DIY smoke machine

[IndianaRoadster]

Being I'm in a bind not able to pass emissions until I find my vacuum leak, I decided to try and make my own. After looking and reading about making one I thought I would give it a try. Have everything ready except waiting on 20 gauge resistance wire from Amazon. Once that arrives I will wrap the tiki torch wick and hopefully find my leak.
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[Muzz258]

Interesting design. Hope the PVC withstands the heat OK.

I must admit that when I saw the first photo that I wondered why you were pluming in LPG. Are you smoking or BBQing the engine? Then in subsequent photos, realised that you were using the regulator to limit a compressed air supply.

[cyberman]

Nice work! I posted a video showing the insides of the Autoline Pro ($75 for the "economy" kit) on my el cheapo thread here. Autoline used a U-shaped structure for the wick with the ends down in the oil and then coiled the wire around the wick.

Turned out I found yet another leak, this time the DISA valve which is very expensive for the M44, so I'm going with the Bulgarian guy who rebuilds them. He's warning he may run out of cores and supply is limited. Costs about $650 now, but he supplies for about $150 including shipping. I've got some parts coming from China that don't address the loose shaft, and when I watched their video, I figured I'd have a high probability of breaking something. This way, I can stick the rebuilt unit in and then take my time to rebuild my old one. Good luck on finding the leaks, let us know what you find.

I still think the original approach would have worked if I'd thought to limit its duty cycle. Autoline rates theirs at a 15 minute on/15 off. It also gets very hot, so be careful if you're using PVC for the body.

Fallback position on the emissions test: You can always use my address and register it here in I.O.W.A. they haven't figured out why anyone would want one, so they don't require it. Back in the 70's in NY, I knew a guy who registered his vehicles in Vermont because they didn't require insurance. As of three years ago when I left, N.H. doesn't require insurance either. I have too much to lose, so I don't mind paying for insurance. But emissions tests should be waived for classic cars, IMHO.

[328 Power 04]

This is a clever way to do it. A few years back I was wanting to make my own out of a nebulizer attachment from the hospital that works on air pressure, but I never got around to doing it.
I'd like to see this method in action!




I was going to come here and recommend the simple China mineral oil nebulizer smoke machine (with built in compressor!) which used to be like $120 shipped:

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I have one of these and it's very useful. It nebulizes mineral oil (lubricant laxative, or Johnson and Johnson Baby Oil), and generates some 8-10 psi, making super thick and luxurious smoke. All the available fittings make it worth it even at $145+ now.



(BTW, I'm not posting to bring down your efforts, as I like DIY more than pre-made any day. I like the creativity)

[cyberman]

When I was in the army, we used to practice with smoke grenades. They smoked for quite a while, as I recall. If only I could get my hands on them now....

That Autool is now $199 on Amazon, although it would be great to have more smoke!

Hey, I found these: https://peacocksmoke.com/products/du...31980642599008 but too expensive at $10-15 for 30 seconds. Any chemists out there with ideas? Something one could mix with easily available ingredients would be nice, mix it up, close the lid, pump with low pressure.

[IndianaRoadster]

I got my wire from Amazon and wrapped the wick and hooked it up. Turns out that I have a leak about 6 inches past the MAF, it's where a vacuum hose from underneath comes up and attaches to the Elbow. It didn't take long to find the leak once that smoke started flowing in. You can see the white smoke coming out in the circle drawing in the pic.
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[cyberman]

Thanks - just proves the value of smoke for these hard-to-find vacuum leaks. The other thing I've learned is how sensitive these engines are to vacuum leaks.