A single leak in an air brake system, brake calliper, or fuel pipe represents a warranty cost, a potential safety failure, or reputational risk that can outweigh the unit value many times over. Furness Controls has been supplying leak testing and flow measurement instrumentation to automotive manufacturers for over 60 years. Our instruments are designed for continuous production use, capable of detecting leakage rates at the levels that determine long-term component reliability.
Standards and Accreditation
Our instruments and calibration services are designed to support the quality and compliance requirements of automotive manufacturers and their supply chains.
Furness Controls holds UKAS accreditation and operates in accordance with ISO/IEC 17025:2017 across our calibration laboratories in the UK, France, Germany, and the US. All calibrations are fully traceable to national standards.
Component |
Test Parameters |
Recommended Products |
|---|---|---|
Car headlight clusters |
Pressure decay leak test | Typical test pressure of 30 mbar |
|
Diesel fuel pipe |
Tested at 3 bar 2 cc/min leak limit |
|
Engine thermostat housing |
Pressure decay leak test | Plastic moulding typically tested at 2 bar < 1 cc/min required |
|
Fuel lines |
Pressure decay leak test | Leak rate: 1 to 5 cc/min Blockage test Typical test time < 15 seconds |
|
Fuel rail |
Tested at 1 and 3 bar < 2 cc/min required |
|
Fuel return pipe |
Pressure decay leak test 2 cc/min @ 3 bar |
|
HGV air brake system |
Pressure decay leak test | Typical test pressure 10 bar Permissible leak: 13 mbar in 60 seconds |
|
Oil filters |
Pressure decay leak test 3–8 bar < 10 cc/min allowed leak | Typically slow to fill and stabilise, alternatively tested using Bell Test |
|
Rollover valves |
Leak test in forward direction: 3–6 bar < 5 cc/min followed by blockage test in reverse direction |
|
Suspension valves |
Pressure decay leak test | Typical test pressures > 10 bar Actuation testing |
|
Windscreen/windshield washer tank |
Pressure decay leak test | Typical 11,000 cc volume Prefill 60 mbar, test pressure 30 mbar Permissible leak: 4 cc/min against reference volume |
|
Automotive lumbar support systems |
Pressure decay leak test | Typical test pressure 0.5 bar | Dual tool stations for 8+8 channel testing |
|
Air suspension strut |
Pressure decay leak test | 10 bar typical test pressure | 1000 Pa allowable pressure drop |
|
Air suspension reservoir |
Pressure decay leak test | Low pressure test: 5 psi (350 mbar) typical < 3.6 cc/min leak |
|
AC heat exchanger (water-side) |
3 cc/min @ 6 bar |
Looking for a more specialised solution?
We design, manufacture, and calibrate all instruments in-house, with our headquarters in East Sussex and dedicated calibration laboratories in France and Germany. If your application falls outside standard parameters, our engineers can develop a bespoke instrument tailored to your exact test requirements - delivering a complete turnkey solution from specification through to calibration and commissioning.
Have a question, want to find out more, or ready to speak to an engineer?
Have a question, want to find out more, or ready to speak to an engineer? Our team has supported automotive manufacturers with leak testing challenges for over 60 years.
Get in touch below