemble the lamp, and use just the socket, the metal tube, the cord and the plug. If the tube is too long, just cut the threaded part off and install it through a hole drilled in the top of the can using the two tube nuts of the lamp. You can then push the cord through the tube and seal the tube to the cord with silicone sealant or 5-minute epoxy. You will have to remove the plug from the cord first or cut it and splice it later to do this unless you can disconnect it from the lamp socket. Next just slip a sock over the bulb to use for a wick, but first lace a cable tie in and out through the top of it. Pull it up above the socket if you're worried that the cable tie might melt, and tighten the cable tie.
Does the footage of you attempting to take a wireless resistance reading exist in an outtake video somewhere? I'm guessing you completely cut it because it was lengthy. And therefore even funnier.
Actually you do need to close off the intake boot to seal up the system, and removing the maf and putting a rubber glove over the intake boot is a great way to do it. Look at the video ... where the blue glove is is where the maf was. Besides, you want to keep maf clean and there is no reason to bathe it in smoke.
Dude all of your videos have saved my life and I cannot tell you how much I appreciate all that you have done. We bought our daughter a 2004 330xi for her first car. I knew it was going to need some stuff but it ended up being a full time evening project. Without your videos I would have been lost and still stumped. I can tell you the smoke tester saved me hours of work. It had the same vacuum leak at the booster and it was making it run like crap. Tightened the clamp and now it’s all better. Again I can’t thank you enough for these informative and excellent put Together videos. Your step by step directions make it easy to understand and takes the intimidation away from the type of vehicle it is.
Your probably responsible for keeping more bmws on the road than anyone ever. I know that you have been a life saver for me. Thank you
Excellent!!!! I have a 2004 Ford Taurus and had been trying on and off for 6 months to find a vacuum leak. Within 1 minute after hooking up the machine, I found the leak coming out of the intake manifold runner control valve. The o-ring was leaking like a sieve. I was so happy and proud of myself. lol The o-ring cost me about $7 and $7 to ship. $14 total. Amazing!!! I had already replaced the MAF sensor and PCV valve. Costly and frustrating. That's when I saw your video, was inspired and decided to give it a try. I didn't have an air compressor so I bought a fish tank aerator pump ($15) which puts out 3 psi max and skipped the regulator since I was checking just the intake manifold. Used the same wire and wicks with mineral oil. The wire resistance was 0.814 ohms per foot which for 2 ohms worked out to be 29.5 inches (used 30"). Worked great. Thank you and keep up the good work.
Nice, glad it helped you out
Kid it worked great the only thing I did different was use 2 custom chrome metal valve stems for tires. I used them as the inlet for the air ,and outlet for the smoke. I took the smoke side valve stem out so the smoke can escape ,and put an electric tire pump to supply the air. Thanks Bud!!!
You don’t need a propane regulator. You just need an adjustable valve. I made this almost identical setup.
I put a low pressure gauge between the can and the valve.
It only needs 1-2 psi. If you run more than that you won’t hurt your vacuum system, you’ll blow the lid off of the can.
I also cut a metal paint roller screen that would normally be hung inside a paint bucket to squeeze the paint off the roller. I cut it so it fits inside the smoke can and I put it on the bottom of the can that burning material goes on it.
I just light a few pieces of cardboard on fire then drop it in and put the lid on. Have your vacuum line and air line attached first, then open the valve to 1-2 psi.
It works amazing. I found the mystery vacuum leak on the back of the carburetor base plate.
I designed and 3d printed a 90mm adapter to plug the smoke tester in at the MAF sensor intake tube. Worked a treat to find a leak in the upper intake tube (it seems the lower had been changed so that wasn't a problem). Now I'm printing an adapter that will plug into the DISA valve junction so I can check the rest of the intake system for leaks without the intake tubes connected.
This video was great, thanks. I connected the smoke directly to the intake boot with a rubber grommet (for lack of a better word) and pumped in a LOT of smoke. No leaks, and once it developed sufficient pressure to actually pop the grommet out of the boot after about 20-25 seconds. No smoke detected anywhere
actually showing what the vacuum leaks look like is key. such a great source of info. thank you 50's kid
Thanks again. You have become an invaluable resource for myself and I'm sure many others. I would not be able to afford this car without your great and informative videos.
Thanks very much.
