Automotive Smoke Machine (SDT-103)

Smoke not come out , volume button damage . 12000 money cheating me in autool company

Funciona muy bien, super facil de usar , viene con todo y sus accesorios , muy recomendable!

This review is for the Autool Model SDT103 Smoke Leak Detector. I did a lot of research before buying this product. I opted for this unit, which has no internal compressor, because it has less parts to break and I have my own compressor. (It uses almost no air; just a trickle.) I also liked that it has flow control and a flow indicator. Please be aware, I've only used this unit one time, so I can't comment on its long term reliability. I read the instructions before using it, and the instructions are pretty well written, and describe how to operate it without a whole lot of difficult-to-understand broken English. The unit is pretty simple, so its operation is straightforward. I bought a little 3 ounce bottle of baby oil from CVS for a couple bucks. I put 20mL into the unit before turning it on (the instruction booklet said 10mL, but there were two stickers on the actual unit that said 20mL, so I used 20mL). I let the air flow through it for a minute or two before I turned on the smoke switch. The smoke took about 30 seconds to start coming out, and maybe 2 minutes before it got really thick. I used this for diagnosing a vacuum leak in the intake of my Ford Ranger. The smoke was nice and thick and was easily seen (see picture). The packaging is very good on this product. All accessories are in separate ziplock bags, very organized, very neat. All the accessories (hoses, wires, oil bottle, etc) seem to be very high quality. I was expecting a one-time use throw-away item, but this seems to be well made and has quality accessories. I'm surprised to hear that some people write reviews complaining about the smell of the unit after using it. It burns oil to generates smoke. The smoke smells like burning oil. Why would someone expect this unit to not smell like burned oil? This product saved me a lot of money going to a mechanic to diagnose the problem in my car. I'm also going to use it in the future to find exhaust leaks, and leaks in other sealed systems in my cars. I'm not a mechanic, but I do almost all the work on my cars and I think this will come in handy in the future. I recommend it.

I can’t believe I missed out owning this diagnostic tool! I had a vac leak in my Expedition and some of the areas where hoses are run just aren’t easily accessible. With this tool I found the EGR valve diaphragm was leaking. Despite being Chinese, this unit is quality made with a minimum of plastic parts. It puts out a good quantity of smoke USING BABY OIL. If you notice a reduction in volume, immediately turn the power off, disconnect the air (the oil tank is under air pressure), and refill. To make things easier, I added a small air pressure regulator to the input of the unit. Be aware that the smoke does has a smell that will linger for a day or so under the hood. Check out YouTube for instructional videos. This is a highly recommended tool that will help pinpoint leaks and keep you from guessing at what component needs replaced.

I had low hopes for this due to the price compared to other "professional" units but it is surprisingly good! I've used it several times now in the process of restoring/ troubleshooting a '94 Land Rover engine and exhaust and it works perfectly. I'm glad I took a gamble on this one. I bought some UV reactive smoke juice with it, and while it smoked fine, it wasn't actually UV reactive, but it smells so bad it's easy to find the leaks!

As a mechanic at an independent shop, I'm always looking for tools that are simple in construction, quick to set up, and easy to use. I have had this tool for nearly a year, used it multiple times, and loaned it out a couple of times, too. For a DIYer, this tool (and others in this price range) are worth a shot. Smoke solution with UV dye did not work as well as regular mineral/baby oil did. My biggest gripe is the air line fitting. Because of the short gator clamp leads, you're probably going to deploy this in the engine bay, resting on a flat area, but the unit really doesn't weigh much, so any decently robust air line is going to encourage it to twist and tip over, especially if you're using a lift. I recommend using this with a smaller "whip hose" or using the regulator outlet hose as the whip (open it up and you'll see what I mean, it is quite simple). The second biggest drawback is there's no real way to determine how much oil is still in the unit, and whether it's a thermal or timed safety feature, it does shut off by itself after some time. Trying to find a very small leak (as in P0446, ~0.02") can be frustrating with this unit. You may have to stop and recheck the machine once or twice as you try to find the leak. Admittedly, that is not unique to this unit. The single feature that holds this back from five stars is the flow meter. While the regulator does reduce the overall pressure that flows through the system, the flow meter is adjustable and acts as a secondary control on the device. Professional diagnostic smoke machines, in my experience, use a non-adjustable flow meter that's calibrated appropriately. This flow meter, when wide open, exceeds its own range of measurement and even forces unburned oil/smoke solution down the outlet hose. Not a dealbreaker, but for the DIYer, it does increase the learning curve a bit. This may be a personal quirk to my device, but occasionally, if it sits unused for a while, it won't flow air at first. Blowing compressed air through the disassembled lines and ports takes care of that. I suspect that the flow meter ball gets a little sticky. A final note of caution: The size of the plug for the oil reservoir is not common. Take care not to lose it or drop it in an engine bay. It is not magnetic. If this device breaks, I'm more likely to upgrade than I am to repurchase it, but I would recommend this to anyone who needs a machine and doesn't have one.