do my compression test results sound right?

[meohmy01]

here is the deal. i was thinking i had a blown head gasket so i went out and bought a 15 dollar compression tester and tested it. im pretty sure the tester is 25psi ahead of itself but this is what i got: cylinder 1- 155psi, 2- 165psi, 3- 185psi, 4- 200psi. does that sound like a blown head gasket to you or just 200000 miles talking.

[carotman]

did you make more than 1 test for each cylinder?

Does the cyl holds the compression or it slowly fades of you leave the tester in the spark plug hole?

[meohmy01]

i did do more than one test. even though every test seemed to come up with slightly different results. it does hold the pressure however it is difficult to hold it in the hole (cheap tester)

[doug]

I think that there should not be more than 10% difference between cylinders, and the 200psi is above specs for a new engine so that tester is not accurate, I'd guess either a head gasket or valve problem.

[meohmy01]

the thing that stumps me is that the engine runs great. it didn't idle that great beore but i did get it to idle (but it jumps in between 700 & 1000rpm). it doesn't hesitate and seems to accelerate ok. but i really don't know how its suppose to accelerate all i know is its nothing compaired to my 94

[doug]

some signs of head gasket are water in oil or oil in water, plus with readings like above you should be able to hear it. helms says that the most allowable difference is 28psi, but that is high in my thinking. adjust valves, if you have not already, another thing is take a reading, then squirt oil in the cylinder, turn it over for 5 secs or so and take another reading, that will point to rings if there is a big difference.

[meohmy01]

"plus with readings like above you should be able to hear it"
im sorry i don't quite get what your trying to say there

there doesn't seem to be any coolant in the oil and i have not adjusted the valves. but if you think adjusting the valves will make a differance i sure will try. i really don't want to have to replace my engine.

[doug]

it's a matter of eliminating things, the oil squirt will help eliminate the rings, the valve adjust will help eliminate the valves. your pressure guage is probably wrong, but it's most likely consistently wrong so your looking at close to 50 psi variation, that is either one big problem or the sum of several small problems. if it is a gasket leak to the outside you should be able to hear it as a sound similar to an exhaust leak, if the leak is internal then you'll hear it in the idle. A variation that large should be quite noticeable if it is only a gasket leak

[meohmy01]

well i don't hear anything like an exaust leak. but the engine is too loud for me to hear much. im not sure what that could be im guessing its a combination of a 4 cylinder whine and the valves having never been adjusted. and what do you mean if the leak is internal i will hear it in idle?

im sure im being a stuborn sob. but i just don't want there to be anything wrong with my engine. i will make an attempt at adjusting the valves and i will spray some oil in the each cylinder before i test the engine again.

another problem is that the engine was severely over heated in the past 5000 miles. to the point where it maxed out the guage.

[meohmy01]

im really hoping this engine will hold out for like 20000 miles before i can scrape up enough cash for an engine swap.

[meohmy01]

GOD WHY DO I LIKE THIS UGLY PIECE OF CRAP SO MUCH????

[AccordEpicenter]

If ur engine runs ok dont worry about it. I mean, if you started getting overheating and oil in ur coolant and coolant in or started to burn coolant about it

[ACCORD EX]

i agree with AccordEpicenter ! the problem of the idle could be for other reasons ( carb , fuel filters, vac leak ! )

MIKE

[meohmy01]

well im pretty sure its just the carb for the idle. it hasn't idled right for the last 30 or 40000 miles. so im not really worried about that. (it does idle now. its just a little jumpy)

[markmdz89hatch]

Originally posted by meohmy01

another problem is that the engine was severely over heated in the past 5000 miles. to the point where it maxed out the guage.

I hate to admit it, but i did this very same thing to mine for about 5-7K miles also. I finally got off my ass and did the 10 min. job of replacing the thermo. and gasket. Now I'm feeling the results of it running sooo hot. The engine now will burn about a 1/4 quart of oil every 5-6K miles. (I change it every 6 b/c I'm using Mobil 1, so there's no need for every 3.) ...and the engine's a lot less "peppy" then it used-to be. It still runs great though, and I would bet a great deal of $$ that it'd run fine like this way over another 20K. (and she's currently at 207K right now).

....Y do you call it a piece of CRAP? I mean if it is NOW a piece of crap, it's only b/c you ran it HOT for the last 5000 miles! What the hell do you expect? Did you want it to say thank you and beg you to try and get away with it for another 5000? j/k, but seriously man!

[markmdz89hatch]

Originally posted by meohmy01
well im pretty sure its just the carb for the idle. it hasn't idled right for the last 30 or 40000 miles. so im not really worried about that. (it does idle now. its just a little jumpy)

there's a good chance that the surge in the idle can provide an inconsistant read-out with the tester. My guess is that you're right about the carb being the culprit for the poor idle, but when was the last time that BOTH fuel filters had been changed?

[meohmy01]

i replaced the last 2 filters about 2 miles and 3 months ago (don't drive the car)

[meohmy01]

oh and to the other dude. not to offend any of you im calling it a piece of crap because im use to a 94 accord lx coupe with h22a. and i didn't run it hot for 5000 miles. it just got hot once because my cousin didn't realise the radiator was leaking and didn't put water in it. im saying he maxed out the temp guage 5000 miles ago.

[SiCReX]

when testing compression do you just unplug the distributor and turn over the engine with the tester in the spark plug hole or what?