safe fluid for evaluating injector spray pattern

[fury fan]

I think many of us here are trying to put EFI to something that didn't originally have it. We have to modify intake manifolds, make adapter plates, etc, and we're using junkyard parts that may not be known to operate properly, etc.

It would be nice to be able to build a small test rig with a fuel pump and small tank to verify how things look
when they are working. Would be nice to watch an injector spray pattern when it comes out of the bung to see if a pencil-stream injector would be a better choice than a wide-pattern, for example.

So what would be a safe, non-flammable, affordabe test fluid that wouldn't corrode the parts or gum them up?

Baby oil, or perhaps glycerin, are my first thoughts. What ideas do you guys have?

[S.Bretz]

I would just use fuel and be extra cautious of the surrounding conditions. Having a fire extinguisher on hand would be a good idea too.

I could think of a few fluids that you could test with....PS fluid, ATF, brake fluid...the mineral oil and glyersin you mentioned, but they are alot thinker then fuel. I would think the viscosity of the fluid would affect the atomization and therefor might give you false spray patterns. I would try to us something thin like water....but NOT water...I can see water rusting up your injectors.

You could probably try deisel fuel. Its very hard to get deisel to burn.

[Matt Cramer]

We use Safety-Kleen parts washer fluid.

[fury fan]

I'll be doing this over the winter in an enclosed garage, so gasoline and other flammables are not an option. Diesel is out due to the stink that will be left behind. I'm hoping to find something non-flammable and non-wife-repulsing.

Keep the ideas coming!

[Heribert]

BOSCH use a liquid of some sorts in their hand-driven diesel injector tester.
Non flammable , non aggressive and reasonably the same viscosity as pump gas.

I bought a one liter plastic bottle of the stuff years back , I seem to remember that the bottle
had a label (in German) saying Test Fluid OL1.

I used it in a circulating system to clean out old high pressure injectors for the
old type mechanical manifold BOSCH injection system.
No smell at all, easy on the hands.

BOSCH dealers can probably still supply it, especially a dealer with a diesel repair shop.

Heribert

[trakkies]

I think many of us here are trying to put EFI to something that didn't originally have it. We have to modify intake manifolds, make adapter plates, etc, and we're using junkyard parts that may not be known to operate properly, etc.

It would be nice to be able to build a small test rig with a fuel pump and small tank to verify how things look
when they are working. Would be nice to watch an injector spray pattern when it comes out of the bung to see if a pencil-stream injector would be a better choice than a wide-pattern, for example.

So what would be a safe, non-flammable, affordabe test fluid that wouldn't corrode the parts or gum them up?

Baby oil, or perhaps glycerin, are my first thoughts. What ideas do you guys have?

Non flammable is the sticking point. As it's good to use one which cleans the injectiors too. For this I use panel wipe. It's used in body shops for a final surface clean before spraying. But highly inflammable.