Boroscope review of £8.17 item ($10.95)

[Opie]

The last Boroscope topic was years ago, so I thought I  would start this topic to show the minimalist features of a very inexpensive boroscope.  I bought it from eBay with free shipping.  There were many to choose from.  What can one expect from such an item?

Well, I have a TR3A with some issues that I am trying to sort out.  But, that is another subject.  So, for this topic I wondered if a boroscope (endoscope it's called if you stick it in your ear....) would show me anything or be a waste of money.

My summary is that it did indeed help me understand that my cylinders are not quite as bad as I feared.  

I  put my findings in a pdf file that can be accessed here in (PDF format).

Here are two observations: boroscope showed that the cylinders were fairly clean, and crosshatching was evident.

My conclusion is that it was a fun way to spend a few hours but to be effective, the camera should be articulating so that you can look back up to the valves themselves.  That type of boroscope costs much more.  

Opie

ooops - on edit, in my PDF I label a sooty, carbonized valve as exhaust, but that is an error, because it is obviously an intake valve because the exhaust valves are subjected to burn-off of soot.

Edited January 31, 2022 by Opie
typo

[BlueTR3A-5EKT]

Looks like its hardly run in yet.

 

As an aside.....

You have not got chrome top rings fitted have you?

That was the original set up of AE Powermax 87 mm pistons and they took ages to bed in, and would burn oil initially.

Peter W

[Opie]

Peter,

I don't know about the chrome top ring.  I think I paid about
 $100 for the whole 87mm set from JC Whitney in 1975.  (Pic of catalog from www, but I don't have a copy unless I buy an old vintage copy.  ha)

Also, the cheap camera doesn't really show that there is some carbon on top of the pistons.  The pics I took scatter the light so much that the tops look spotless.  They aren't.  Another reason for a better boroscope with true colors.

[RogerH]

Doing Boroscope work on RR Olympus engines for BA you needed to adjust the light intensity for each area and angle to obtain the best viewable condition.

I have some very nice boroscopes and one with a rotating end prism to look back and forwards at the touch of a knob.

But I do not have a decent light supply; so I have to cobble together batteries and bulbs in  abox. Not the best but works.

 

 

Roger 

[Kevo_6]

I had boroscopes similar to Roger for opening safes and strong rooms, I bought it from Keymed in Southend, 6mm diameter solid fixed length and one with a rotating end with Olympus lens and variable light source. Cost me £2100.00 in 1990, I still have use of it if needed but the flexy light tube and variable light source is a bit dodgy.

A huge amount of money then but it was a good investment as I opened safes/strong rooms all over England for other Safe Companies.

[Opie]

Roger and Kev,

You point out the benefits of a "real" boroscope.  I agree.

Opening safes sound like a good topic for your memoirs or a possible book?

Other considerations I should mention:

- The little beveled mirror attachment with the boroscope did not work at all because of the led glare.  It did work when used outside the cylinder, but what good is that for a car inspection?

- As both of you mentioned, a good light source is important.  The leds around the end of the camera I bought are woefully weak.  While I did take some pictures using just the camera leds, I ended up soldering 2 white leds onto a pair of cat-5 wires and placing them inside the cylinder right after inserting the camera.  Perhaps using one of the new flat leds would be brighter....

- There is a false color produced by the cheap boroscope because of the led color.  While using the camera pointed at some trees the picture displayed showed correct colors.

- Using it as an endoscope mostly failed.  It does show pictures ok while over places, or in the mouth for example, but when in very close quarters the leds blind the camera so much as to produce no discernable picture, similar problem inside the cylinder.  

- My conclusion - the cheap boroscope would not be the choice of a good safe cracker, or a professional mechanic.  Perhaps each local car club could stock a good one for the use of its local members.