Tiny valve Mirror possible?

[ArtJ]

I am aware that a corner of some valves is viewable via the spark plug hole.

Just wondering,
does there exist a mirror small enough, maybe dental, along with a correctly positioned penlight ,which would allow
viewing of all the valves? (I am sure a medical endioscope could do this, but aside from that expensive option)


Comments appreciated

Regards

Art

[ArtJ]

Maybe a dental mirror could be cut down?

Or a highly polished metal strip on a stick?

[Mark Millbauer]

Professional auto mechanics use bore scopes. Among other areas, they are mostly used to inspect the cylinders and combustion chambers through the spark plug holes. A month or so ago, I saw one some for Sale at Lowes for a surprisingly reasonable price. Can't remember exactly how much but I think it was still too much for a one or two time use.

Mark
C27, Solution

[ArtJ]

Mark

I checked Lowe's out, but could not find borescopes listed.
I did find
borescopes at Extech.com models Br200 $299, Br250 $349. It was
unclear whether they could fit inside a spark plug hole.
There were some interesting demo videos as well.

Art

[ArtJ]

I also found that electrorent.com has rental and used borescopes, did not
check price or suitability.

The Extech instruments have the ability to upload a image to a pc, so
(assuming they fit spark plug holes) images could be posted and shared.

I have purchased Extech Multimeter instruments previously. They are low cost and reliable

Regards


Art

[msmith10]

Milwaukee makes a flexible scope, sold at Lowes, Home Depot. I bought one a couple of years ago on sale for about $100. I haven't tried using it in the engine yet-- I use it for probing walls and pipes and for colonoscopies (just kidding about the last one). Two problems I can think of that may prevent its use: The head is fairly good sized- about 1/2" diameter and 2" long, so I'm not sure it will fit in the spark plug hole; also I'm not sure the flexible part of the scope will make the sharp bend that would be required to get over to the valves.
I'll try it next spring.
Borescopes I've seen have much smaller heads (3/8").
Medical scopes would be great but even on ebay, too expensive.

[ArtJ]

I wonder if it could be used in combination with tiny mirror?

[Mark Millbauer]

We use one in our shop similar to this:
http://www.rfsystemlab.us/chryslerengineinspection.html
We have another that does not work as well.

I have not used it yet but the other instructor that has liked it. I don't remember what brand it is, probably Snap-On. He and his students were able to look through the spark plug holes of a Dodge V10 to confirm a diagnosis. The key here is that he used it to CONFIRM a diagnosis. This was after compression tests, leak down tests, electronic tests, and fuel system tests. He already had figured out the problem before using the scope.

A professional quality tool is expensive and can help the tech see most of a combustion chamber. I don't know if the cheap models can but and as I stated before, I doubt that the costs of even a cheap one would be worth it for the average DIY'r.

BTW, Happy New Year!

Mark

[ArtJ]

Happy New Year to All

As Mark mentioned above, the borescopes he mentioned can certainly
do the job, but are pricey they range from $600 to Thousands.

Regards and Thanks

Art