Fordnatics List Archive

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Mail From: (email redacted) (Bob Lowell)

Hello,

Kind of a depressing problem on my `84 F150. It's been running very poorly
of late so on my search for answers I did a compression check last night.
4.9l straight six, I think I mentioned recently it's got muchos miles on
it. Anyhow all cylinders looked OK (116-130) until the dreaded last one -
30 lb.s.

I don't think it's a head gasket, I haven't seen any water in the oil, or
heard anything like a head gasket fart. So my next guess, since it was
just one cylinder that's so drastically down, was valve spring. Pulled the
valve cover and can't see anything wrong with either valve spring for that
cylinder, but does that mean anything? Would you be able to see a broke
valve spring? (I would think so?)

Anyhow, last check of the night, poured a glug of oil in the spark plug
hole, redo the compression check on that hole - it shoots up to 60 lb.s.
Ut oh. Is this a decisive condemnation of the rings in that cylinder? Is a
"glug" (scientific measurement) too much oil? (my Haynes says 3 squirts
from a can, I don't have a can)

Thanks in advance for any advice, sorry it's such a boring vehicle - as
soon as I can afford another more exciting vehicle I'll bug y'all about
that.

Bob

Looking forward to someone telling me "all you have to do is tighten up
this one little bolt, and everything should be fine."

This read-only message was archived from a public mail list.
Mail From: (email redacted) (Robert King)

> Hello,
>
> Kind of a depressing problem on my `84 F150. It's been running very poorly
> of late so on my search for answers I did a compression check last night.
> 4.9l straight six, I think I mentioned recently it's got muchos miles on
> it. Anyhow all cylinders looked OK (116-130) until the dreaded last one -
> 30 lb.s.

...

> Anyhow, last check of the night, poured a glug of oil in the spark plug
> hole, redo the compression check on that hole - it shoots up to 60 lb.s.
> Ut oh. Is this a decisive condemnation of the rings in that cylinder? Is a
> "glug" (scientific measurement) too much oil? (my Haynes says 3 squirts
> from a can, I don't have a can)

Sounds like at least the rings have gone bye-bye. Do you have any
blow-by in the crankcase?


> Thanks in advance for any advice, sorry it's such a boring vehicle - as
> soon as I can afford another more exciting vehicle I'll bug y'all about
> that.

Hey, every car is interesting, even my fiancee's Ch*vy Suburban.

- -- Robert King


+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Robert A. King | |
| Systems Software Engineer | "Dulce et decorum est en |
| Kodak Health Imaging Systems | medio coitu mori" |
| (email redacted) | -- Nelson Rockefeller |
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| The opinions expressed here ain't even mine, much less my employer's! |
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