Engine coolant system and compression testing

[jjack010]

Great video. I just realized changing plugs, wires, checking compression, etc is so much easier on a 4 cylinder because of the location. I'm jealous. haha

[CzarWilkins]

Excellent video, when having the appropiate tools, everything is possible!!!

[kooldino]

@9:17 - what is that gauge hooked up to? The coolant system? What's the reading, 17psi or so?

Also, how much pressure are you filling the cylinders with during the poor-man's leakdown test?

[bradikus7]

Wow this is a great video. I can't believe I hadn't watched this one yet. Right now I'm battling finding a coolant leak. See, I do have what looks to be a spray pattern of coolant but only after a drive, I cannot visually see a leak while idling. There is a small pool on the trans side between the head a and block but I'm hoping this is only due to a leak at the thermostat housing. I'm going to grab one of those pressure testers and narrow it down. Really hoping it's not the HG.

[mariohdz2626]

hi . what does a car do when it has a bad cylinder? i have a 95 Talon Tsi turbo fwd

[mariohdz2626]

Hi thanks for your videos they're really great.. i have a 95 Talon tsi stock turbo in the past few days the car has a blue/white smoke ..every time i stop at a light and when i go over 3500 rpm.. i change the oil and still the same.. im not lossing power still runs strong but smokes a lot.. what happens when theres bad valves seakls?

[Jafromobile]

@mariohdz2626 I think your turbo shaft seals have gone bad by what you describe. Bad valve stem seals makes it smoke when you start it, and then rolling into boost after prolonged vacuum (long downshift, or going downhill... and then into boost).

Turbo shaft seals would cause it to smoke consistently when you're under vacuum, and even more under load. First take your lower intercooler pipe off, and see how much oil you find in there. Don't jump to conclusions without checking that. :)

[mariohdz2626]

@Jafromobile .

hi i sent you a msg a few days ago.. about the 95 talon ..i check the intercooler down pipe and it has lots of oil and th intercooler as well .. Do you think i have a blown turbo?

[Jafromobile]

@mariohdz2626 You at least have blown OIL SEALS in the turbo. Perhaps it could be rebuilt? Sometimes they're just cheaper and easier to replace, though. If you go that route, make sure you have what's necessary to support the size turbo you replace it with.

But yeah, I'd say you found the cause of the smoke. jjrock5 has videos about rebuilding MHI turbos. I've got several about removing and re-installing both Garrett T-series and MHI turbos. I think you've figured out what you need to do!

[mariohdz2626]

@Jafromobile

thanks for your help ..i finally got a TD05 big 16g turbo ..but i need an oil inlet fitting .. i checked online and i found out that the size of the fitting is M12x1.25 to AN4 fitting. Do you know if is the right size to fit the turbo?

[freakskater854]

when is the colt gonna be done sir?

[Jafromobile]

@freakskater854 The roommate moved out and I now have it up on jackstands on a concrete slab next to my garage. He had a non-running van that was hogging the only outdoor space I could work on it because if you put a car up on jackstands over asphalt, they sink in to the pavement. It sounds like a small issue, but it was a big hurdle on that project. If all goes well with the front suspension, we might be looking at this year because I have most everything I need to complete it.

[freakskater854]

@Jafromobile sounds awesome man, cant wait to see it..deff keep us updated on it.

as for the gsx, hows that ebay 20g holding up; any play?

[Jafromobile]

@freakskater854 so far so good... it's my tune that's all screwed up now. I'm still working on it... It hasn't yet out-flowed my old Big16g. In fact, the most I've got out of it so far is EQUAL to this MHI Big16g that's on the dyno in this video. I haven't managed to even make 1hp more.  Not bad though, considering the MHI cost 3x as much.

[MichaelCosta84]

@Jafromobile Well the reason I ask is because I have continuous bubbling from my coolant system, which I burped, is not pushing coolant as of this time, compression is 172-172-181-175, so I doubt the gasket is an issue. It doesn't overheat, it just bubbles. I have a video of it.

[MichaelCosta84]

@Jafromobile I just want to make sure I understand you 100%, if it continuously bubbles with the radiator cap off, it's a bad head gasket?

[Jafromobile]

@MichaelCosta84 Hey MC!

Heat's a big factor regarding what fluids do and what shape metals take... A warped head might only leak when hot or cold. If you don't maintain pressure on extremely hot water, it will boil. So if a coolant leak develops, it might look like bubbles are continuously rising to the top, but it could be evaporation. It's only one of many tests, but I did all of them to rule anything out. If it's indeed most definitely exhaust; yes, bad head gasket or cracked head.

