The dial will be laid out with percentages usually ranging from 0 to 100. The first set of results is right there in your hand displayed on the right hand dial on the leak down test tool.

Cylinder Leak Down Testing
Leak down test results. Put the vehicle in gear and. First of all do no expect a 0 reading. Air leaking out of the exhaust system indicates a leaking exhaust valve. Remove the spark plugs and rotate the engine to put the cylinder to be tested at tdc. A leak down test is one way a mechanic can find whether an engine has an internal problem instead of something external like a bad spark plug. Air leaking out of a breather indicates ring leakage.
A compression test is to determine how much pressure the engine makes and a leakdown test measures its ability to hold pressure. Leakdown testing is by far the best method for checking an engines basic condition. See all 14 photos engine compression atmospheric pressure at sea. Even for normally aspirated engines respectable leakage numbers would be anywhere from 8 to 12 percent with a variation between cylinders of 4 to 5 percent but its possible the variation could. This procedure is different and usually more accurate than a compression test which just measures the pressure inside a cylinder. Figure out which spark plug adapter works best and connect the gauge into the hole.
Consequently good cylinder leakdown readings should be below 5 8. Air leaking out of the carb indicates a leaking intake valve. Record leakage percentage for the cylinder. A leak down test can tell you quite a bit more about an engines mechanical health than a compression test can. A cylinder leak down or cylinder leakage test is actually similar to a compression test. The tester then measures the volume of air needed to maintain a predetermined pressure in the cylinder.
The leak down test measures pressure loss inside a cylinder. Browse recommended tools supplies for this build. Also a cylinder leak down test can pinpoint issues in specific areas that other tests can not. A cylinder leakage test is performed when a cylinder produces low compression and compressed air is available. The cylinder leak down test reading is expressed in a percentage. There are precious few engines with the build quality and strength to withhold 100 of air pressure.
So a compression test measures how well your engines cylinders are sealing. Doing a cylinder leak down test can tell you more about your engine than you think. A cylinder leak down test will indicate the area of the combustion chamber needing attention. They both test the sealing ability of the combustion chamber but the leak down can tell you how much is leaking and where its going. Then using a similar type of connector as the compression test we fill the cylinder with pressure. Step 1.