compression gauge puzzler

I was going to explain that I stick a new pencil in the spark plug hole, but among all these techie solutions, I was too embarrassed. d8-)

Eagle pencils work OK, but for precision work, I prefer Dixon Ticonderogas. d8-)

Thumb test for pressure rise. Go to junk box and find piece of flexible tubing that you've been saving for ten years even though it was already too stiff to use when you stashed it. Snip off piece to use in place of pencil. After use, throw snipped off piece in trash to prove that you're not a hoarder.

You mean my schlerotic aquarium hose? I'm afraid to touch it because it may break. Some of it is over 40 years old.

I think I'd wind up fishing broken bits of it out of the cylinder. I HATE fishing things out of an engine cylinder. I don't like chewing gum that much. And it wrecks the ends of the bits of coated aluminum clothsline wire I've saved for over 50 years.

the proper

Depends on how the cam is ground and timed. On quite a few engines you can cover almost the entire bore from TDC to BDC on the power stroke IF the cam is set up to keep the valves closed through the entire stroke.

Usually that is a lot more work that it's worth though. I'll run the relative test, then if needed I'll pull the plugs and use a transducer to plot the pressure curve in the cylinders.

diagnostics. With a

cheap but you

inductive P/U

If you set the frequency right you can see all 4, 6, 0r 8 fire on the same line on a standard single coil ignition. On CPP or lost spark it is a different story.

E between the

at the spark plug

produce enough

you have the proper

Oh it still is, it just still comes along with the typical trash and junk (to be thorough).

E between the

t the spark plug

roduce enough

Well, if you want, you should go to the dealers and large-chain stores because of the better go-between that the auto mechanics have with the factory, rather than going to the mom and pops (cheaper though).