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Make your own compression tester!
Posted: Mon Aug 03, 2009 12:08 am
by Mick_Anik
Step One: Enjoy a bottle of wine with friends, and save the cork.
Step Two: Wait until sober, and drill a small hole throught the cork, lengthwise.
Step Three: Fit a balloon over one end of the cork, and whittle away the other end if necessary until it can by pushed snugly into the spark plug hole.
Step Four: Hold the cork to stop it blowing out, and spin the engine. Do this on each cylinder - you've probably guessed by now.....the balloon should inflate with equal vigour on each cylinder. A limp balloon signals trouble ahead!
For more accuracy, go and buy a good-quality compression tester - they never lie!
Posted: Mon Aug 03, 2009 12:19 am
by d_harris
Are the friends a requirement??
Posted: Mon Aug 03, 2009 12:23 am
by Mick_Anik
No, but you'd have to wait longer to get started on the project!
Posted: Mon Aug 03, 2009 7:38 am
by d_harris
You've not met some of the folk on here have you
Posted: Mon Aug 03, 2009 10:34 pm
by bmcecosse
Any chance of some pictures of this in action - I like a good laugh!
Posted: Tue Aug 04, 2009 8:27 am
by MarkyB
4 corks, 4 balloons Video. Priceless.
Posted: Tue Aug 04, 2009 12:57 pm
by simmitc
And how many hands to hold the corks, crank the engine, hold the camera...
Posted: Tue Aug 04, 2009 1:31 pm
by 8009STEVE
I wasn't quite thinking on those lines.
Posted: Tue Aug 04, 2009 5:47 pm
by MarkyB
how many hands
This would be where the friends come in handy.
Otherwise a bit more whittling and it should be possible to screw some of the cork into the plug thread.
No idea if that would be enough to hold it but a bit of experimentation would find a solution.
I'm thinking the balloons would just pump up as they wont be pushing air back with as much force as the engine is pushing it in.
Still sounds entertaining though
.
Posted: Tue Aug 04, 2009 7:17 pm
by bmcecosse
Entertaining - yes. Useful - NO!
Posted: Tue Aug 04, 2009 9:58 pm
by Mick_Anik
Entertainment is a fine thing!
Posted: Tue Aug 04, 2009 10:44 pm
by Kevin
Sorry to be a pain with a good joke but I am moving it to the relevant off topic section.
Posted: Wed Aug 05, 2009 7:36 am
by RogerRust
Why not attack an old spark plug I'm sure it should be possible to break the ceramic parts out to make a balloon adapter, just make sure no shrapnel falls down the plug hole.
Posted: Wed Aug 05, 2009 8:02 am
by Stig
How about a party whistle instead of a balloon? - you could measure how far each one rolls out to estimate the compression.
Posted: Wed Aug 05, 2009 11:20 am
by Mick_Anik
A great development from Stig 28!
Is it possible to buy party whistles of varying musical pitch? Great possibilities on a Jaguar V12 engine!
I'll get on to the patent office right away.
Posted: Wed Aug 05, 2009 12:26 pm
by alainmoran
Now THAT I would like to see ... I'm very VERY tempted to nip out to the £1 shop and see if they have any