I am going to make my own leakdown tester for an FL350 and was wondering what the sizes of the PVC intake and rubber expansion exhaust plugs are?

Thanks, Rand

Anyone?

Man I like anyone. I use blank off plates for exhaust and intake for motor (( Internal Combustion Engine ? )) leak down. A rubber expandable freeze pug found can be found any parts store. As far as size just measure up your intake boot and exhaust flang. What I found to be best is take them with you to parts store and size them up. Be careful installing the one in the intake boot. Install cab band to boot and snug prior to installation of expander as not to tear boot. Put a little gasket maker to rubber plug to help seal, istall and adjust than finish snug down with boot clamp. This will prvent over tighting the plug, your screw drive will slip before a 7/16 nut. The blank off plates first will check Engine its self than one can install intake and exhaust flang and recheck. Using vacume once the intkae is installed will keep the pressure off of reeds and prevent false reading from pressure bleed into reed gage and intake assembly. The pressure will try to close reeds and the pressure levles between motor (( Internal Combustion Engine ? )) and intake will be diff untill they equalize and then provide propper reading. Now if you want to prevent this you can get pvc glue cap found at lumber yard that will fit and a fitting can be installed and teeded to the vac port used to pressure. This will balance the pressure between Engine and intake for propper bleed down pressures and provide accurate reading. If Engine checkes ok and than the exhaust and intake assemby fails it will sae you some time. I prefer not to even use the exhaust valve to make it easy and isolate intake and Engine if leak accures. Be carful to use very low pressure and vacume. I prefer not to use any more than the motor (( Internal Combustion Engine ? )) producces during an static check at cranking rpm. This can be measured with a vac/pressure gauge attached to the vac port. I video tape the test so I can isolate the frame with the highest pressure and vac measurments. This is where a might vac hand pump comes in handy besides being used for bleeding brakes. Be sure to set piston at BDC ( piston all the way down) so the transfer ports are full open. If the Engine fail test spray simple green around the plates and seals and gaskets and use some pressure to find leak. The hand vac can either vac of pressure and can check Engine using both the bleed down will be differnt and kinda interesting to why.

Hope this helps, anyone. Be sure to let us know what yo did and how it works. I think "H" has a link some where here to proper testing.

I am scrounging parts right now to make my tester and was hoping someone knew the sizes which would save me a little time. I wanted to leave the motor (( Internal Combustion Engine ? )) completely in tact to do the test. I plan on making a system that I can simply hook up to the vacuum line for the fuel pump and simply plug the intake and exhaust. Leaving the exhaust and intake on now doesn't really matter anymore....................

I was going to do leakdown and compression tests to keep an eye on the condition of the motors. I finally broke down and bought a compression tester and found the pressures in both of my Odysseys at 90 and 95 psi cold. Looks like its CSI time. I'm a little pissed because supposedly my Odyssey only had about 10 hours on it after rebuild. Will have to check the condition of the sleeve, see if the exhaust bridge was relieved and checked if the shop drilled holes in the piston.

Before doing so do a wet test as well. This can be done by adding a cap full of two cycle oil in the spark plug hole than re check and compare the two reading. Read up on how to proprly do a check. It is a gret idea to use the base line setting to compare in hours as you ride for proper Engine preformance.

I am guessing that a wet test is to check the condition of the rings?

I'll back up a minute. What I do is remove spark plug and install the compression gauge. Then make sure the filter is clean and the fuel is turned on. Note: this will allow for fuel to be pulled in and prevent cold seizure from prolonged changing with out lubrication, and achieve the highest reading. Then I hook up a 10 amp battery charger to the battery ( for good rpm during cranking). Then ground the spark plug lead. Then hold throttle wide open. Then hit starter button for few seconds until the gauge gets its highest reading. Log this number C-1. Then unscrew the compression gauge and pour in a cap full of two cycle oil and reinstall gauge. The hold WOT (Wide Open Throttle) and get reading. Log this number as CW-1.Compare the 2 numbers. It should rise just how much is the key. Now remove gauge and install spark plug warming up Engine. Then let the head cool off and remove plug and repeat the complete procedure. Log the as W-2 and WW-2 warm and compare numbers. Be sure to make a side note stating time of day and temperature. This is so the additional reading came be made later using the temp data for comparison. This also should be done post ride after the filter is cleaned for next ride. Nice to find problem before it happens or time to ride.

Yes I know what the #. 10 % raise would indicate ring ware of possible damage. It will raise 1 to 3 lbs just from the oil. So if your C-1 is 100 lbs the CW-1 should not read 110lbs or greater. Heck 105 to 107 may cause concern and a re test is warranted. A hour meter helps as well.

Hope this helps.

Yeah it does, thanks for tips. I'll perform both tests cold and hot and see what differences I get.

I will be installing an hour meter and probably an exhaust temp gauge after the rebuild. I plan on keeping my Odys for the next 10 years so checking on Engine health at regular intervals is crucial.

I was hoping I might get away with rings or maybe piston and rings without a bore. Knowing my luck, when I finally pull the head on my Ody and check the sleeve diameter it will be on the last bore! I'll invest in a dial bore gauge and see what kind of shape the top end is in.

Thanks again, Rand

Well I,m lucky and unlucky. I pulled my head off and found the bore is .050 over stock so I have one more bore left if I could find an ART piston. Unfortunately, I can't find an ART piston so I will have to got to the "standard size" Wiseco piston.

As far as testing goes, hot and cold tests were only a few psi apart. Wet testing also revealed little to no pressure increase. I pulled the top end off and I have a case of worn piston resulting in blow by as evidence of the blackened "pin" sides of the piston. No scoring of the exhaust port or cylinder walls, just a plain old worn out piston.

I finally got plugs for the intake and exhaust.

The intake opening measures in at 1.48". The plug I used is a 1 3/8" expandable freeze plug.
The exhaust opening (DG pipe) measures in at 1.78". I used a 1 3/4" expandable freeze plug.

Rand