- Charge the battery if the battery is not fully charged.
- Disable the ignition system.
- Disable the fuel injection system.
- Remove the coil pack from each cylinder head.
- Remove all of the spark plugs.
- Turn the ignition to the ON position.
- Depress the accelerator pedal to position the throttle plate wide
open.
- Start with the compression gauge at zero. Then crank the engine
through four compression strokes.
- Check the compression for each cylinder. Record the readings.
- If a cylinder has low compression, inject approximately 15 ml
(one tablespoon) of engine oil into the combustion chamber through the spark
plug hole. Recheck the compression and record the reading.
- The minimum compression in any one cylinder should not be less
than 70 percent of the highest cylinder.
No cylinder should read less than 690 kPa (100 psi).
For example, if the highest pressure in any one cylinder is 1035 kPa
(150 psi), the lowest allowable pressure for any other cylinder would
be 725 kPa (105 psi). (1035 x 70% = 725)
(150 x 70% = 105).
| • | Normal -- Compression builds up quickly and evenly to the
specified compression for each cylinder. |
| • | Piston Rings Leaking -- Compression is low on the first stroke.
Then compression builds up with the following strokes but does not reach normal.
Compression improves considerably when you add oil. |
| • | Valves Leaking -- Compression is low on the first stroke.
Compression usually does not build up on the following strokes. Compression
does not improve much when you add oil. |
| • | Head Gasket Leak -- If two adjacent cylinders have lower
than normal compression, and injecting oil into the cylinders does not increase
the compression. |
| • | If a head gasket leak is suspected, also inspect for coolant intrusion
and/or loss. |