Hi 50's kid, thanks for the content you shae fella,to say the least i find them all very well narrated and extreemly inspirational...Iwas just about to follow your smoke machine build and start ordering bits from ebay when it stuck me that a small fog machine the types used by DJ'S might be a cheaper and easier way to go about having my own smoker..Sure enough i managed to purchase a bnib fog machine for £25.00, ad it works perfectly...cheers fella ian
Awesome instructional video, by far the best design and really good explanation of what each part does and how to build it.
Many paint cans are plastic now....
Thanks for taking the time to make this video.
Wouldn’t be able to keep my BMW with out the help you tubers like you. Thank you for the time you invest making your videos.
Seeing some silly ass comments on here about how “dangerous” this is. Let’s not get carried away here. Should you take precautions such as having a fire extinguisher nearby? Yes. Should you always have one nearby when doing automotive work? Yes. Mineral oil is NOT flammable. It is combustible. The flashpoint of a flammable material is 100F, but the flashpoint of mineral oil is around 335F. Settle down folks. Great video. Keep up the good work. 👍🏼
Chris McCord safety third!
Bless you!! I was about to dump $64 on the SAME thing from fleabay,and I decided to look on YT to see if anyone homebuilt one.Great Video!!!
At first I thought you were just "blowing smoke"... Then I realized you actually were 😁
Thank you 👍😎
Any form of mineral oil, including baby oil is fine, that's what comes with a machine if you buy one. Adding glycerin is just an expensive waste. If you get lavender babu oil, your car/garage will smell nice after the test! 😆
The wire your using is called "resistance wire." It's designed to produce greater resistance in a shorter span. You may or may not have access to resistance wire, though you can use stainless steel, mig welder wire, "safety wire" or even bailing wire, whatever you have, it just may take more of it.
*Important* Don't let the coils of wire touch as you wrap your wick. If the coils touch, it creates a short which will change the resistance and you could end up with too much or not enough which could cause issues. So, just leave a little space between each of the coils.
The goal is to make enough resistance to burn the fluid without over powering it so, about 2 ohms of resistance is perfect. You Gan go a little bit lower, don't go much higher.
*Properly determining the length of wire to achieve 2 ohms...*
Keeping your choice of wire straight, attach one end to one probe of an ohm meter (hold in a small vise or between your fingers), then pinch the the other probe and wire in your fingers and slide along the wire (use a rubber/nitrile glove so the resistance of your hand oils don't change the value), getting the probes farther apart until the meter reads *2 ohms,* then cut the wire about an inch longer to give you room to attach to the screws, etc. 2 ohms is an appropriate value, it'll be close enough.
You can get the blow gun and (most of) the fittings you'll need in a kit from Harbor Freight really cheap and should even come with an extra rubber tip (or they used to). They've got most everything but the propane reg., hose and can if you look.
You can use a half gal. or even quart sized paint can, it doesn't need to be larger than a quart, which is what a lot of the commercially produced machines have now.
Be careful not to missinform the uninformed, there are some options... 😆
You can add a small pressure regulator, like you would put in line before another air tool, somewhere between your compressor/air pig (the portable air tanks that you charge with a compressor are called "pigs." Hey, I didn't name them...) which will drop the pressure as low as you want to go before it gets to the can, then have the propane regulator as a backup/secondary regulator if you wish.
The adjustable style you show is great, though most standard regulators on a barbecue, that you would salvage, are pre-set to *8 PSI* or you can buy them pre-set to about 1 PSI. The adjustable are best, however because you don't want to go much above 1 PSI but you could use that regulator elsewhere @ higher pressures, should you choose.
*Note that there are low and high pressure propane regulators,* be sure you get the low pressure (cheaper) regulator like shown in this video.
Also, you can eliminate the need for any of it, including the compressor, by installing a Schrader valve like on a bicycle or car into the can and use a bicycle tire pump (there are small, very portable types that mount to the bike frame as well as the traditional "stand on it and pump" types). Just apply a few pumps periodically and it does a *very* good job without the chance of over-pressurizing the system.
People with no expensive equipment, air compressor, etc.
and/or the need to be mobile with their tester (testing friends and family's cars, etc.) can function just fine, independently from compressed air other than a hand pump. 😀
*Pro tip*
If you've got a leak but it's so small that you can't really see the smoke, turn out the bright lights and use a laser pointer to find the smoke. Just run it around the suspect areas and look for "hazy" light. These leaks just aren't always visible to the eye under standard, white light.
