I often spend tons of time looking for vacuum leaks on various vehicles and much of that time on Turbo II's.

Well, I found a faster way. After that SnapOn man tried to sell me a "smoke Machine" for $1200, i decided to build my own.

All you need is a cheap Haloween Fog machine, some vacuum cleaner hose, and a roll of duct tape.

It works wonders!! I find leaks in intake hoses that I never suspected that were even there!!

Hope this info helps someone.

 

How bout some dry ice and water in a mason jar. Just drill a hole in teh top and put a vacuum hose fitting so you can connect it to the intake mainfold?

 

and you what. hook it up to the engine and see where it comes out?

 

Yeah just pump in into your engine and if there is a vacuum leak, you'll see smoke.

I guess dry ice would work but it is had to produce dry ice everytime you need to find a vacuum leak.

 

LOL, true, but then I dont have a fog machine either. I can get dry ice from Publix.

 

All you do is get a small propane bottle and while the engine is running wave it around the vacuum lines. If the engines picks up then you have a vacuum leak.

 

I wonder what that fog machine liquid or dry ice does to engine internals?
The fog machines use a kind of liquid soap, and dry ice produces condensation.
I've always just squirted a little carb cleaner around the carb and intake manifold area, and listened for any change in the engine, myself. That is if I couldn't find it visually.

 

Using propane is a trick we have used for a long time and what we have discovered at my shop is that it's a FIRE HAZZARD!

Also the smoke shows more and smaller leaks than you can detect with the carb cleaner & propane method.

Water vapor or a tiny tiny amount of soap don't hurt a thing.