| Author | Message | ||
| Johnny (63.159.196.68) Rating: N/A |
Short of following every hose with soapy water, any ideas? Vehicle is a 1972 F-800 (120psi single-air system) if it matters. | ||
| Chuck MC8 (207.69.83.20) Rating: N/A |
Years ago, I worked at an auto exhaust shop. One of the main diagnostic tools was a section of water hose cut at 3 or 4 feet long. We would hold one end close to our ear and place the other to the area where we suspected the exhaust leak. This worked great as the hose could be pushed into some very confining spots ( not to mention HOT). I believe this would let you narrow down your problem by just listening for the "hiss" in the suspect areas. Chuck | ||
| Gary Stadler (Boogiethecat) (68.7.217.217)
Rating: N/A |
'course hopefully your ears are good enough to hear it! The guy who owns my favorite machine shop can't hear a major airline leak hissing from two feet away... I can hear it from the other side of the building!! For me finding leaks is a snap even without the hose...for some it's impossible! FORTUNATELY for those who don't have decent ears, there are a bunch of cool tools availiable like this one http://www.impactrm.com/html/101.html that listen ultrasonically to the leak and transpose the sound down into the audible range where even the hard of hearing can catch em!! Hmmmm..... that said... the $1,672 price tag is a bit steep, making soapy water suddenly look fairly attractive... (or "honeydo" the wife to do the listn'n- women usually have much better hearing )  Now....why do I feel like making a REALLY stupid suggestion? Dunno but here it is anyway.... drive the vehicle down a boat ramp till the undercarriage is underwater, then go snorlking around and look for bubbles? Naw, I didn't say that.... Cheers Gary Stadler | ||
| Stan (216.95.238.99) Rating: N/A |
Finding small air leaks can be time comsuming but eliminating them is worth the effort. There is no reason why a bus should not maintain air pressure the same as your tires. One of the best and cheapest ways is to buy 'Bubble Soap' from the toy store. When sprayed or brushed on hoses and fittings it sticks in place and does not evaporate immediately. A very small leak will produce a mountain of bubbles. Just make this a long term spare time project. Do one area at a time and it doesn't get too boring. You also learn a lot about the air system as you do it. One leak that is very hard to find and not always consistent is if the compressor governor is leaking back. | ||
| Eric K (12.228.168.96) Rating: N/A |
Very good "bubble soap" can be made with dish soap, water and corn syrup. The corn syrup gives it body to hang on to the fitting and much bigger bubbles due to the increased viscosity. Eric | ||
| John Biundo (Jbiundo) (67.112.121.112)
Rating: N/A |
Eric - is there a "formula"? I.e., proportions? thanks, john | ||
| Eric K (12.228.168.96)
Rating: N/A |
The soap depends on the brand and quality. As for the corn syurp, 10% to 20%. (I use 20% in hard to reach places as the bubbles will be visible from behind the pipe) Make sure to rinse afterwards to avoid ants. The leftovers can be used to blow great bubbles when you're stuck in traffic..;-} Eric | ||
| RJ Long (Rjlong) (24.127.74.29)
Rating: N/A |
Eric, John (and others) - Glycerin can be substituted for the corn syrup, will help eliminate the ant problem. Available from the local pharmacy, get the pure stuff, not "glycerin with . . ." Dawn or Joy dishwashing liquid seems to make the best bubble soap, as does using distilled water. The receipe: 1 cup (240 ml) Joy or Dawn dishwashing liquid 10 cups (2400 ml) water (tap or distilled) 4 tablespoons (60 ml) pure glycerin Add the glycerin and dishwashing liquid to the water, stir gently. Let stand approximately 2 hours for best results. Besides being good for chasing air leaks, it's great for kid's (or grandkid's) parties, too! Happy bubbles!! RJ PD4106-2784 Fresno CA | ||
| rhbelter (66.124.101.163)
Rating: N/A |
Ho, BusNuts, You missed the easiest to find leak detector. A 12 year old boy. I can hear my dog bark, and my wife yell at me, and for most purposes, that's enough. But a persistant air leak in my -01 Eagle was found by my neighbor's grandson -- easily. enjoy/s/bob |