[javierescontrias]

All a can say about this video is finally I find someone on youtube that know their stuff, and is not paying a shop to do the work. having said that, I have a 1999 eclipse with the a420 engine which I got from 96 eclipse that I bought for parts. after installing the timing sensors and wire harness from the 99 eclipse and installing the engine the car did not turn on. everything is connected correct, but still no ignition. can anyone help with the steps to troubleshoot the problem.

[Jafromobile]

@javierescontrias Welp, you've got spark, fuel and air. Start be checking ECU codes. Chances are if something's not connected or working, there's a code. Make sure your main fuse isn't toast. Verify that you have spark (means cam and crank sensors are working), that the fuel pump relay cuts on when you crank, and the MAF sensor is connected. If you used all the sensors from your engine, it should work provided they're in-phase. Are you using the '99 coil?

[graveplott47]

710 cap lol



[countryboyG]

i have a 1996 eagle talon someone took the head off and got another good one from a junk yard... its been setting in a garage for 2 years i made sure everything was clean and nothing was warped.. after i put it together there is no compression on #3 cyclender... anyone have any ideas what it could be? idk if it was a valve stuck open? or bad rings? theres absolutly no copression at all... i put a bit of oil in the cyclinder and there is still no compression.

[Jafromobile]

@countryboyG Sounds like you've got a bent valve on the junkyard head.

What happens if you take the valve cover off and inspect #3? Have someone rotate the motor with a wrench through the driver's side wheel well. If you use the starter, you'll spray oil everywhere, so turn it by hand. Can you see a problem with the cam, or how the valves are moving?

[countryboyG]

@Jafromobile im not sure yet.. im going to take the valve cover off of it tomorrow i hope its not a bent valve or we are gonna have to do all that work over again D: im hoping a valve is stuck open

[countryboyG]

@Jafromobile i got that part fixed :p it was a bad head.. i took both to a machine shop and he polished one up and grounded and seated new valves and now the car runs okay.. but the idle seems low and sounds like it has a slight miss in it.. when you first start it up and go to drive it you can put the gas pedal to the floor and it takes FOREVER! to get up to speed. but after its warmed up it runs okay.. just a bit slow taking off...

[thegreatcb7]

can someone explain to me what (for example) 10.8:1 compression means ... thnks like what each one stands for

[Jafromobile]

@thegreatcb7 It's a ratio... it measures how far the air gets squished by the compression stroke.  the :1 is atmospheric pressure at sea level (the reference), and the 10.8 in your example would be 10.8x greater than the reference.

In referenceing FINAL compression ratio, (usually only a factor on forced induction engines) is how many times greater it is after factoring in boost pressure. This isn't relevant when ordering pistons as they use just the compression ratio as a reference.

[lifehousestock]

I learned a new way to set TDC. Thanks and good Vid

[hogi90]

you did such a good job mechanically and with the video thanx for sharing. the tests you did were both dry, right. the reason i ask is because if your symptom was simple over heating wouldn,t it be wise to replace the radiator cap with a higher pressure radiator cap temporarily, as the rad cap is the least expensive component. if no overheating= bad cap& thereby eliminating the need for the test.

[hogi90]

you did such a good job mechanically and with the video thanx for sharing. the tests you did were both dry, right. the reason i ask is because if your symptom was simple over heating wouldn,t it be wise to replace the radiator cap with a higher pressure radiator cap temporarily, as the rad cap is the least expensive component.

[LonerSkateCrew]

why would you put that in the cylinder thats not a safety hazzard or anything

[davemiii]

Hi Jafromobile,

Thanks for asking - luckily it looks like it was just an air bubble that I had to work out of the system. I took the extra step of drilling a small hole in my thermostat flange to allow any air bubbles to bypass it. So luckily I didn't need to do anything more complicated than that!

[Jafromobile]

I just want to clarify that I was looking for a leak that would push exhaust into the coolant.

The coolant pressure tester is not necessary when doing a leak-down test (the last test performed). I was just double-checking my work. I can't do a proper leak-down test with the equipment I have. I could stop all the airflow so I knew everything was okay and didn't need to check further. Maybe someday I'll post a leak-down video? I don't have the tool yet.

[ikdsjOFFICIAL]

great holy shit :D

[davemiii]

Great video, very thorough. Thanks. Sat here taking notes for my TR6, hopefully just a bad radiator cap in my case. Hopefully...

[Jafromobile]

@davemiii How'd the ol' Triumph turn out? I rarely see the 4-wheeled variants around here anymore. I might be getting a 2-wheeled version, though...

