compression test 2000 cavalier
Asked by josephcardinale Feb 07, 2014 at 05:29 PM about the 2000 Chevrolet Cavalier Sedan FWD
Question type: Maintenance & Repair
cylinder #1 180 psi #2 140 psi #3 155 psi #4 180 psi on dry comp test. ON wet test the psi was 210 across the board
8 Answers
I would prefer the numbers to be closer together. #2 and three appear to have more ring/cylinder wear than one and four.
With the 9:1 compression ratio your numbers should be 135 psi - 180 psi. But would like all of them to be + - 5 psi of each other.
josephcardinale answered 10 years ago
Thank you. do those number indicate a head gasket?
Could but will have to temp fix the freeze plug in order to do pressure test on cooling system to be sure.
Were the spark plugs in the #2 & #3 a lot cleaner than the other two?
josephcardinale answered 10 years ago
when i pressure test coolant system with the plugs out and psi does not go down, does that mean the head gasket is good?..and if coolant does appear after test is that for sure a head gasket? and should the car be cold or norm temp when i do the test? why else would exhaust fumes be present in coolant system? after all i have done and it turns out head gasket is good, is it possible i did not bleed the air out correctly. how exactly do you bleed out all the air?
If pressure does not drop and you find no coolant in the spark plug holes your head gasket is probably ok. Although I have seen some only leak when engine is running at highway rpms. But that is not normally the case. If coolant is found in the spark plug holes then yes head gasket is bad. I do test on cold engine. It is possible that you did not properly bleed the cooling system. Your local auto parts store has what you will need to properly bleed the system. Or you could allow engine to idle with radiator cap off and heater on max while you watch and add coolant as needed.
