There's a good chance that low engine compression in one (or more) cylinders is causing your 3.0L equipped Mitsubishi to misfire (or idle rough). Lack of compression in all 6 cylinders will keep the engine from starting (usually caused by a broken timing belt).
So, if you've been wanting to test the engine's compression yourself but weren't quite sure how to do it or interpret its results, this is the tutorial for you.
Contents of this tutorial:
You can find this tutorial in Spanish here: Cómo Probar La Compresión Del Motor (3.0L Mitsubishi) (at: autotecnico-online.com).
Important Tips And Suggestions
TIP 1: If your 3.0L equipped Mitsubishi starts and runs, it's standard procedure to do the compression test with a slightly warmed up engine. The key words here are 'slightly warmed up engine' since the engine should not be hot.
To slightly warm up the engine, start her up (from a completely cold condition) and let her run for no more than 10 to 12 minutes.
TIP 2: The upper intake manifold plenum must be removed to access the spark plug for cylinders #2, #4 and #6. This tutorial does not include 'remove and replace' instructions of the upper intake manifold plenum so you'll need a repair manual or a google search. For more info on this, go to section: About Removing The Intake Manifold Plenum.
TIP 3: You'll be working around a cranking engine as you perform the engine compression test so take all necessary safety precautions. Your safety is your responsibility, so use common sense and think safety all of the time.
TIP 4: Never remove the spark plugs with a hot engine. This is important because the 3.0L V6 engine has aluminum cylinder heads. Removing the spark plugs from a hot engine can damage the spark plug hole threads in the aluminum cylinder heads.
Which Compression Tester Should I Buy?
There are lot of engine compression testers to choose from and many places to buy them. I'm gonna' make two recommendations to you:
1) Which one to buy: The engine compression tester that I have always used is the Actron CP7827 Compression Tester Kit. My only complaint about this engine compression tester is that it does not come with a case to store it in.
2) Where to buy: You can buy an engine compression tester in any auto parts store in any neighborhood, in any city but you'll be paying at least twice as much. Go to the above compression tester links, browse and compare, you'll see a big price difference!
TEST 1: Dry Compression Test
The engine compression test is divided into two parts. The first part is testing the compression of all 6 cylinders 'dry'.
The second test done is a 'wet' compression test. In this second test, you add a few drops of engine motor oil to the cylinders that registered low or 0 compression (I'll explain this in more detail in TEST 2).
IMPORTANT: The intake manifold plenum must be removed to install the compression tester on cylinder #2, #4, and #6. For more info, see the section: About Removing The Intake Manifold Plenum.
OK, to get started this is what you'll need to do:
- 1
Disable the ignition system by disconnecting the ignition coils from their electrical connectors. This will prevent the coils from sparking during the test.
- 2
Disable the fuel system by removing the fuel pump fuse. Disabling the fuel system will prevent fuel from being injected into each cylinder when the test is performed.
- 3
Remove the spark plugs from a slightly warmed up engine (if it starts and runs). Remember, the engine can not be hot.
When removing the spark plugs, be careful not to drop any of them on the floor, or you run the risk of having the spark plugs porcelain insulator crack and then you'll have a misfire on your hands.
If the engine does not start, don't worry about it being warmed up. - 4
Thread the engine compression gauge into the spark plug hole for the number 1 engine cylinder. Hand tighten the compression gauge only! Do not use any type of tool to get it tight.
- 5
Have your helper crank the engine till the needle on the compression gauge stops climbing.
Now, record on paper the value at which the needle stopped and the number of the engine cylinder on a piece of paper. Release the pressure on the gauge and repeat this step one more time.
Repeat this test step on the remaining 5 cylinders.
Let's take a look at what your test results mean:
CASE 1: You got 0 PSI on all cylinders. This test result indicates the engine has internal damage. The most likely causes will be:
- Broken timing belt.
- Blown head gasket.
- Blown engine.
Any compression value below 100 PSI (even if it does not 0 PSI) means internal mechanical engine trouble.
CASE 2: One or more cylinders have a compression value that is lower than the rest. This is could be normal -up to a certain point.
What is NOT normal is if the values vary too much. The cool thing is that we can find out if the variations in the values, you wrote down, indicate a problem (with that cylinder) or not. To interpret these test results, go to: How To Interpret The Compression Test Results.
