Re:First scope captures

Hello everyone!

I am just starting out with the scope, so please forgive the lack of detail in this capture. It was taken with a 4-channel pico. The owners concern is that he overheated the engine and there was evidence of coolant on the dipstick

It is from a 2008 Ford Crown Vic with the 4.6 with the interceptor package. I removed cylinder #5 spark plug for a “sync” since my ignition probe needed batteries.

It looks like I have relatively lower compression on bank 1, but I wanted more seasoned eyes to take a look. I also used the WPS500 in the cooling system which was steady throughout. I did not have that channel on for this capture, though.

I appreciate the help in advance!

I would not remove a spark plug for a sync when doing relative compression as it throws the cranking speed out of balance(rotational speed),perform relative compression which all cylinders in tact and if you have a suspect cylinder than you have a need to id it, you can get a sync by just laying your probe wire on the coil or wrapping a wire around a spark plug wire. What were the signs of coolant on the dipstick was it just small amount of white oil high up on the dipstick? (often times on oil cap as well)(common moisture buildup in winter months). As long as his oil wasn't a milkshake and coolant didn't come out before oil (sitting in bottom of pan) than I don't think there's a worry if wps500 shows no pressure in cooling system.

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Ben wrote:

I would not remove a spark plug for a sync when doing relative compression as it throws the cranking speed out of balance(rotational speed),perform relative compression which all cylinders in tact and if you have a suspect cylinder than you have a need to id it, you can get a sync by just laying your probe wire on the coil or wrapping a wire around a spark plug wire.

+1.

I am curious which ignition sync probe would need a battery to work, are you referring to. an amp clamp?

On a side note: if starting your scope journey with Pico you may consider to use/learn/enjoy Pico 7 right from the beginning. It's the future and has improved big since its introduction. Imo it is so much more powerful and user-friendly when compared to P6. A lot of seasoned P6 users may not agree with this as they developed great skills over the years and are a bit reluctant to 'relearn'.

Right. Duh!

The owner said that he smelled coolant when checking the oil after it overheated on the highway. He also has a cluster that works intermittently, which is the only way he was alerted to the coolant temp.

The car has been sitting for a couple of days and he lives less than 5 miles away from the shop. When it got to me, I didn't smell coolant on the dipstick, but the level was slightly overfilled and had a watery look higher up..

I am curious which ignition sync probe would need a battery to work, are you referring to. an amp clamp?

On a side note: if starting your scope journey with Pico you may consider to use/learn/enjoy Pico 7 right from the beginning. It's the future and has improved big since its introduction. Imo it is so much more powerful and user-friendly when compared to P6. A lot of seasoned P6 users may not agree with this as they developed great skills over the years and are a bit reluctant to 'relearn'.[/quote]

It's a Hantek COP probe.. I had it in channel B and wasn't getting a signal even after double-checking the settings on the pico. I didn't realize this wasn't the latest version of the software - it's just what we have available in the shop. Is Pico 7 really a free download? I'll load it onto the work laptop for sure if that's the case.

Yes, the Pico 7 software is free and you can download it from the pico website. There is also another app In the playstore called Picoscope Automotive that may be helpful to learn using the scope.

There are other scopes that allow free software downloads as well, like the USB-autoscope and the ATS e-SCOPE as well.

Secondary probes/wands usually are inductive or capacitive sensors. If this applies to your Hantek device you should not need any batteries.

Thanks again for the info. I’ve been doing some reading on the app, which has been helpful for sure.I have a couple more captures from my vehicle (2011 Ford fiesta) with RC, ig sync on cyl 1 and the WPS hooked up to the degas bottle.. I asked another tech to squeeze the top rad hose during the second capture just to make sure I could get a signal. Again, I really appreciate the advice and suggestions. All of the guys in my shop have no interest in this stuff - even the master diagnostic techs - so it’s been a struggle to get started.