I have watched most "car guy" videos and they all have their merits. However the 50skid is by far the best at good quality mechanical engineering advise. There are many others that provide more entertainment factor or bodge it jobs. The 50skid videos are packed full of information without gimicks. It's a gem that his videos are e46 specific and I shall be watching all of them.
Just a little warning:
12V over 2 Ohms gives a 6A current.
6 x 12 = 72 Watts.
These 72 Watts of heat will have to be dissipated over some area. If you get the area wrong (wrong gaugue of wire, wrong size of can, whatever), the temps may raise and your whole can of oil explodes in an uncontrollable oil fire, covering your engine with this burning oil.
Note: Misunderstanding the instructions, or a simple implementation error (aka "clever improvement"), may give the same result. A simple error can easily double (or worse) the power that needs to be dissipated.
I'd just use some smoke pellets, cigars or whatever instead!
He essentially made a big Vape box mod...
@@dreece2000 and we all know cigars are terrible for evap testing. I've seen billowing smoke not pass thru small holes only to find that soap and water did the trick . I'm about to don't his paint can setup and will use a laser thermometer to test temps throughout. And a maybe a 5 min timer
just use VG instead of oil
@@flippy9133 VG?
@@Bowtie41 vegetable glycerin
Thank you! I always wanted to have my own "smoke machine" just because all of my BMWs have been over 200k kms. :D Now, I can make one! Thanks again. :)
You're very welcome.
an inline fuse (10A) in the positive lead would be helpful if the can ever turned over and grounded the terminal connection to the car chassis or if the rubber grommets at the can-end of the leads ever rot or split and ground-out to the can.
I've looked at several of these videos, but the others did not do as well describing how and where to get the smoke into the vacuum system. Thanks!
Made this setup....Works great! The only thing I would change on my setup is..... I would put the air inlet hole about 2 inches up. I put mine about 1 inch up and t is too low, but it still works. Can dial the smoke up or down with regulator.
Thanks for this video, I used your instructions to make my own basically the same. I didn't bother with the propane regulator - I just dialed down the pressure to just cracked open on my air compressor.
thats what i was thinking.... compressors have built in gauge do they not ?
@@bren_howorth They do but the gauge is pretty useless at the flow rate you need for the smoke can. I just barely crack open the valve and watch the smoke come out of the hose. You just barely want a steady stream of smoke. If you put your finger over the end of the hose you should not have enough pressure to pop the lid off the can.
@@stevensheldon9271 awsome thanks so u just put the air hose conector strait into the can
@@bren_howorth Yes. And then just barely opened the valve on the compressor until I got a small stream of smoke out of the outlet hose from the can. No regulator needed.
I'm building mine now as I type...very excited as I have a couple of cars to try this out on. For those of you folks that are anally retentive on having to have a nut on the back of your fittings...I finally found success at Ace Hardware. Of all places...found in the lighting aisle. Check out Jandorf Hex Nut...assorted steel...item number 60167. Fit perfectly!
I don't know why modern cars want to cover everything with shrouds. It takes forever just to change oil. This is an excellent video! You show where to hook it up and give different scenarios.
Its so that the mechanic has to spend way more time taking off things so they can charge you more at the dealership. Its not like anyone looks under the hood anymore.
I would recommend an in line fuse to that setup. If those terminals ever shorts across that paint can it should give a bit of protection.
I have tried, it won't affect
I made mine, ran it from 20 minutes and stayed cool to the touch. worked perfectly.
How did you keep negative and positive from crossing or creating a connection through the side screw holes of the can??? Please answer!
The rubber grommets act as insulators...
Dont know if this has been mentioned but those grommets he talks about are to insulate the wires so they don't short agsinst the tin can. Otherwise you could have a electrical/oil fire possibly. Yes longer hoses to put the can on the ground. Also helps if you need to source a leak from around the top of the intake manifold.
You can go even cheaper by salvaging the wire from an old hair drier heating element
Yea I have a project trying to convert a gas grill to electric ,and had an extra burner that had the small wire in it...From a glass top stove...
