Re: Low compression

Posted by Richter12x2 On 2014/4/28 18:46:22

You can borrow a tester from O'Reilly/Autozone for a small deposit, bring it back within two days and they'll refund it. They both have that loan-a-tool program.

Then test your compression - generally I give it 3 pulses and then see what I get (write it all down). If you find out a couple of the cylinders are down, squirt a bit of ATF in the top, give it a minute or two and then test again - if the compression number improves notably, then it's piston rings - if it doesn't, probably valve sealing issues or head gasket issues.

If it's piston rings, then give it a good dose of ATF and then let it sit for a few days. The ATF may help to free it up. If you can get it to run, even with stuck rings, they may come back with a few heat cycles.