Paid $340 for a smoke machine to chase vacuum leaks, and it paid for itself in two weeks

Beth Ward · 2026-10-15T19:15:05.565488+00:00

I fought a rough idle on a 2007 Silverado for three days straight and burned through two cans of carb cleaner trying to find the leak by ear. My neighbor told me I was wasting my time and that a smoke machine would show it in five minutes. I bit the bullet and got a decent one for around $340, which felt like a lot for something I'd use maybe twice a month. First job with it, I hooked it up to the intake and watched smoke curl out from a cracked PCV elbow that I never would have found poking around with a flashlight. That one repair was a $600 ticket for a customer who had already been to two other shops that couldn't figure it out. I don't care what anyone says about old school tricks, if you're doing diagnostics for money, guessing by ear is just stealing time from yourself. Has anybody else had a tool like that where you kick yourself for waiting so long to buy it?

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Paid $340 for a smoke machine to chase vacuum leaks, and it paid for itself in two weeks | Auto Mechanics - Guest Forum