Fiat Coupe Club UK

Help with compression results

Posted By: Anonymous

Help with compression results - 03/06/2018 09:13

Hey all,

So my coupe has been off the road for a long time.. finally got her back home and ready to fix her up. She has had the usual tuning work done to engine (ported, 3 angled, forged etc.) by Barbz many moons ago and was running OK one day and then rough as hell the next.

Still idles but very lumpy... seems to sort herself out under load but doesn't sound perfect... and then you remove the oil filler can to see a lovely puffing of exhaust frown

Did compression test yesterday -> 50 > 50 > 150 > 150 > 150

Not what I expected... what's the chances of this being the head gasket blown between the first 2 cylinders? I know it is quite uncommon on these engines but maybe more common after rebuilds?

If it is the gasket... what else would i need to do the job apart from the gasket set? (new head bolts too etc.?)

p.s... car has always had low oil pressure at idle too... but again i hear that is quite common on tuned engines and to take the guage readings with a pinch of salt too?

Heres hoping you all come back saying its the gasket!

Thanks in advance!
Posted By: adam16vt

Re: Help with compression results - 03/06/2018 10:37

I could well be wrong but I thought smoke from the oil filler cap meant a cracked piston, I believe it’s called ‘chuffing’ or something like that

My old smoked from there and had low compression, I never investigated it and just dismantled it
Posted By: skeandubh

Re: Help with compression results - 03/06/2018 16:42

Did you do the compression test on a hot or cold engine?

What you could do is check the compression on the 2 dodgy cylinders at the same time. If the gauge needles move up together, when cranking the engine, then it could be head gasket failure between the cylinders. Obviously you need two gauges. However, it seems to me whatever the problem is, it’s likely you’re going to have to remove the head to investigate fully, even if the fault is common to both cylinders.

Why would a tuned engine have lower oil pressure at idle than a standard engine of the same type? How much lower is lower? Fiat spec at idle is >1bar @100degC.
Posted By: Anonymous

Re: Help with compression results - 03/06/2018 16:55

Great idea.. I will borrow an extra gauge and try testing both at same time, thanks.

I tested with cold engine.

I just read something on here saying that engines that have had work done to them can run lower pressure.
Posted By: sharman

Re: Help with compression results - 03/06/2018 17:07

Put a single squirt of oil (2ml or so)in the cylinder and do the comp test again. If it jumps back to where it should be then the oil has sealed the gap between the piston and the bore. Means you've got ring or bore damage. If it doesn't change then your problem is above the piston.
Posted By: skeandubh

Re: Help with compression results - 03/06/2018 19:16

Just another thought.

Did you check the compression with all spark plugs removed? If there was a head gasket issue between 2 cylinders then some pressure would be lost through this failure and out of the other cylinder to atmosphere.

Regarding bore damage, can I suggest putting a boroscope down into the cylinder, via the spark plug hole, and checking the cylinder walls. I used a cheap boroscope, less than £100, and it was good enough to show me the honing (Honing photo) on the cylinder walls. I’d imagine if you had bore damage serious enough to lose compression then it would be more evident to see.
Posted By: Countrycruising

Re: Help with compression results - 04/06/2018 07:24

Low compression and chuffing from the oil filler sounds like cracked pistons to me, next I'd suggest a leak down test.
Posted By: Anonymous

Re: Help with compression results - 04/06/2018 12:37

Just tried another test with plugs removed on both cylinders... same result and no loss of pressure... so doesn't look like head gasket frown

So cracked pistons or rings if luck then?!

Am I right in thinking that I wouldn't be able to buy just 2 Wossner forged pistons, but instead have to buy a full set?

My alternative option here is to put a spare standard engine in and put her back to standard and sell the forged engine on for somebody as a project. I would rather not do this though, as its still going to be a mission to put her back to standard anyway.
Posted By: Countrycruising

Re: Help with compression results - 04/06/2018 15:37

My money would be on cracked ring valleys over rings being the issue, PEC can supply single pistons if you know the size, was it rebored when rebuilt?
Posted By: Anonymous

Re: Help with compression results - 04/06/2018 16:56

Oh cool, thanks for that.

Pretty sure it was rebored but will check the paperwork.

All the work had been done well before I bought the car and the paperwork shows the car having all the work done by Barbz.. and then another full invoice a few months later for exactly the same with zero charge. (maybe because it it failed first time round?)

Car has done over 30k miles since (73k total) but starting to regret not reading all the papers before buying. I can't get rid though, still in lovely condition apart from the engine smile
Posted By: DaveG

Re: Help with compression results - 04/06/2018 19:16

I've never heard of forged pistons "cracking" like this, but that's not to say it doesn't happen...I wonder why it would be? The normal reason is a fuelling problem IIRC? Apart from the engine work, what turbo and injectors are fitted and was it re-mapped?
Posted By: Anonymous

Re: Help with compression results - 12/06/2018 15:03

Hi Dave,

yeah, that was my thinking too but it looks like it happens.

It had a hybrid turbo but the seals went (still need to get it refurbed). I got a super spool off somebody on here and stuck that on. I think it still has standard injectors but don't know for certain... fuel regulator & was remapped after all the work was done. It also has aquamist and an Apexi boost controller fitted (always ran at whatever the lowest boost setting was).

One thing I didn't do was get it remapped or do anything boot-wise after fitted the lower rated turbo... starting to wonder if that has caused everything to go Pete Tong?
© 2024 Fiat Coupe Club UK