Debate: Should I stay old school or go electronic on injector pop testing?

Had a chat with a guy named Pete at the parts counter yesterday who swore his digital pop tester saved him two hours on a 6-cylinder job compared to my old mechanical way... he said I'm wasting time counting sprays by hand. But I've been doing it that way for 15 years and never had a comeback on a rail. Do you think the newer electronic testers are worth the extra cost or is it just another way for shops to charge more for the same results?

2 comments

2 Comments

noah_palmer4222d agoMost Upvoted

Funny you mention Pete, because I used to be in your camp all the way. Had my mechanical tester for over a decade and figured anything digital was just a gimmick for shops to tack on labor. But then a buddy loaned me his electronic unit for a weekend job on a 6.0 Powerstroke, and it honestly changed my mind. The thing automatically counted and recorded each pop, plus gave me a readout on spray pattern consistency without me having to squint and guess. Still kept my old tester for backup, but for a 6-cylinder job, that time savings is real. Your mileage may vary depending on how often you're doing that many cylinders at once.

noahward22d ago

Sold my old mechanical tester at a swap meet after trying my buddy's Snap-on electronic unit for a week. Had the same fear about losing the feel of the spray pattern you get by ear, but the readout actually showed me a couple injectors I swore were fine but were just barely out of spec. Now I keep a note card in my box with the old counting method written down just in case the battery dies on me.