Subject:
Endoscope:
An endoscope consists of a camera on a flexible shaft with a display or USB plug. With an endoscope (literally: “internal viewer”), one can inspect areas that are difficult to reach in the engine compartment or spaces like the cylinder. This allows for the detection of wear, contamination, or defects without dismantling many parts.
After removing a spark plug, the camera, equipped with a flexible shaft, can be guided inside. Premium endoscopes feature an LCD screen and contain buttons to save screenshots on the SD card. Budget versions can be connected as a webcam to the computer’s USB port or even a phone.
Examples that can be detected with an endoscope include:
- a defective head gasket, allowing coolant into the cylinder. To perform this check, pressurize the cooling system;
- contaminated intake valves can be detected by guiding the camera through the air intake pipe into the intake manifold;
- scratches in the cylinder wall and defects in the piston can be detected by inserting the endoscope through the spark plug hole into the cylinder. To examine the cylinder wall, the relevant piston must be positioned at the BDC.