Mid-engine cars have terribly complicated cooling systems. Longer hoses often results in leaks and pressure issues from swelling. Hard plumbing is rarely what the manufacturers used. I haven't seen under the boot sine I was 14, so I don't remember what the TR6 looks like anymore. Cooling problems are the bane of DeTomaso Pantera owners, too.

[Grazo22]

That was a bloody fab video, must have taken ages to edit. Poor starter motor though ;) Could you not have done a sniffer test on the coolant. My sisters daewoo was reading over 100psi in 2 cylinders and in the other 2 it was less that 50 because they gasket had completely gone inbetween them. Shame really, it only had 60K on the clock and had had the same problem at 40K

[Jafromobile]

@Grazo22 That's precisely why I do the test with the adjacent cylinder's spark plugs loose. If the pistons are at opposite ends of their strokes, air won't leak because it has nowhere to go. A gasket failure between cylinders can be a weird problem to diagnose, but doing the fake leakdown test I did, you'd find it. I had a Daewoo Leganza for about a week when someone ran a red light and hit my old GS. 1.3L 4-door sedan. I found it hilarious to have a "POWER" button on the shifter.

[Indianmalujl]

Excellent video !! Learned a lot from it !! You rock.

[ESPsandEmgs]

So when you do the test to see if cylinder pressure is going into the cooling system, do you leave the pressure tester at 0? Then watch it rise to 13-17 psi? Or to you pump it up to 13-17 then watch to see if it rises further?

[Jafromobile]

@ESPsandEmgs That's a great question. I didn't make that clear in the video. If the head gasket is good, it shouldn't move the needle at all regardless of where you set it, period. Your air pressure should be higher than the coolant system pressure, so if there's any leak, the needle will move. The tester might take a few PSI before the gauge moves from zero. The reason I put a few pounds on it was to get faster results. I'd see it move immediately even with a small leak.

[xoffthemap]

easiest way to find any compression or gasket problems is the cylinder leakage test, best engine mechanical diag tool aside from the scan tool

[jayguy173]

it would have been better to get 1 psi higher thwen 1 psi lower

[theredejvtec]

is it true that when you poor radiator fluid in the cap you have to leave the heater on or something? I heard that from here or dsmtuners???

thanks for the vid.. helped a lot! im having reservoir overflow and changed radiator cap??? still checking to see what else is bad.

[Jafromobile]

@theredejvtec Yes, it's true. There's a valve that opens and closes to block flow to the heater core when you turn the heat off. Air in the coolant can make your car act like it has a bad head gasket. That's precisely what this video was demonstrating. Air in the system, or a defective coolant overflow system causes boilover. So does a bad head gasket. Coolant and air have different thermal expansion rates, so you have to get ALL the air out for it to work properly. 0 leaks are acceptable

[Calgarycarp]

Excellent video learned a lot.

[lalex222]

Very informative , thanks.

[laurajdahl]

How much is a 88 dodge daytona worth with a blown headgasket? How much you think someone should pay for it? It still runs and drives but it has water in the oil..

Thanks. :)

[laurajdahl]

My sister has an older jetta and in the winter the oil cap gets white foamy stuff... But in the summer nothing. She does loose a lot of oil in the winter not as much in the summer... Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[Jafromobile]

@laurajdahl This question stumped me when you asked it, but I have the answer. It either has a PCV problem... or the car's not getting hot enough to boil water in the winter time (short trips). Cold air causes condensation.

All cars produce nitrates, water vapor (from the air) and oxides with combustion. Some gets past the rings. A working PCV system is supposed to suck that out of the crankcase and back into the engine. But if the car's not driven hot... it pools in the crankcase.

[laurajdahl]

@Jafromobile

Thanks for your be-lated answer. ;)

[pablo94sc]

Excellent write-up and video, though I did get a little motion sick during the high speed parts. LOL Only suggestion if you decide to change anything is maybe make the on-screen captions stay up a bit longer. Thanks again!!

[nonstop454]

i need help on how to find intake valves and know how to find out if ones burnt.. please help!!

[Jafromobile]

It's in the video starting at 6:51. You need a fitting that connects to the compression hose that allows you to pressurize the combustion chamber with compressed air. Basically a "leak down tester". Once you have the cylinder on TDC of the compression stroke, leaking air can be heard through the car's intake, or exhaust depending on which valves are affected. It's best to attempt to manually turn the crank with a wrench if you hear leaks to make sure they're fully closed.

[imupabove]

is their a place where i can test or diagnose my car for any problems? cuz i have a engine gunk/build on my distributor cap and a little on my engine.

[Jafromobile]

@imupabove If it's a Honda, there's a gasket that goes around the distributor shaft. They go bad and leak oil over time.

When you remove the distributor, make sure the shaft rotates freely and doesn't feel gritty as it's turned.

