A car is a whole complex of various systems and units whose work is closely interconnected. Therefore, any vehicle is not insured against unforeseen breakdowns. In the event of such malfunctions, the car must be sent for diagnosis. Often, by this word, drivers mean checking the car using a computer tester. But this is not always true - sometimes the cause of the breakdown is so simple that you can cope with it without leaving your home. But if this problem concerns the leakage of any system, you will have to buy a smoke generator for cars here. The price of such devices is about 5-6 thousand rubles. But you can go the other way.
It’s quite possible to save a decent amount of money by making a smoke generator for a car with your own hands. What is this tool and how is it made? You will learn the answers to these questions in our article today.
Characteristic and purpose
In general, a smoke generator for a car (made by oneself, or factory-made - it doesn’t matter) is used for an effective inspection for leaks of different engine components. This can be an exhaust system, an air inlet, a cooling system or some other system in which leakages are not allowed during operation. Also, this device is used to detect punctures in tires or to check the integrity of the optics (often in such cases it “sweats”). The principle of operation of the smoke generator is based on the use of dense smoke (usually white), which is injected under a pressure of 0.3-0.5 Bar into the system and allows to detect any leaks with minimal effort that could not be determined with the naked eye.
How to make a smoke generator for a car? Cooking Tools
To make this device, we need:
- Purge air gun.
- Cigarettes
- Source of compressed air.
- Pressure regulator.
All of these spare parts can be purchased at any hardware store. As the penultimate element ( compressed air source ), it is recommended to use some compact compressor. As an alternative, a wheel cylinder is suitable in this case.
Getting to work
The purge gun will have to be slightly upgraded. The inner hole where the cigarette (tool nose) will be inserted should have a diameter of 8-8.3 millimeters. If this value is less, use a drill to drill a hole to the above parameters.
Next, we connect the air pressure regulator with the already modified gun. We also connect a source of compressed air here. It is worth noting that the outlet pressure should not be very large, so you can choose the weakest compressor. You may need to vary the air flow to get the most optimal smoke output. The pressure itself should not exceed 0.5 bar. If this value is greater, it will be more difficult to diagnose the details for leaks, because you have to stock up on a whole set of cigarettes.
Then everything is simple. We insert a cigarette into the nozzle of the gun, set fire to it and screw it into the first tool. Everything, at this stage, the do-it-yourself smoke generator was successfully made!
You can use another, more complex method of manufacturing this diagnostic equipment. In this way, we will provide the vehicle with an almost professional diagnosis for leaks.
We make a smoke generator for cars with our own hands - method number 2
Unlike the first method, the device of such a smoke generator will be more costly to manufacture. But in the end we get a much greater smoke output, so the device will be more convenient to use.
We upgrade the grease gun
For the basis of the design we take the housing from the grease gun. It can be purchased for about 300-500 rubles. As in the first case with a gun, the syringe will have to be finalized with your own hands. in the middle of the device, you need to mount the partition-adapter. A glow plug is screwed on one side of it. The latter can be taken from any domestic diesel engine (for example, from MMZ D 240 or 245, which is installed on the ZIL "Bull"). According to the voltage, the glow plug must correspond to 12 or 24V. For the first, you need to apply a power limitation scheme. The easiest and cheapest option is to use the cornering relay. Thanks to this detail, the candle's operating time is almost halved.
The second part of the work
How to make a smoke generator for cars do it yourself next? Next, you need to drill a few holes in the top cover of the syringe. We will need them for air supply on the one hand and for smoke to escape on the other. At the inlet, it is necessary to install a pressure regulator that will provide an oxygen flow of no more than 0.2-0.3 atmospheres. A check valve is mounted on the outlet hose. It can be taken from the carburetor motor power system. As for the use of oil, anyone will do for diagnosis, but Johnsons baby, glycerin or liquid for concert smoke installations are usually used. Everything, at this stage, a smoke generator for cars with their own hands is successfully made. As you can see, in just a few minutes you can create a device similar in functionality to a professional one, the cost of which is 5-6 thousand rubles.
So, we figured out how to make a smoke generator with our own hands and what tools and materials are required for this.