Loading…
9
Just realized a cheap inspection camera saved my butt on a 2005 Civic job
I picked up a generic borescope from a tool truck for about $80 last month. The thing looks like a toy, but it has a 5 meter cable and a decent little screen. Had a Civic come in with a rough idle and a P0302 code, cylinder 2 misfire. Swapped coils and plugs, no change. Instead of pulling the valve cover right away, I snaked that camera down the spark plug tube. Clear as day, I could see a chunk of carbon wedged between the valve and seat, holding it open just enough. Without that look, I would have guessed a bad injector or worse. Told the customer, they approved the head work, and the job was done in a day. Has anyone else had a simple tool turn a guessing game into a sure thing like that?
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
lilyr256mo ago
Honestly, that sounds like luck more than good tool use. You still had to pull the head to fix the valve, so the camera just told you what you'd find after you opened it up. A compression test would have pointed you to the bad cylinder just as fast for way less money. Those cheap cameras always break when you need them most, too. I'd rather trust a solid mechanical test than a fuzzy picture on a tiny screen.
7
patricialee6mo ago
Totally get that feeling... like when people argue over digital photos versus film. Some folks just trust the old ways more, even when the new tool gets you to the same answer faster.
5