[imupabove]

its a 93 camry 2.2L. my car is getting bad gas mileage and loss of engine performance. and acceleration isnt the same as before. thanks for the reply.

[woodrumnick69]

thanks man i really appreciate your help ill let you know if i have any more problems and see if you can help.

[Jafromobile]

See my latest video for what I did about my leaky overflow setup. :)

[woodrumnick69]

Hey man my 95 Eclipse's antifreeze is disappearing but not on the ground what could it be

[Jafromobile]

Sounds a lot like what I was experiencing. If your car isn't smoking from burning coolant, and your interior floorboard isn't damp nor does it smell like waffles, then check your coolant overflow bottle. It needs to be air-tight with good hoses connecting it to your coolant system.

When it heats up, the coolant expands. As it cools and contracts, it needs to pull coolant back into the system from the overflow bottle. If it can't, it pulls air back in it.

Get it pressure tested.

[Jafromobile]

@woodrumnick69 It's best to reply here because your experience will help others.

Since it's cracked, your coolant overflow bottle is one problem. Under load your engine heats the coolant and squishes it out of the bottle under pressure as it expands. Since this only happens when you're driving, you don't leave coolant where you park. Buy a new bottle and bottom gasket so you can swap the sensor.

Figure out why it's cracked in the 1st place. If you didn't break it, do the pressure test.

[Running925]

whoa man.. like super coolness that your motor isn't toast yet!!!

;)

[Jafromobile]

@Running925 35,550 miles on the build and counting!

;)

Those dang DSMs!

[watchforfinger]

WOW VERY IN DEPTH

[Jafromobile]

Oh heheh. You must have read the info. I even deleted half of it because it was too long for YouTube to let me post it.

[DALE97DSM]

@Jafromobile Thanks, man

No codes but I'll check vaccum lines. Someone told me about ice in the lines, I'm from ohio. One other guy said to check if the tank is Full could I do this by Lifting up the fuel pump.

[Jafromobile]

Is your fuel gauge broken?

What you'd want to check is to see if fuel is in your breather line from the tank. The one that runs to the front of the car... If it's filling slowly, it's certainly the breather or a gas-filled charcoal canister.

[DALE97DSM]

@watchforfinger Lmao, maybe 93 is better but expensive where I live.

[miogss]

When is my turn! :-D Good vid man!

[Jafromobile]

don't worry. I ain't fergot aboutchoo. :P

[ThePumpkinKing1606]

lol its all good dude. just keep em comin. i watch all ur vids religiously. theyve helped me alot espically the brake rebuilds.

[CHIPYCHIPYLOVE]

grate video......best part 3:50 lol

[Jafromobile]

Thanks!

Knowing the volume of fluids I spill, and how lazy I am, I knew I'd never keep kitty litter on hand unless I got a cat. I can't tell you how glad I am about how it worked out.

Caboose is the MAN!

[CHIPYCHIPYLOVE]

yeah thats cool.....hey man im having a little problem maybe you can help me im still having trouble with the green mirage im going to make a video to show you what im talking about

[gdizzle530]

do I smell another dyno run?? You hit 400+ last time didn't you?? after the AFR was changed....right?

[Jafromobile]

Well, yeah, actually I did. But all of us came to the conclusion that it was an anomaly. It spiked right as it boiled over, and the thought that wheel spin could cause that is ridiculous because the dyno is what's doing all the measuring? It should have read less if the roller got wet. There will be another dyno run. But I've got a few more tricks up my sleeve. I haven't made any AFR adjustments for WOT, and we'll see what these numbers do in a 3355lb car soon enough!

[DALE97DSM]

Great video, thanks for sharing.

I have a98eclipse rs for the past three days when I go to tput gas in at the pump.

Gas sprays back out at me, what would cause this.

Local shop said it could cost 100 in labor another 200 to 300 in parts.

I like to save cash and fix it myself so could you anybody else help out a fellow Dsm'r out.

The would checkout this coming Monday if I can fix it before then I'd appreciate.

[watchforfinger]

maybe it doesnt like 87 octane :)

[Jafromobile]

Your charcoal canister is probably full of gas. It can happen from over-filling the gas tank, or a evaporative purge solenoid/system failure. Check the ECU for codes because it regulates the solenoid, and typically throws a code when it's fubar'd for any reason. If the solenoid isn't throwing codes, go through the vacuum system at the front of the car and find what's cracked broken loose or in the wrong place.

[djdarkmunk]

back to the dyno?

[Jafromobile]

@watchforfinger. lol! OMG.  thx!

@djdarkmunk I've got some ground to cover first, but when I do, I promise to bring you guys with me. :)