What looks like a XF Euro air line coupler but isn't?

[LunarOne]

I recently bought an ebay smoke machine https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/255605745735 to diagnose a poor idle on my Honda VFR800 and it'll also come in handy for my old BMW which also seems to have fuelling issues. I know you can make these things fairly inexpensively, but I couldn't be bothered with all the faff.

Anyway it works very well indeed, apart from one thing. The air fitting it comes with looks very much like the XF Euro connectors I use on all my other air tools, and it does latch on. But it leaks horribly, with most of the air bypassing the machine entirely. I have quite a few tools with XF connectors and none of them leak at all. The external dimensions are similar, but the bore is a completely different diameter. Obviously this isn't an XF connector. Any idea what it might be? I might make up an adapter, or change the fitting to an XF one if it has a standard thread inside the machine.



Here it is with my XF blow gun:





Thanks!

[eliot]

take a better photo and reverse image search it.


maybe this;
https://www.wbparts.com/rfq/4730-00-494-3271.html

or just replace it with a fitting you do use - the thread is probably a standard one

Edited by eliot on Monday 6th November 17:58

[Novexx]

Looks like a Rectus 23 (&24) / CEJN 310 pattern connector, not that uncommon - find a supplier that lists pattern or compatability.

[LunarOne]

Novexx said:

Looks like a Rectus 23 (&24) / CEJN 310 pattern connector, not that uncommon - find a supplier that lists pattern or compatability.

Thanks, this might be just what I needed!

[eliot]

Novexx said:

Looks like a Rectus 23 (&24) / CEJN 310 pattern connector, not that uncommon - find a supplier that lists pattern or compatability.

googling that suggest you can indeed unscrew the fitting and put one that's compatible with your ecosystem - 1/4bsp thread i hope

[LunarOne]

eliot said:

Novexx said:

Looks like a Rectus 23 (&24) / CEJN 310 pattern connector, not that uncommon - find a supplier that lists pattern or compatability.

googling that suggest you can indeed unscrew the fitting and put one that's compatible with your ecosystem - 1/4bsp thread i hope

Yes, I think that would be a better solution rather than making up an adapter, assuming I can get the fitting off the unit. I tried unscrewing it but whatever gubbins is inside the case rotates with it, so I'll have to open up the smoke unit and find out how it's connected. I hope it's a standard thread!

[LunarOne]

There's slightly more to the inside of the smoke machine than I'd bargained for, but it's still easy to see how it works. The troublesome fitting screws into a pressure regulator, which then sends the air to the flow meter and control before it enters the oil chamber. So all I needed to do was to hold the regulator still before unscrewing the fitting, which turns out is a 1/8" bsp taper thread sealed with some sort of thread locker.

After unscrewing the fitting and measuring the thread, I was able to find a male XF fitting in 1/8" size at One Stop Air Shop AKA Metrosales, which is a small emporium of all things air compressor and tool related, opposite Brooklands Porsche.
https://www.metrosales.co.uk/product/pcl-xf-1-8-bs...

Not far away, but for a small postage fee I figured I'd let them send it. Big mistake. They used Royal Mail 24 tracked service, which as you can guess actually took more like 96 hours because they didn't bother to deliver on Friday or Saturday despite the repeated promises of the royal mail emails that kept arriving in my inbox every time they missed a promise. The sooner Royal Mail go out of business, the better. They are appalling.

Anyway, the fitting arrived this afternoon, and after wrapping the thread in some PTFE tape, I've now fitted and tested it. A perfect seal and no leaks at all, so I can listen as well as look for leaks. Much better!

[eliot]

Good news, my buddy has bought the exact same unit off the back of this thread as we want to check for vacuum leaks on a delorean