While I was at work this afternoon, a kind buddy of mine said he would do a compression test for me while I was at work.

So.. when I got off work I stopped by his shop as he was wrapping things up.

Come to find out, I saw he had the Oil Fill Cap off the engine. He said he did the test with out it on there.

My question is - would this lower compression numbers? I don't know why it would be off for the test in the first place as its not necessary.

Thanks for any help guys!

 

Curious as to what your compression test numbers were.

 

no not at all why did he do it like that ?

 

I'm not too sure. I asked him and he said it makes no difference.

Guess he's right.

But the numbers were 185-180-155-170.

I'm going to do it again tomorrow to verify if it's right or not.

 

155 is rather low do a wet test on that one along with the others what engine is this ? stock

 

Yup! It's a B16a2. Going to do that tomorrow as well when I double check his numbers. Engine head and bottom end are stock. 165k miles on this "beast" ha.

It smokes a very small amount during VTEC, which is why I did the test.

So for the 2nd test i'll be running tomorrow--if the numbers read higher, it's a bad ring right?

 

155 is too low.

 

Indeed it is!

When I double checked his numbers this morning myself, the compression came back fine when I did it. 180-185-175-170. Not the best numbers, but a hell of a lot better than 150. I'll be doing a leak down test later this morning as well to see why it's blowing a very light amount of blue smoke during vtec. I'll have you guys updated soon!

 

did you do a wet test also ?

 

Going to be doing that here in about an hour. Have to go drop the ol' lady off at work.

 

wet or dry who cares??? seriously.. if you have 1 cylinder that reads low...look at throwing a set of rings and valve stem seals and possible (might as well while you are there) a set of mains/rod bearings...

wet or dry i dont care... it makes no big deal, if you have internal engine issues such as low compression on ONE cylinder doesn't that ring a bell?

 

ummm i'd much rather replace a valve then a ring. that's the whole point of a wet test then a leakdown

 

Why would you only replace one set of bearings, rings, and seals? A wet test tells you if it's a ring land, or a valve seat/seal issue. That's a really good thing to know, I think. Odds are, that if it only smokes in vtec, that its a valve seal/seat. Also look at the first bump of the motor. Low tells you its more likely a ring land, or sleeve issue. Do the wet test, and you will know more then.

 

well of cource you'd replace ALL if you're at it I was just saying "in theory". and was trying to say wet tests AREN'T useless(sleepyaccord)

 

as hard as people run these i can put down money it is the rings.

i hate to say this but i won't nit pick when it comes to these situations... if ya got a problem, face it... i wouldn't ever take one apart without doing everything (rings bearing, valve stem seals, valve job, the works)

some people want to only fix whats wrong just to "get them by for now" i don't do that, just me personally

 

Yeah I definitely get your point. If one's bad, the rest are sure to follow. So do it once, and right for them all. But I most certainly cannot afford a rebuild, or a replacement engine at this time (Just bought a house, kid on the way).

Not to mention, I originally purchased this car off a 45 year old man who bought it brand new, and was still completely stock at the time. It doesn't drive like it was beat on at all. (I've owned it for 4 years now) and I don't beat on it either. I plan on keeping it near original because these things will be extinct sooner or later.

So I did a wet compression test and the Cylinder that we thought was low came back fine. After I added a cap full of oil into the cylinder the compression came back the same at 175. (155 was the compression number my friend did at his shop, but after the repeated tests I did myself, I got 175 each and every time, including the wet test)

 

If its out and apart do everything.

 

I am just saying. when i notice a problem in a engine i pull it and rebuild it.

I see your theory b swapped 93. i am not argueing with ya at all just stating my POV.

OP i think has a generally worn engine that could be in tip top shape with a nice rebuild (EVERYTHING)


op says 155 dry on a cylinder and it jumped up on wet test...theres a problem right there. tear the bitch apart and fix it

 

Sorry, let me clarify

My buddy ran the numbers and we got 155 on that cylinder. (he only tested it once, and didnt retest, so very possible a mistake was made)

When I got up in the morning, my wife and I did a redo of the test. I got 175 compression during the dry compression test, and the wet one as well.

 

sounds like you are "ok"

BUT, if you notice blue smoke under full acceleration while in vtec (5500-8200) then you have wear, and by that i mean normal wear from its age.

I would leave it as is for a while until you are ready... you will be looking at a complete engine overhaul...

Rings, bearings, valve stem seals, valve job, new head gasket set, oil pan set, etc... i wont name everything but you need a general overhaul. I am being simple here but you get my point. Dont stress out over it for now. Just slowly prepare yourself by buying high quality engine parts in sections, preferably all oem honda if you can.

 

Oh for sure! Thats what i'm most excited about. In the future I want to tear down this thing and have it rebuilt so it can last me for many more years to come.

OEM is the way I'm going to go too. Thanks for the tip. I suspected it was only due to age/wear that it was blowing a very small amount of smoke, but you can never be to sure with the age of these engines.