MD11Pilot
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Looking for a inexpensive but durable borescope for cylinder inspection for a SMALL operation. We do maybe four or five annuals a year so we don't need a $1000 unit. Experiences and recommendations appreciated.
Looking for reasonably priced borescope
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PaulS
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Checkout_my_Six
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hold that....before you buy, take a look at this. I bought one and it's the best $40 I've spent in years.
Now, at each annual I record the images for each valve, open and closed, and I watch the movement to see the side-to-side motion....and that give an idea of guide wear. I've also shot pics from the inside of the exhaust of the waste gate and both sides of the turbo.....very useful tool for cheap.
Now, at each annual I record the images for each valve, open and closed, and I watch the movement to see the side-to-side motion....and that give an idea of guide wear. I've also shot pics from the inside of the exhaust of the waste gate and both sides of the turbo.....very useful tool for cheap.
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Let'sgoflying!
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CmS, which one did you buy for $40?
Checkout_my_Six
Touchdown! Greaser!
I have a couple of cheapo's I purchased from e-bay. Do a search and find one with a 10mm diameter neck. You might need to do a little filing to make it fit.
I have a dental camera...both the 4 light and the 6 LEDs are fine. I also went crazy and bought one of the long goose necked ones to look straight in at the walls and piston. I don't think any of them were more than $40 ea.
Silvaire
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Silvaire
I have a ProVision 100 fiber optical scope, a Dewalt DCT410 video scope and a $25 no name Chinese dental camera hacked up to fit through a spark plug hole.
The ProVision and DeWalt are useful for looking under floors or for reading the serial number on a difficult to access magneto or other component dataplate but are not very useful for looking inside cylinders. The dental camera has the perfect angle and focal range for viewing cylinder intake and exhaust valves but needs to be modified in order to fit through a spark plug hole. It also can be a bit cumbersome depending on how big your laptop is - to which it must be tethered via USB cable. The software that comes with them is also often completely useless unless you speak Chinese and are a Dentist so you'll probably need to pick up either a freeware or shareware USB Cam program.
That being said, and I don't want to get into the repetitive argument with the savvy maintenance disciples here, but if you poke any sort of viewing device into a cylinder and are able to visually detect any sort of anomaly it is almost certain that the compression readings on that cylinder are going to be near to or equal to 0/80. So even a high end borescope is not going to give you any new capabilities in that regard.
People however remain convinced that you can see trouble before it begins so having anything that you can, rightfully or not, call a "borescope" is a plus for your business PR and may have your customers believing that you have knowledge and capabilities beyond any competitor not so equipped.
My advice then is to start with the dental camera and see how you like it
The ProVision and DeWalt are useful for looking under floors or for reading the serial number on a difficult to access magneto or other component dataplate but are not very useful for looking inside cylinders. The dental camera has the perfect angle and focal range for viewing cylinder intake and exhaust valves but needs to be modified in order to fit through a spark plug hole. It also can be a bit cumbersome depending on how big your laptop is - to which it must be tethered via USB cable. The software that comes with them is also often completely useless unless you speak Chinese and are a Dentist so you'll probably need to pick up either a freeware or shareware USB Cam program.
That being said, and I don't want to get into the repetitive argument with the savvy maintenance disciples here, but if you poke any sort of viewing device into a cylinder and are able to visually detect any sort of anomaly it is almost certain that the compression readings on that cylinder are going to be near to or equal to 0/80. So even a high end borescope is not going to give you any new capabilities in that regard.
People however remain convinced that you can see trouble before it begins so having anything that you can, rightfully or not, call a "borescope" is a plus for your business PR and may have your customers believing that you have knowledge and capabilities beyond any competitor not so equipped.
My advice then is to start with the dental camera and see how you like it
