January 12, 2003
Here are the results of my compression test. No wet test was performed. Previous values from
approximately 2 months ago were in the 190-195 PSI range. Spark plug gaps are estimated, as
my feeler gauge only had 0.030" and 0.034" sizes.
| Cylinder | PSI 4-5 cranks | PSI 5-7 cranks | Spark Plug Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | 165 | 175 | 0.036" |
| #2 | 170 | 178 | 0.033" |
| #3 | 170 | 185 | 0.032" |
| #4 | 180 | 185 | 0.031" |
| #5 | 172 | 180 | 0.031" |
| #6 | 170 | 175 | 0.031" |
Spark plugs #1 and #2 were re-gapped to 0.031", as specifed in the TSRM. Compression numbers should be in the 140 PSI range, so while I'm glad to see the number come down from the last time, they are still high. I tried the "squirt a small amount of water into the intake" to steam-clean the cylinders method twice, and I ran a bottle of Slick50 fuel system cleaner through. So either these things helped, my engine magically cleaned itself of carbon, or my readings are funky. Draw your own conclusion.
I also flushed my brake system. Dirty reddish fluid out, clean clear translucent fluid in. Yum. My rotors are warped, as evidenced by my shaking wheel and pulsating brake pedal when braking at high speeds, but measuring the rotors with a micometer wasn't as easy as I thought. The rotors have to come off due to the shield getting in the way behind them.
That center valley gasket (#3?) that goes right over the spark plugs is TERRIBLE. Pieces of it keep filling my spark plug holes and making me worry that they'll fall into the cylinder. I finally got rid of it after shop-vacing all the oil and gasket bits out of the valley. There was a lot of oil in there, so I took out the 4 large bolts holding the gasket in, put teflon tape on the threads, and put them back, WITHOUT the gasket. I also tightened all the Philips head screws holding down the cam covers; every single one was hand loose.
My coil pack had no grounding wire. It's supposed to. I found the crimp-connector, which had no wire in it, crimped in a wire, and attached the other end to that screw right up against the fuel rail. This is where it's supposed to go. I haven't noticed a difference in anything.