no compression

[knebraker]

1st timer to post: 1953 1 ton dodge, some one put 440 with auto trans, i think it is 196??? something. Can't get truck to start, bought compression tester today checked 3 cylinders before calling it a day, 60 to 75 psi. been trying to start truck 3 weeks, oil level keeps moving up dipstick. question is: will / is there a way to get piston rings to reset again or is this going to be a rebuild job

[olgraybeard]

Try a couple of ounces of Mystery Marvel Oil in each cylinder soak for a week then spin engine with plugs out. Put plugs back in and see if it starts. check compression in all cylinders and repeat if necessary. Also replace PVC valve

[Charles Talbert]

1st timer to post: 1953 1 ton dodge, some one put 440 with auto trans, i think it is 196??? something. Can't get truck to start, bought compression tester today checked 3 cylinders before calling it a day, 60 to 75 psi. been trying to start truck 3 weeks, oil level keeps moving up dipstick. question is: will / is there a way to get piston rings to reset again or is this going to be a rebuild job

No doubt compression readings are not good at all, way too low. You mentioned oil level is rising, why? Is coolant or gasoline getting into the crankcase causing the oil level to rise? Have you seen evidence of oil in the radiator? You definitely have issues going on here that you need to check into and get to the bottom of what is happening. To be totally honest, yes you most likely have a rebuild at hand if you see a satisfactory result, but in my opinion you may be overlooking the real problem. The fact that the oil level is rising is not good, and is most likely your major issue. Coolant or gasoline mixing with the oil will cause major damage very quickly, I wouldn't be surprised if you aren't seeing symptoms of that result right now. Miracle additives is not the answer, and likely is money wasted. First determine what your problem is, them seek out the proper path to repair.

[pwdave]

compression

knebreaker, have you been pouring gas down the carb to try to start the engine? if so, STOP!!! drain the oil from the engine and start with new. if you have washed the oil film from the rings thats where your compression went to! and the reason the oil level is coming up. put some oil in each cyl. and turn the engine over as has been mentioned earlier, then with NEW plugs not cleaned,or brushed, or anything, NEW. put the gas in the vent on the carb, that will fill the bowls so the pump in the carb will work, then with a freshly charged battery, try again, you should be successful if all else is in order. Dave.

[knebraker]

no compression

from knebraker, yes i have been pouring gas down carb trying to start, will drain oil & start over, have all spark plugs out, engine was not level sitting in truck, i blocked truck level and was pouring atf down carb then cranking engine slowly,. Sounds like i should crank a while & blow everthing out of cylinders, change oil ( possibly 30 weight ) squirt oil thru plug holes, wait a few days then crank engine, get gas set up to work with carb correctly, when i preasure tested driver side cylinders i got 25 & 30 psi on each cylinder the truck leaned that way & was possibly washing the cylinder walls. this truck was a motorhome speedo only shows 60,000 miles by looking at truck every thing is clean, i think the truck was under powered & he added the 440 later
Thanks Knebreaker

[knebraker]

no compresion

squirted
Marvelous miracle oil down each cylinder Sunday, today checked preasure, the 60 to 70 psi on passenger side is almost 80-90 psi, the driver side psi is close to 50 psi. what is minimum psi that the engine might start ??. will drain & start with fresh oil when I try to start it. Any ideas or do I find a new engine?? Will a 360, or 318 bolt up to the push button automatic trans ??

[pwdave]

Knebreaker, put the compression guage back in the box and worry about getting the motor running first, the readings will not be any good until the engine has been started and run for a while anyway. some of the early engines of this century (1910-1920) had 4to1 or less sometimes, I had an engine built in 1899 that was at 5to1, extremly high ratio for it's day. the engine should start even with low comp. make sure there is fire, plugs good, wired right,fire at the coil, fire at the plug wire end. make sure it's wired in the right direction, make sure that your ballast resister is good.there is no reason it should not start and run. good luck, Dave.

[712edf]

squirted
Marvelous miracle oil down each cylinder Sunday, today checked preasure, the 60 to 70 psi on passenger side is almost 80-90 psi, the driver side psi is close to 50 psi. what is minimum psi that the engine might start ??. will drain & start with fresh oil when I try to start it. Any ideas or do I find a new engine?? Will a 360, or 318 bolt up to the push button automatic trans ??

Lower compression sometimes means it will run on just about anthing that pours. But it won't make any power.

