After Compression Test

[TaffyTim 6]

Hello

 

This thread will be best understood if you have seen my thread below:

 

http://forum.205gtidrivers.com/index.php?showtopic=63513&hl=

 

 

and this one might also come into play:

 

http://forum.205gtidrivers.com/index.php?showtopic=63903&hl=

 

 

 

I have managed to get around to doing a compression test tonight as I need to lay my mind at rest that my head gasket is not buggered.

 

I tested the engine twice aftet a 20 min drive home so the engine was nice and warm, especially as my fan still isnt working.

 

I didnt have any oil lying about to use and i forgot that i needed to have my foot on the throttle. So the following results are from my warm engine (2nd results are obviously from a cooler engine) that is dry and reving at an idle position. I took the reading to the neasrest 5psi

 

Test 1

 

cam 1st 2nd 3rd 4th dizzy

(psi) 185 190 180 180 (psi)

 

Test 2

cam 1st 2nd 3rd 4th dizzy

(psi) 190 190 190 185 (psi)

 

 

Im sure you know that the mi engine is very deep, so i couldnt fully tighten the tester like i did when i tested my 8v. The 4th position alway came in lowest, and the 2nd alway highest. The biggest real reading difference was on the 2nd test when no. 2 had 192psi and no.4 had 183.

 

The results seemed good and i was starting to belive that my head gasket was fine. I checked my water level and it had hardly dropped since 2 days ago, and i checked my oil. This is a bit worrying as it was about an inch higher than the max mark. This has come from me checking the level during journeys and taking a reading while oil still hasnt made its way back to the sump and then putting another letre of oil in twice(stuipid i know now).

 

To get some charge back into the battery after the compression tests i then took the car up and down a duel carrige way. On route the traffic was quite bad but when i got some space i gave it some. I was pulling nicely away from an audi when the car threw out a big plume of smoke from the exhaust. I came off the throttle and it died away. I continued driving for a further 10 mins and found that evry time i went over 6000rpm the car left smoke behind. Due to strong sunlight and being moderatly colourblind I coulnt tell if the smoke was white or light blue, but im pretty sure its white.

 

Could this be a result of having too much oil in my system or should i still be worried about my head gasket? I really dont know what to think, all suggestions apreciated.

Edited September 1, 2006 by TaffyTim

[welshpug 1,657]

fix yer fans!!!

 

every time you heat up the coolant past a certian pressure you'll lose some due to the pressure relief valve in the expansion tank cap.

[TaffyTim 6]

fix yer fans!!!

 

every time you heat up the coolant past a certian pressure you'll lose some due to the pressure relief valve in the expansion tank cap.

 

 

I know, and im waiting for Miles who is out of action for a week due to his heavily pregnant girl. Once he's back then they are 1st on my list.

 

where is hte pressure release valve, would this cause the smoke? ie does it out it into be burnt?

[welshpug 1,657]

its called the coolant resevoir cap.

[TaffyTim 6]

ok, so not going to account for the smoke then.

 

Any other ideas on the cause for the smoke apreciated. Will too much oil cause smoke to come from the exhaust at high revs?

[pug309twin40s 1]

what condition is your dipstick in?

 

my old 405 2lt mi16(now welshpugs) used to spit oil out the dipstick at full throttle high revs when the it didnt seal properly. and then clouds of white smoke came out the bk. new dipstick sorted it.

 

could also be your rocker cover might be leaking slightly at high revs and dripping onto the exhuast manifold which would cause the white smoke.

[TaffyTim 6]

Dipstick is pretty good, it doesnt pop out.

 

IM not quite sure what you mean about the rocker cover as Im not the most technically minded. I'll do a search to see how i test or see telltale signs for this.

[lagonda 42]

Sorry to be a party pooper but my Cti showed signs of head gasket failure: mayonaise in oil filler, loss of coolant,etc. I did 3 compression tests, got superb figures, all around 215. So it wasn't the head gasket .... Wrong! It finally blew comprehensively as we were about to board the ferry at Dover, 2 hoses having burst en route.

Conclusion: up to that point the gasket had only been blowing occasionally, presumably when unfortunate temperatures, pressures & tensions coincided. Naturally every time I did a compression test Mars was in conjunction with Venus/whatever everything appeared to be OK. Nothing to do with the 205 being an obtuse

unreliable b*****d of course.

I strongly suspect your increased oil level is coolant in the sump, which almost certainly would result from head gasket failure. Way to check is to loosen sump drain plug. You might need to unscrew it a fair way, but no need to remove it completely. If oil drips out, you just have too much oil. If it's water, it'll run out quite quickly & will probably be a dirty brown colour.

Good luck!

[TaffyTim 6]

Sorry to be a party pooper but my Cti showed signs of head gasket failure: mayonaise in oil filler, loss of coolant,etc. I did 3 compression tests, got superb figures, all around 215. So it wasn't the head gasket .... Wrong! It finally blew comprehensively as we were about to board the ferry at Dover, 2 hoses having burst en route.

Conclusion: up to that point the gasket had only been blowing occasionally, presumably when unfortunate temperatures, pressures & tensions coincided. Naturally every time I did a compression test Mars was in conjunction with Venus/whatever everything appeared to be OK. Nothing to do with the 205 being an obtuse

unreliable b*****d of course.

I strongly suspect your increased oil level is coolant in the sump, which almost certainly would result from head gasket failure. Way to check is to loosen sump drain plug. You might need to unscrew it a fair way, but no need to remove it completely. If oil drips out, you just have too much oil. If it's water, it'll run out quite quickly & will probably be a dirty brown colour.

Good luck!

 

 

The increase in oil beeing coolant sounds depressingly logical Im off to london tonight so i hope the car holds together, when i come back tomorrow I'll drain the sump and see what comes out first (keeping my fingers crossed that it is al oil).

 

How long should i let the car sit after a journey before i drain it?

[travill 0]

hotter the better as it will be thinner and flow out better.

[Guest yaztromo]

ok, so not going to account for the smoke then.

 

Any other ideas on the cause for the smoke apreciated. Will too much oil cause smoke to come from the exhaust at high revs?

 

Overfilling your sump will cause oil to get into the chambers. I would recommend looseing your sump bolt a little and draining it off until the level is below the max mark.

Edited September 2, 2006 by yaztromo

[Ahl 4]

Overfilling your sump will cause oil to get into the chambers. I would recommend looseing your sump bolt a little and draining it off until the level is below the max mark.

The oil level in the sump on these xu engines sits very low down, far far away from the crank or anything else.

 

Putting an extra litre barely raises the level in the sump at all, even two litres shouldn't make that much difference.

[TaffyTim 6]

fix yer fans!!!

 

every time you heat up the coolant past a certian pressure you'll lose some due to the pressure relief valve in the expansion tank cap.

 

On my trip to London I got the fan working by bridging the switch having it constantly on. Im happy to say that the car drove like a good un and has stopped throwing out white smoke from its behind.

 

I didnt have time to drain a bit of out as its getting dark now but I will try and do that tomorrow, I'll also have a look at the fan switch. Has anyone got a piccy or can tell me how many wires are going into the switch as it might be a case that a wire has come loose(as with my breaklight switch last week).