compression question

[TwinTurboFred]

Is it possible to do a compression test on a motor out of the car? All the sites that ship sr20s say they do compressoin checks before shipping, but most of them are already pulled from the clips, right? So...? I have a KA that I pulled from a 96 that I would like to use in my hatch if it is in good condition. The guy I bought it from had disconnected the wiring harness in an attempt to do the swap, and he said it ran fine, but I still would like some reassurence before I spend my money/time on it. Thanks for any help!

[420sxse]

Rebuild. It'd be silly not to. It's already out of the car. Unless you are on some kind of really important tight deadline or very strapped for cash, but seriously, I'd be looking for any means to extend the time/money you have to work on the engine before justifying dropping it right in. Especially since the engine is in unknown condition ("he says", yes, but people say a lot of things, and even when they aren't lying they can be wrong). But, even if it's in good condition, it's still 10 years old. At the very least, replace the front and rear oil seals, clutch, timing components (at least the guides and tensioners), and all the vacuum lines. Replace all the vacuum hoses now. Replace all the vacuum hoses now. Replace all the vacuum hoses now. I just did mine. You should do it now. It wouldn't be a bad idea to get a full gasket kit, piston rings, rod and main bearings. Take the head to a good machinist to have him clean/inspect the head (probably the main thing to have done is replace the seals which should come with the gasket kit) and clean/inspect/assemble the block. Also, make sure you replace all the vacuum and other hoses while the engine is out of the car and inspect all the wiring, clean all the terminals. If you don't have a hard copy of the Factory Service Manual, they sell for like $75, but are invaluable.

[SlowBack]

Make sure the throttle is open, thread in the gauge, hook up the starter and wire it to a battery. Be careful and all that good stuff.

Matt

[TwinTurboFred]

Cool...thanks...want sure if it would work. And I am indeed in a hurry. I have to have them out of the garage they are in asap. I only plan on having this motor in as long as it take me to save up for the SR...then rebuild it for later. Thanks!