Product Review on the:

Leak Detection Penlight

Contact Information:
Phone:
800-274-8888

MODEL # TP-8600

OUTSIDE U.S. & CANADA: Phone: 516-333-4840
Tracerline Products Website

e-mail: info@tracerline.com

Product review by:
Tony
BAT Auto Technical

Before I go too far into this review, I wanted to talk about Tracer Products' customer service or customer support. We have been dealing with Tracer Products for a little while now and one thing I was extremely impressed with, is their customer service.
When you call Tracer Products, a REAL person answers the phone, something that is unheard of, in this day and age. The people there are always willing to answer questions.
I am one of those people that will purchase a product that has excellent customer service or support over one that has little customer service. Some companies put little emphasis on customer service and the customer feels slighted, Tracer Products is NOT one of those companies. I strongly recommend that if after the reviews we have done, you still have questions, that you call their customer service (which is in the reviews) and ask them your questions. I don't think you will be disappointed.

Ok, now to the review. First I had to pick up some engine oil dye,
I called Traceline and they gave me the name of a vendor that carries the dye. I purchased a box of 6 one ounce bottles for a pretty reasonable price and had them ship it to me.
A friend was selling a dump truck, so he wanted to get the engine cleaned up a little and wanted to get the leaks taken care of. I found out that on the automotive engines, one bottle is plenty, but on the industrial trucks, at least 3 bottles is needed. The difference being that most of the automotive engines, 7 quarts of oil is a maximum capacity, with exception of some diesels. In heavy trucks, it is more like 7 gallons.In this instance, I used 4 bottles.

To give you an idea of what the engine looked like before we started, the photo at the upper right is the engine and you can see the problem of the oil. The only problem was pinpointing the leak, which we were hoping the dye and light were going to help us locate.
This light was small enough to put in your pocket, yet supplied enough light to easily see the dye. In the next photo (right), the engine had been run for 15 minutes and you can see the dye just starting to show.

In the third photo (lower right), the engine had been run for about 25 minutes and now we can easily confirm where the leak is. The entire procedure took us about 45 minutes from the time we added the dye to the oil, ran the engine and located the leaks.

After locating the leaks, we went about repairing the leaks. Valve cover gaskets, disassembling fittings, applying a thread sealer (teflon paste) and connecting everything back up. Then we steam cleaned the engine and rechecked with excellent results. Unfortunately, the battery died in the camera. This light is really nice to work with, but it has a little less brightness than the Titan flashlight, so I turned down a few lights in the shop to make it easier to see the dye. That in no way detracts from the usefulness of this light, just that with the compact size and economical cost, it is tough to use in birght sunlight like the Titan.

After the repair, we changed oil and filters and off the truck went, to be put on the market. Total cost to the owner was the cost of the dye, 1 hour labor, a valve cover gasket set and some cleaning materials. Total cost to myself, was the light, which was supplied by Tracerline and the dye, which ran me about $4.00 for each bottle. This unit is the do-it-yourslefer's ticket, as it is extrmely affordable, allows you to have professional results and still not have to spend a fortune.

After looking at Traceline's products, I would easily purchase this light, it is great for alot of the hard to reach areas and it can go down into the areas that some lights can't reach. I can see this may easily be the DIY'er's leak detection light, but not limited to just the DIY'er. Professioanls will see the usefulness of this light. No cords, no fighting to get the light in the right angle around things and is an economic addition to any tool set. The light is extendable, which really makes it handy in small tight spots, especially when you are trying to locate a leak down into someplace. The Cat 3208 has a valley under the intake that is difficult to get a full size light to illuminate. So this light works perfect in those situations.

Specifications:
Model...Blue Max TP-8600
Inspection range...Maximum (recommended)...Up to 2 in (5cm) (depending on the room light level)
Lamp style............Extendable penlight
Operation.............instant-on
Bulb rating...........LED (100,000 hr. life)
Lamp head diameter X length of housing......... 5/8 X 6-5/8 to 10-1/4 in max. Weight.................1.4 oz (40gm)
Power requirement................Two AAAA batteries (included)

My rating for this product;
Overall design............................................................EXCELLENT
Comments: Small, light weight and fits in pocket.
Instructions included for use......................................EASY
Comments: Simple to use, instructions are pretty clear.
Design and quality......................................................VERY GOOD
Comments: AAAA Batteries are tough to find. Found some at pharmacy and photo stores.
Packaging....................................................................VERY GOOD
Comments: Packaging assures the product is in excellent shape.
Our mechanics thought that a protective container for the glasses would be a good idea.
Includes necessary accessories?................................YES
Comments: Included batteries and safety glasses.
Setup.............................................................................QUICK and EASY
Comments: For basic oil leaks, simple enough for anyone to use. The light came already charged.
Performance.................................................................EXCELLENT Accuracy.......................................................................GREAT
Contact information for company................................Clearly indicated in the literature.
Level of experienced required for use........................MINIMUM
Comments: This one is perfect for the DIY'er.
Price..............................................................................$25 - $50
Comments: I checked a couple places for prices and found this one (Toolwarehouse.com) on sale at $25.
Dyes range from $4-up (I bought a box of 6 bottles for $3.95 each.)

Where to buy:

Tool & Equipment Distributor Associates, Inc.
Stores in 15 states and Canada

Tool Group, Inc
Store in 10 states and Canada

Tools
Stores in 9 states and Canada

If there isn't a store near you, click on the link, fill out the form for the closest Distributor: http://www.tracerline.com/distributors.html
or call their Customer Service at 1-800-641-1133

Thanks for reading my product review. Any comments or suggestions would be welcome, and can be emailed to:

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Tool & Equipment Distributor Associates, Inc. Stores in 15 states and Canada	Tool Group, Inc Store in 10 states and Canada	Tools Stores in 9 states and Canada