Hmmm. Intake is a closed system except it is connected to the crankcase via PCV (or CCV in this case.) There is a diaphragm blocking the passage. The smoke is only 1-3 psi. It should not push the diaphragm open (if it is even at the right direction). What does that mean if u remove the oil fill cap and smoke coming out from there? Bad CCV?
I got my grandpa some tobacco for his pipe but put it into a bong (he’d never seen one before). He sat there for an hour huffing & puffing & blowing through the pipe connected to the car.
He had a nice afternoon.
Thanks 50K, that detail regarding the length of wire is very helpful (2 Ohm spec.)
slide your ohm meter leads along the wire until you get the ohms you want
Brilliant! Thanks for all the great info on E46. I would be lost without you
I tried this, worked perfect. Except in use. My wife doesn't take great care of her car, an 03 Subaru, and has had a slow leak for 5 years. I plugged into the oil filler and inspected in the dark with a strong flashlight for a few minutes until smoke plummed out of the air intake...... I give up.
You make great videos. Have saved us tons of money. Thanks
The wire over the wick. Is that the 20 gauge wire you show, the wrapped wire looks larger. Going to work on this. Thank you for a great video.
Thank you for posting this video, very informative. I have watched some of your other videos just recently and they are detailed as well. I am in the process of getting the parts to assemble my own smoke machine. I read all the questions and feedbacks. Some of the questions were the ones I was going to ask you, so am glad I read them first.
I made me a smoke machine based on your video and it works like a charm, thank you!, The one thing I would've done differently in building it, for those who try to build one later, it would've been installing the air regulator on the same side the can's handle. That way, when you lift the machine it wouldn't tilt off to the side because of the weight of the air regulator. Just sharing my experience.
you may know this answer best; Are there any potential vacuum leaks on E46 that would NOT show up with a 2psi smoke test (injecting into the intake tube where the MAF used to connect)? I understand the brake booster would be one because of the one-way valve at the connection to the booster, but I've accounted for that by removing the hose from the booster, sealing it manually, and sitll having lean issues. Also have replaced fuel pump and filter and have good pressure. I'm down to injectors, O2 sensors, or MAF, if the vacuum is fine. I am not seeing smoke anywhere but idk if im missing something that can suck air in (and be a vacuum leak), but seals itself under my pressure smoke test....
thank you ..learned about step drills, grommets and EVAP leaks.
I appreciate your detailed explanation.. GREAT work.
Sir your explanation is really good,i have an scross 1.6 diesel, while doing this test do i have to close the throttle body?
This is probably the best one I've seen. Great job thankyou.
Check out "How to build an automotive smoke machine" on the "martinbuilt" channel. It's pretty cool.
An "upgrade" of sorts would be to use vegetable glycerin (VG) which gives good clouds of smoke and is non flammable :)
As I was watching this I was thinking, so this is the biggest E Cig I have ever seen. Really surprised he did not use VG or PG in this, way safer!!
@@gustavozavala5780 yes, or go to pharmacy
Vegetable glycerin is actually flammable around 320° F .
2ohms at 12volts will easily get to that temperature. You would have to dilute it to safely use it, and that would severely reduce your cloud production.
@@stanleyrucci21 I read that mineral oil Flash Point is 335° F while vegetable glycerin has a flash point of 320° F (closed up) or 349° F in open can. So they both seem similar in where they would combust. So is your suggestion to lower the temp of the coils or use another type of light oil?
I saw one made with a harbor freight ammo box. Probably a little more sturdy than the paint can.
Is this a harbor freight commercial?
Kind of, like really kind of.
Very good video. You were very through and informant about the construction and use of it. Good Job. It was clear also and a steady camera. Thanks
Now wondering if one could add a little Antifreeze to the mix and use a UV light,besides looking for plain smoke?
So, I'm learning, but so far I've learned there are several 1 way check valve everywhere. Would'nt these block smoke?
On the e46 m54 engine there is only one check valve at the brake (vacuum) booster ... and yes, the check valve does stop the smoke, so the booster needs to be tested separately.
I failed to build a smoke machine ! I use Copper wire to wrap around the Tikki Torch and when I connect to car battery , the positive terminal is short , causing a small zap . You have any idea ? The copper wire is 18 Gauge , not nichrome gauge 24 gauge
Great detailed video! How much mineral oil did you use? Or how high needs to bee the level of the mineral oil? Does it have to be under the self made heating element or is the element "swimming" in the oil?
