Should I Worry About My Compression Results

[TheProDaniel]

I've done a search and I know that it's best to have compression across all the cylinders ~10% but what I'd like to know is how bad my results are and whether I should start looking for a new motor (25 conversion maybe). Currently my turbo is playing up so I will be looking for an RB25 turbo as it is and I could factor that price into a complete engine.

My results on an accurate reader were:

165 160 165 155 140 130

Is it time to start looking around for a new motor?

[No Crust Racing]

Low compression certainly indicates wear. Ultimately it will result in less power, increased consumption, poor running and eventually a busted engine. How bad it gets is a mixed bag of factors. Some engines go for ever with a low cylinder or two and make OK power. Depends what you want from the engine, how hard you drive, what your plans are etc etc. Engines are always wearing out, that's the nature of the beast.

Weigh up what you want from the car, how you're set for finances and go from there. You're not going to hurt the car by driving it as it is but if you flog it constantly you will accelerate the wear and possibly cause damage from failure down the track.

[TheProDaniel]

  ActionDan said:

Low compression certainly indicates wear. Ultimately it will result in less power, increased consumption, poor running and eventually a busted engine. How bad it gets is a mixed bag of factors. Some engines go for ever with a low cylinder or two and make OK power. Depends what you want from the engine, how hard you drive, what your plans are etc etc. Engines are always wearing out, that's the nature of the beast.

Weigh up what you want from the car, how you're set for finances and go from there. You're not going to hurt the car by driving it as it is but if you flog it constantly you will accelerate the wear and possibly cause damage from failure down the track.

Thanks mate. I'm babying it a fair bit these days especially since the turbo is on its last legs. My ultimate goal isn't to make it a power house and it's mainly just a daily driven normally with a bit of a squirt on the weekends but eventually I'd love to attend some track days. Currently I'm saving money and picking up bits I need so I guess it's time to seriously consider the RB25 swap.

[No Crust Racing]

If you've got engine wear and a dying turbo then tread carefully. Failure of either could cause some serious damage to the rest of the engine. If you have track aspirations then at the very least you're going to want a healthy standard engine in there. Do some reading on what power you can get from your intended setup and if it's not enough the consider having a rebuild done with upgraded internals. A good rule of thumb is to build the engine stronger than what you want from it to give you some head room to grow and to protect the engine.

Good luck

[TheProDaniel]

  ActionDan said:

If you've got engine wear and a dying turbo then tread carefully. Failure of either could cause some serious damage to the rest of the engine. If you have track aspirations then at the very least you're going to want a healthy standard engine in there. Do some reading on what power you can get from your intended setup and if it's not enough the consider having a rebuild done with upgraded internals. A good rule of thumb is to build the engine stronger than what you want from it to give you some head room to grow and to protect the engine.

Good luck

Cheers dude, I'm barely reving the thing just driving around normally until my other car goes on the road. A healthy motor will definitely be in order as reliability is my aim, I don't need much power just enough for a bit of fun. I'd really like the torque from an RB25 but was pretty happy with my 20's top end.

Thanks again.