Just picked up a used smoke machine for about $80 to find vacuum leaks.

I mean, it was a gamble on some old eBay gear, but it found a tiny crack in a PCV hose my spray bottle completely missed. Saved me maybe an hour of guesswork on a rough idle job. Anyone have a favorite brand for these things that won't break the bank?

4 comments

4 Comments

jade_jenkins2mo agoMost Upvoted

Is a smoke machine really worth it for a DIY job? I've fixed plenty of rough idles with a can of carb cleaner and some patience. That eighty bucks could buy a lot of parts instead of a one-trick tool you might use twice.

knight.dylan2mo ago

Totally get the carb cleaner method, it works for a lot of stuff. But chasing a ghost idle on my old truck, the smoke machine found a cracked hose in minutes I never would've sprayed. Sometimes that quick find is worth the cash lol.

jade_jenkins1mo agoMost Upvoted

My old Honda had this stumble at idle that drove me nuts for two weekends. I finally borrowed my neighbor's smoke machine, and it found a pinhole leak behind the intake plenum where the PCV line snakes through. Carb cleaner would never hit that spot. That one find paid for the tool right there.

uma_williams2mo ago

Honestly saw a video where a mechanic said a smoke machine is the only real way to find some leaks, like evap stuff. @jade_jenkins has a point about the cost, but for those tiny vacuum leaks you just can't hear or feel, it feels like magic. Maybe it's just me, but once you use one and see that little wisp of smoke, the carb cleaner method seems like guesswork. My buddy's cheapo Amazon one has lasted a few years now.