Trying to find that answer myself
Please tell me..., i can't understand just one thing.., the wire is one right that? In one end is for positive clip and in other end is for negative clip?
Many thanks...
Can the smoke test show a brake booster leak or a faulty brake booster?
Disculpe amigo, cuanto de presión de aire le pone a esa herramienta
thanks I bought a red line 4 200 bucks tgey had it to full got baby oil at right level works great everything works too
Is there a vacuum line diagram out there? I need to know where the fuel breather line goes, the line with a plastic piece connects to the rear intake and 2nd air pump line connects back of intake somewhere.
You could use a variable constant current power supply to easily calibrate the best current
Fantastic! Thank you for showing us the parts of the home made evap smoker.. I will build a skinnier model or at least try ..will make a video on it if it works. Thanks
were to find the wicks? looked at 3 hobby shops. Only found kerosene heater wicks.
When you pull the hose off the brake booster are you pulling just the hose off or the valve out of the brake booster? Is there a trick to pulling it off or just “pull hard”?
When you are getting parts for this, buy the tiki torch wick that is the rope type like in this video. The only ones I found at the store were white and they seem to be of a fiberglass material and they are very difficult to shape and work with so I would not recommend them.
Hey 50's, do you think that I'd still need the propane regulator of my tank already has a a variable hose pressure valve? Part of me thinks that I have to keep the line highly pressurized but not the tester, hence the need for a propane reg.
no you don't need the propane regulator if you bump your pressure down at your air compressor. I should have clarified that I used it so that I wouldn't have to keep lowering it. I find that the more you change your air pressure on those valves, the sooner they wear out and begin to leak so I try to avoid it.
i used a cheap harbor freight syphon pump, a rubber glove, and a cigar lol everything combined costed like 5 bucks and it worked great lol
How may time did you wrap it? Cause it looks like it's kinda thick not a 20 gauge wire
Does this regulator valve work with my air compressor, my compressor it 100 psi, is this too much for the valve?
Oh no, I failed, please help! I bought 22ga wire and found 2ohms at about 16” of wire. I built my pot, mostly like yours and attached it to 12v at the car battery. After a moment of bright light, the wire inside the can burned at the ends, eliminating contact from the can terminals. What did I do wrong? I did use baby oil but otherwise, everything is the same as yours. Thanks for the help.
should it come out the exhaust
My wire gets hot on the positive side with no smoke, any ideas? Wire too small on the clamps?
What is the thick wire that is wrapped around the wicks?
I was not going to pay Snap On 2K for one. I made one from a steel ammo can from Harbor Freight and a GM diesel flow plug , baby oil and a candle wick . 30 bucks total . Works great
just dawned on me watching this, for such a low PSI, wonder if anyone's tried using an Ezibleed kit that connects to a spare tyre for pressure and use a smoke pellet?
Thanks for explaining the whole wire thing other videos don't.
Yeah I like making complete videos so as to actually be helpful.
Hello just a quick question, what are the chances or is it common for intake manifold to be cracked for vacuum leak? Thank you.
I love you man you the best I been following you for almost 10 year
Appreciate that!
can I add a fuse if so what size?
MORNING GARDENER'S SHOW. - I believe he said it draws 6 amps, so probably a 10 amp fuse.
I have 740i sport e38 that has a evap leak which I can hear it under the car on the driver side I'm getting a smoker to find it so the car will pass emissions
Love the video. Seems to work good. Would this set up work on the evap system. I have a code that says I have a large leak somewhere in the evap system.
it sure would
you have to close your vent valve to test the evap system. They are normally open and need to be energized to close.
manufacturer prefers you to use this method right here. They would rather you buy a $2000 dollar one though
If they can't figure out what size grommet to use, then they won't have the skills to make this unit.
can i use a fog machine ?
why don't the positive and neg create a short and spark since its all running to 1 wire
Ty Kendrick: because of the rubber grommet. It breaks the conductive contact to the can. This way, both sides are connected only through the wire and cannot short out through the can, as you indicated.
What size wire did you use for your negative and positive terminals? Also what kind of bolts did you use to go through the can? Can I use brass?
How long did it take you to make the smoker and total cost??
Thinking of making one, and this is one of the best one i have seen... thanks for vid..
