Hey guys what a good number to see for the B16A3 in a compression test

 

Anywhere between 190->210 between all cylinders should be good. The big thing is you want consistency between the cylinders, if one of them is more than 10 points off the others or there's large variance from cylinder to cylinder you have a problem.

This is assuming you're doing a "dry" and cold compression test and not shooting oil down into the cylinder to help seal the rings, or doing it while the engine is warm and the rings are still expanded.

 

I've always heard to do the compression test with the engine warmed up, are there any advantages to doing it cold?

 

Cold/dry is the harshest conditions you can do a compression test in, and would show the most problems if there are any present.

Minor scratches or inconsistencies with the rings, cylinder walls, or pistons may be covered up if you use oil or heat to help those rings seal against the walls. If a cold and dry test comes out with some questionable, but not terrible results you could drop a couple drops of oil down each cylinder and see if it improves, which could tell you how severe the issue is or if the piston/cylinder is still salvageable (problem would probably be minor scuffs that a hone may be able to remedy, or a new set of rings).

Someone else may have more info, or some corrections to this but that's always been my understanding.