My 1994 Mercedes E320 wagon has this nagging oil leak somewhere which resulted in burning oil and smoke. I am researching for a better system of detecting oil leaks, transmission fluid leaks, a/c leaks, fuel leaks, and power steering fluid leaks. I am curious about this UV oil leak detector kit because I never seen or heard of this before.
I came across this engine oil leak detector which supposedly does a better job of detecting engine oil leaks, transmission fluid leaks, fuel leaks, a/c leaks, and power steering fluid leaks rather than by seeing with the naked eye to spot oil leaks. Does this leak detector really works?
Have anyone tried this leak detector and does the number of LED lights matter? Some have 6 led lights, others have 28 LED lights. The more LED lights, the better, or doesn't matter?
Here are a few of websites I found that interests me:
you can get a little bottle of that dye at any good auto parts store, ask at the counter. you can use any UV light, I have a generic UV flashlight I picked up years ago. before putting in the dye, I'd clean the engine, and check it with the UV light to ensure that there aren't traces of any old fluorescents in there, and check the dye to see what color it is, then dump it in the oil, drive for 5-10 minutes, and check with the UV light. best done in the dark, eg at night. if you don't see leakage, drive farther, harder, check again.
do note, 395nm is on the purple side of things, the 380nm lights are more expensive but more deep UV. 395 works fine, you'll get more contrast if you wear yellow glasses.
LeftCoastGeek, Thank you for your great response to my post and specific type of UV light that will do a better job of detecting oil leaks. I really appreciated your efforts. I came across this UV light with 380nm lights (based on your recommendations) on Amazon website: UVHQRP Urine Detector UV Blacklight Flashlight 21 LED with 380 nm Wavelength plus HQRP UV Meter: https://www.amazon.com/HQRP-Detector-Blacklight-Flashlight-Wavelength/dp/B0088WFVHY
Do I need to have this yellow glasses to see the oil leak?
Also, what would be the best method to clean the engine prior to putting in the dye in the oil crankcase? Steam cleaning? Plain water hose going under the car with ramps on while the motor is hot? Do I need to be careful where to spray the water from the hose on the engine without getting water on the electrical parts/components? Whereabout putting water on the engine? Front, back, exhaust manifold/intake manifold without damaging the engine area? Can I remove the front black timing chain cover and spray water to clean that area as well because I suspected oil leak on the right side area by the valve cover facing me (cam gasket?)
gunk foaming engine cleaner on a COLD engine, brush the worst of the mud and crust off, let it soak, then hose it off with cold water.
re: yellow glasses, they aren't needed but they can improve the contrast of the glowing of the dye. I didn't need them (and I think one of my kids swiped them to use for a halloween costume or burning man or something). The dye I used was orange and very obvious in the dark w/ my little uv light.
Also, does this 1 oz dye that goes into the oil crankcase is enough? Does this same principle applies pouring the dye in the power steering fluid top above the power steering pump? The same principle also applies to the automatic transmission fluid dipstick hole? Only 1 oz in each one will be enough?
1 little bottle is plenty in the engine oil. I would get different colors for different applications, the stuff commonly comes in a red-magenta color, a yellow-orange, and a green. stuff I used in my engine oil was orange. When I had a camshaft seal leak on my volvo, I could see the dye at the seal within a couple minutes of starting the engine and letting it idle (with the timing belt cover off). if you wait too long to check, the stuff gets blown all over the engine with the oil and its harder to see where its coming from (said camshaft seal, I thought was a valve cover leak).
I've never used it in power steering, but I'm sure it would work there, too, since there's a relatively small amount of fluid, probably a 1/3 ro 1/4 bottle would be plenty.
The other place I've used it (in green), is air conditioning freon, but thats a different dye, specially made for this, it comes in a can of R134a.
LeftCoastGeek, Can the dye be use inside the automatic transmission dipstick to check for leaks around the automatic transmission gasket leaks area and elsewhere?
i've never had any trouble finding ATF leaks by cleaning the oily area, then taking a short drive. its pretty obvious its ATF from the color/smell of it...
bur, sure, you could use a dye in the ATF, and yes, you'd add it via the transmission dipstick while the engine is idling so it mixes in thoroughly.
LeftCoastGeek, again thank you very much for your helpful comments/tips. I will go ahead and order the uv flashlight 380nm, dye, and gunk foaming engine cleaner. Will follow up on my update/progress. Stay tune.
Just finished putting the oil dye in the oil crankcase and run the motor.
I posted a new subject matter regarding smelling oil burning and seeing smoke along with leaking oil to start fresh since the issue in this post of the UV oil Leak Detector Kit is over and done with.
New post title is "Smoking, burning, and leaking oil behind and under the rear motor issues with pictures" Thanks for reading and comments to all.
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