I wonder if buying some smoke bombs would work inside the can in place of actually wiring a element. thoughts??
Josh River I can't see why not I came here looking for a diy smoke machine and comments from other videos say they use those incense sticks, one guy soaked a rag in baby oil and lit on fire and that seemed to work well.
Steven Watson Thx for those ideas as well.
Sure. Anything that produces smoke and fits in the can should work.
If you hook an air hose to your can, you can blow the smoke out (a bicycle hand pump can work)
how much air pressure are you using? the evap system uses very little you can easily damage sensors and switches with even a few pounds
I've no vacuum leaks but I think I'll make one just in case haha. Also a tip for the wires in the plastic harness that run in front of the cabin air filter ... You don't have to unclip it and take the wires out before removing it. Leave the wires in the plastic case and lift it up in one piece. It slides on and off ;)
Hi. Great video. I followed your instructions exactly and made a smoke machine. Works great! I made a video using the smoke machine on my 1996 Ford Mustang. In my description I put a link to this video of yours. Thanks again!
Nice, glad to hear it helped you out
Hello guy I have a 325 i 04 with the code p0700 any idea?
Does it come out the oil cap?
I'm trying to figure out the fitting or fittings you ran from the regulator through the paint can. I know the fitting from the regulator is 1/4 ID but my concern was the fitting threads opposite the middle hex key that go through the can would not have enough thread to place a nut on the with the grommet taking up thread space. in your video, the threaded end that appears inside the can looks really long. did you use two pieces?
No it was a coupler piece--two male ends. www.harborfreight.com/14-in-x-14-in-male-brass-pipe-coupling-68198.html
… just for clarity that was not mentioned… is that a coil spring you have stuffed the wicks into for stiffness after you wrapped the 20g wire around the wicks or what is the coil made out of … ? thanks
The coil IS the wire that I mentioned and that I linked to. I wrapped it around the wicks to secure them and because the wire needs to be quite long to achieve the right resistance.
Hey I'm making a smoke tester similar to this, is there a maximum pressure you can send into the system before causing more problems, only source i have is an electric automotive tyre pump. Would this be ok to use? Thanks
Other people online say you don't want more than about 1 or 2 psi or you can cause other leaks.
Dude, 6 amps through 2 ohms resistance is 72 watts. That's a lot of heat to concentrate in such a small space as your coil. You might want to put a little more wire on your next coil, or, maybe use an inert gas instead of air. If you should overheat that thing with just the right mix of air and oil vapor inside, your paint can might end up looking "kind of" like a daisy! I know because I busted a stove pipe that way once. I had an old wood heater sitting outside in the yard where I was working. It was cold outside, so I built a fire in it. Later, I threw some dirty grease into the heater. In a few minutes, the grease vapors built up enough that they exploded.
But if you're bent on creating a bomb, you could use a 100 watt light bulb and an old lamp. Just disassemble the lamp, and use just the socket, the metal tube, the cord and the plug. If the tube is too long, just cut the threaded part off and install it through a hole drilled in the top of the can using the two tube nuts of the lamp. You can then push the cord through the tube and seal the tube to the cord with silicone sealant or 5-minute epoxy. You will have to remove the plug from the cord first or cut it and splice it later to do this unless you can disconnect it from the lamp socket. Next just slip a sock over the bulb to use for a wick, but first lace a cable tie in and out through the top of it. Pull it up above the socket if you're worried that the cable tie might melt, and tighten the cable tie.
What if the smog Came's out the tbi
i followed the instructions but the alligator clamps melted as soon as i attached them to the battery
Does the footage of you attempting to take a wireless resistance reading exist in an outtake video somewhere? I'm guessing you completely cut it because it was lengthy. And therefore even funnier.
How do u fix the problem then? Is it hard to fix a leak?
Depends where the leak is an what is causing it
Can use a fog machine
Diesel glow plugs work good for a smoke generator.
I must have like 30 of those in a box!!! Never thought of that thanks for bringing it up...
Do you have to take the maf out for smoke test
Thanks
HR FB z-no you don't.
Actually you do need to close off the intake boot to seal up the system, and removing the maf and putting a rubber glove over the intake boot is a great way to do it. Look at the video ... where the blue glove is is where the maf was.
Besides, you want to keep maf clean and there is no reason to bathe it in smoke.