am i doing my compression test right??? oh noes it smokes!!!

[N.O. Accorderz]

pull fuel pump fusedisable sparkfull throttle while crankingtest on hot motor

i left the other spark plugs in while i did the first cylinder...i didn't know how many time to let it turn over but i read somewhere online they said crank till i get the highest number... my numbers were 170-180 across all 4...but the thing is i still smoke only at start up and when on the throttle in gear...i'm losing about a quart for every 2-3k miles...no drips or leaks that can be visible on the ground...

it would only smoke on start up and when i moved in 1st from a dead stop...no smoke at idle or while driving at normal load...i called some people i used to work with at Autozone and they said crank as many times and record the highest number...

how many others were taught a different way of compression testing?

does my problem sound like it would be the valve stem seals?

how likely is it thats theres another problem like clogged PVC? bad breather? or others?

[navysnail]

it does sound like it may be valve stem seals, it *could* be somthing like a pvc, but not likely.

fyi: when you do a comp. test, you also have to remove all spark plugs from the engine

[s13sr20chris]

yup, e or de?

[N.O. Accorderz]

its a de with 150k miles, 5spd ...would taking out all of the plugs give me a different reading versus taking them out one by one?

[DAEDALUS]

Most of the time yes. The plugs in there means that the starter has to fight the compression stroke of the other 3 cylinders, slowing everything down a little. Slower movement gives more time for the air to escape on the testing cylinder, so typically you get lower numbers. In your case, though, it may not make much of a difference since it sounds like you've got oil in the cylinders helping to seal them. Those are really good numbers, but leaking seals aren't a good thing. Bottom line is that the compression test isn't very meaningful till you get the leaks fixed. The rings could be worn out but the oil would mask the problem.

[N.O. Accorderz]

does it hurt the motor if i burn a little oil? i'm trying to hold off until i rebuild another head i have...i'm replacing the valve seals and stage 3 cams from BD and also doing my timing chain and of course i'll be cheaking oil level and doing regular oil changes

[s13sr20chris]

does it hurt the motor if i burn a little oil?

nah