Bucky

[Charles Talbert]

Don't let false hope rule

What you have done by adding oil to the cylinders and re-testing is proven that the reason for your low readings is ring and cylinder wall wear. The readings after adding the oil are still terrible as far as having a decent running engine. A good rule of thumb on compression readings is this; 100 PSI is border line, maybe run maybe not, 90 PSI will likely be skipping intermitently at best. I'm not sure what the optimum readings should be for the particular engine you are dealing with, however I do know for a fact with readings as low as 50 PSI after adding oil just will not make it. There should be no more than around 5 PSI variation between readings from one cylinder to the other, obviously these readings are not even in the ball park. It's your choice to spend $$ and time on trying to start it, and if it makes you feel better I guess have at it. If it did run, it wouldn't have the power to pull off your hat, but if the info you have shared is an accurate test result, cranking up and running is not likely.

[Gordon Maney]

Maybe if the hat didn't fit real tight? :-)

[knebraker]

no compression

Truck started last night, Fresh batteries, gas connected properly, cranked & cranked until starter got so hot was smoking, would let cool a few minutes, then crank again, after 4th long crank engine started. I have hole radiator, keep feeding water as was running, ran the truck about 20 minutes, started right up 2nd & 3rd starts. Thanks for the various comments

[Charles Talbert]

What was the issue?

I can only imagine your previously posted compression readings were not accurate if you got it to start. Personally I've never had a starter to the point of smoking as a result of overheating, always stopped to look for the cause before pushing that far. What did you determine to be the cause of the hard starting issue? Were you able to correct what ever it was? Will hard starting return next time you attempt a cold start? If all appears ok on the next cold start attempt, such as trying again after it sits over night. What compression readings are you getting now with new non-diluted oil in the crankcase? Accurate readings will tell you more about the actual condition of the engine and whether it has good service life left than any other test you can perform. It is an invaluable tool for us.

[olgraybeard]

I think you were right with therory of stuck rings but with a v8 some still might be stuck and start, check compression, if any cylinders still have low compression try the Mystery Marvel Oil in those cylinders. I usually let them soak for a week. that should break loose the remaining rings. I have done this many times with old bike engines with good results. Good luck!

[knebraker]

no compression

Thanks for reply’s, Response might help others, Starter smoking: this is oil pushed out of cylinders on to fender wells & down side engine, before putting plugs back in, starter too hot to touch, I think hard cranking warmed up cylinder walls which helped start engine. Engine started right up next morning with just a few cranks, spent most of day repairing radiator. Back to pressure readings, I had just bought new gauge at start of this project, my readings were 101% accurate. Once I have radiator fixed will, set timing accurate & start adjustments for better tuning, engine has a miss here and there but idles good & sounds strong

[Charles Talbert]

Thanks for reply’s, Response might help others, Starter smoking: this is oil pushed out of cylinders on to fender wells & down side engine, before putting plugs back in, starter too hot to touch, I think hard cranking warmed up cylinder walls which helped start engine. Engine started right up next morning with just a few cranks, spent most of day repairing radiator. Back to pressure readings, I had just bought new gauge at start of this project, my readings were 101% accurate. Once I have radiator fixed will, set timing accurate & start adjustments for better tuning, engine has a miss here and there but idles good & sounds strong

I'll have to disagree with the fact of 101% accuracy. If the engine had stuck rings or other issues, readings taken with those issues in play may have been accurate taking these things into consideration, but the issues certainly influenced low readings. Once the issues are corrected, only a follow up test will offer a truely accurate test result. Then only will you be able to make an informed accessment concerning the actual engine condition as related to the cylinders, valves, etc. Not being present to see and hear what is going on severely limits ones ability to offer valid suggestions. As I said in an earlier post, intermittent skipping in cylinders with low compression is a very typical symptom, that "miss here and there" that you speak of may very well be attributed to that. A follow up test is vital to answering these questions. If another test shows acceptable compression readings, then you can turn your attention toward electrical or fuel related issues as being the cause of the skipping. I've seen many spend big $$$ on tune-up related stuff trying to fix problems caused by issues only a rebuild would correct. I've seen more than 1 become very upset when they learn all the $$$ they had spent were in vane. Troubleshooting needs to be gone through in the proper sequence in order to eliminate all the possibilities first things first, and will lead you along a correct path of correction without unnecessary spending brought about by using trial and error methods.

Good luck with the project.