What does 'low compression in #1 cylinder' mean?

Question

How much would it cost to get it fixed?

Answer 1

Probably piston rings have gone kapputt!

Rarely - depending on car - might have a head gasket leak at one point along the cylinder head! Check for water in the oil - yellowish sludge! Head gasket going is usually noticeable by loads of white vapour/steam from exhaust!

Answer 2

if the spark plug is tight,it means the cylinder head has to come off,and hopefully the problem is in the valve gear,either inlet or exhaust.any problems in the engine block can get very nasty,you may need new piston rings,if so change on all pistons while engine is stripped down.you may need a new piston.if the cylinder bores are worn you may need to rebore and fit oversized pistons.if the cylinder bore is cracked scrap the engine.also check the cylinder head has not warped,is engine Ali or steel? Ali engines are far more prone to warping although the head and block can be skimmed to return to perfectly flat mating surfaces provided this has not been done in the past as there is only so much material you can remove before weakening the head.

Answer 3

Low compression in any cylinder has numerous possibilities, such as bent or burnt valve/seat, compression ring worn or broken or even a head gasket leak. The only way to determine any of these is tear it down, starting with the head and see where it leads.

Answer 4

To compress something means to squeeze it into a smaller space. In each engine (and according to the number of holes bored into the bottom half of the engine where most cars have 4 or 6 of them), pistons move up and down inside of these bored holes. The top of each piston consists of rings embedded in its outer edge. These rings together with the complete piston, are supposed to move as closely as possible, being lubricated by engine oil, without touching the cylinder walls. When they move down they squeeze or compress the air within the hole. Usually because of wear, the free space between the piston's head and cylider wall increases, thereby resulting in loss of efficient compressing. This further results in inefficient burning of the vaporized gas and air mixture which is ignited to provide power to the crankshaft. The strength of the spin of the crankshaft is transmitted to the road wheels and that is what moves your vehicle. A mechanic tests the pressure in the vacuum of a particular bore or hole and finds weak and diagnoses it as low compression. The power of your car is therefore reduced

Answer 5

The amount of air compressed in the number one cylinder is much lower and out of spec to the other cylinders.
It could be caused by a failed head gasket, valves and seats, and piston rings.

Answer 6

That's self explanatory.

As for what causes low compression, that could be:
1) worn piston rings.
2) Worn intake or exhaust valves or seats.
3) Missadjusted rocker arms.
4) Bent push rod.
5) Blown head gasket.
6) Cracked head.
7) Hole in piston.
8) Bent connecting rod.
9) Bent intake or exhaust valve.
10) Cracked valve seat.

Plus many other possibilities.

Answer 7

Low compression means either the piston rings are worn out and having a ''blow-by'' or damaged cyl.head gasket or a burned valve or a damaged valve seat.Sometimes,due to sticky valve also can result in low compression.

Answer 8

fault diagnosis commences with checking value clearances if applicable or evaluate condition of hyd tappets them peform a compression test followed by a cylinder leakage test this will allow you to hear and determin where the loss is occurring

Answer 9

it means you could have burnt valve on that cylinder or a problem with the piston rings ,but it also means its not going to run right ,because of that cylinder,it all depends on ow low it really is,a few pounds wont hurt it,good luck i hope this help,s.

Answer 10

It means the pressure is lower in that cylinder than the other cylinders its compared too