Stant Cooling System Tester, Metallic

I read a lot of reviews about the tool not sealing or feeling cheap an I would guess that they are not properly setting it up the first time. There is a hole at the top of the cylinder by the base of the shaft for the plunger, before use apply pneumatic tool oil inside. I would say about 10-15 drops actually got in, as you may need to push the plunger down as I did to suck the oil in as my bottle doesn't have a proper nozzle. Be sure to twist it around to really work it in, and you will feel when it is sealing and pressurizing the system correctly. Have used on a few vehicles so far and it works great, feels sturdy. Gets the job done for less than half of what you would pay on the tool truck. Assenmacher adapters are a must if you are testing any cooling system that isn't an old school basic radiator cap. Their website has a detailed chart of what vehicles they apply to, as be warned the Amazon descriptions aren't the most accurate.

One of the lowest priced cooling system pressure testers available, yet very well made of good substantial materials. The pump body is all metal - no cheap plastic. Most of what you are paying for in the more expensive kits is all the adapters. If you can use a standard "A" cap, then a simple model like this that doesn't come with a lot of adapters is all you need. It works very well and is very easy to use. You can also order from Stant any adapters you need. Stant is a very well known name in cooling system components, and the quality of this tool shows why.

It's the simplest way to find a leak.

First thing I noticed is the item is not a Stant tool. It is very similar but it is an off brand. (See second pic) looking at the review pics from the past it seems it was originally Stant until a few years ago then the product changed but not the listing. The second issue is the tool would not create pressure at all. I unscrewed the cylinder and it was covered in grease but the sealing cup was too small to even seal. It doesn't even touch the walls of the cylinder (see first pic, you can clearly see the gap) unfortunately for me I didn't try this tool out until way after the return date so I'm stuck with it. I was replacing my 30 year old Stant that still works the hose was just rough. Guess I can try to use the hose off of this one to fix old faithful.

I bought this about three years ago on Amazon to replace a Snap-on pressure tester from the mid-80s. I'm a diesel mechanic and this pressure tester gets used about 3-4 times a week all year long. It's well built and sturdy and the case has survived a lot of abuse (most of these blow-molded plastic cases break their clasps very early on). This tester has survived hundreds of uses and pump still feels strong.My only complaint is that the gauge needle will jump when you set the unit down and it will also move when you pick it back up. I've learned to set it down, establish a visual reference point to avoid parallax reading errors and then not pick up the unit until I've taken my final reading. Handling the unit while taking reading can cause erroneous readings due to the needle movement. I've seen this same problem with most cooling system pressure tester gauges. I've been planing on switching my gauge to liquid filled gauge at some point to see if that fixes this issue.In any event, this Stant pressure tester is well worth the money and would definitely buy another one if this one ever needs replacing.

I purchased this to check the system on a Crown Victoria. The tester worked flawlessly with the adapter that I ordered separately. The quality is superb and I would highly recommend this to anyone. Testing at a shop is almost as expensive as the tester. So it's worth the price to purchase it and to be able to conduct multiple tests whenever you want. The only downside is that if you need the adapters they can add up depending on how many makes you work on. Still it's Made in the USA so you can't go wrong with American craftsmanship. In the end it is well worth the price.

Works as expected

I'm just a guy who works on his own vehicles, and since I keep my vehicles running a long time, I thought I would spring for this tool when debugging a coolant loss.It is an absolute pleasure to use. The parts are mostly metal and substantial. The manual explains well how to use it. The case protects the tool, holds the manual, and has room for another adpater or two.Out of the box, it works without additional adapters on my my Jeep Grand Cherokee and my Jeep Wrangler. I had a leaky freeze plug on the Wrangler (between the motor and transmission) and this tool helped me verify my repair was going to hold before putting the whole vehicle back together.These days, I use it every few months as preventative maintenance. Its better to find a leak in the garage than be stranded on the interstate.I'd definitely recommend it to others.