94 Honda Prelude SI H23 2.3L

Okay so I got this.

Cylinder #1) 155
Cylinder #2)180
Cylinder #3)180
Cylinder #4)170

Also I just got a valve job and my head resurfaced because cylinder one had 2 bent valves.

 

1st thing, did you disconnect the injectors and was this at wide open throttle?

2nd, has this motor seen a couple of heat cycles?

 

are you sure the other two valves aren't bent in #1? it's acceptable, but damn. Does it have a shitty idle?

 

From what I understand, you can have a 5% variation between all cylinders.
Sorry but you'll have to do the math - im hung over.

 

BAD!
Anything more then a 10lb difference means something is not right. Rings or valves would be my guess.

 

How can you make that assertion when you don't know any of circumstances behind the tests?

Do you know if he did the test correctly?

A lot of very good valve jobs won't hold compression or leak if the engine has not been heat cycled. Do you know if this has occurred?

 

True, you gotta let the fan cycle twice before doing the test for best results.
Assuming the test was done correctly, the numbers make me me wonder if the new valves where lapped properly before install.

Edit: just a thought, recheck your head bolts since they could need re-torquing - check if your loosing coolant.

 

I think mar778c meant heat cycling as in bringing the engine up to operating temperature and them letting it cool off before starting it again, not cooling fan operation.

OP- tell us EXACTLY how you did the test.

 

True, I assumed he new how to do a correct compression test. Sorry for that, However he has up to 25lb difference in cylinders. I dont think that is gonna be helped by a heat cycle. Maybe some but not 25psi. I stick to my guns and say anything over 10lb difference is a bad thing.

When I do mine I:
Heat cycle motor
pull fuel pump fuse
pull all spark plugs
do test and let each cylinder compress 5 or 6 times. I do the same amount of compression strokes in each cylinder.

I did not mean to give faulty info But would you all agree that if the test is done the correctly you dont want more then a 10lb difference in cylinders? (I actually like mine to be within 5lbs)

 

In the OP's case he said that he just had a valve job done and a couple valves replaced in cyl #1, which also happens to be the cylinder that reads the lowest. If the OP just bolted the head on and did a compression test, he could have got the low readings because the new valves hadn't fully seated yet, Once the engine goes through a heat cycle or two it tends to "seal up" and the compression readings he'd get would be more accurate. This is why we asked him to tell us EXACTLY how he did the test.

 

How ecxacly do you do the test properly the search sucks!!

 

I understand that and agree that the valves need to seat to get an accurate test. I have just never "personally" seen one that far off. I have also always heat cycled the motors I have done, and not did a test before a cycle. So I will say that could be an issue with the test for sure.
I would like to know how he did the test too.