It is important to perform a compression test every time a tune up is done as part of preventative maintenance. If the compression is higher then you know its a piston ring problem because the oil will temporarily seal the rings to the cylinder wall.

How To Do A Compression Test In Under 30 Minutes
How to check engine compression without a gauge. Symptoms of a compression problem can include hard starting erratic idling loss of power under load and hard starting when the engine is hot. The first cylinder is on the rightmost ones in most engines. A spark plug socket will insert it easily. Disconnect the main wire to the coil and spark plug. Have someone sit in the drivers seat with the engine off the gearshift in park or neutral and the parking brake on. A compression test is a good way to measure the condition of the rings cylinders and valves.
Step 1 remove the fuel pump and fuel injection fuses. I was told to try testing the compression of that cylinder but i dont know how to without using a gauge. If your engine is running rough or is lacking power. They allow you to have the right clearance and other stuff to properly measure the engine compression in that cylinder. Consider doing a compression test. If you find a cylinder with low compression put a small amount of engine oil into the cylinder and retest the compression.
Pull the big wire that leads to the coil from the. Note the circular cylinders and the timing belt on the engines front. The only efficient and accurate way to test for compression is with a compression gauge which resembles a tire gauge. If air is leaking somewhere in the engine you will notice a drop in compression. Put the compression test adapter into the engines first cylinder. With a compression tester a few hand tools and 20 minutes you can try this yourself.
Look down on the engine to figure out which cylinder is closest to the front of the engine. The next step depends on the type of distributor you have. Those silver threaded pieces that came with your compression testing kit are adapters. On vehicles with distributors. Heres how to use a compression gauge. Remove one spark plug and insert the appropriate testing adapter.
Number 23and 4 act sluggish when i remove the plug wire from the plug but number 1 there is no difference when i remove it so i am assuming number 1 cylinder is not firing.