Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting What should the compression be?

Can some one tell me what the compression should be on 1996 2.0 DOHC Vtec?

I tested all 4 cylinders and got the same results for all cylinders. After the third stroke the compression stabilized.

first bump ~90 psi
second bump ~130 psi
after that ~155 psi

The car runs pretty well. I am searching for a coolant leak.

That sounds about right. It is important that they all be pretty even. The rule of thumb is the the lowest cylinder not be more than 25% lower than the highest cylinder.

What are you trying to resolve? Do you have a problem with the way the engine is running?

zetec not vtec

I am trying to solve a leaking coolant system. There are no obvious signs where the coolant is going. I have noticed some moisture around the coolant reservour bottle. But no puddles.

Yeah I messed up on the Vtech Ztech thing. Sorry guys. I am an RX-7 guy. The countour is my daughters car.

If all of your readings are even, it isn't likely that you have an obvious head gasket leak.

A better way to tell if you have a coolant leak into the cylinders is to remove the spark plugs and pressurize the cooling system after sitting overnight and then have someone crank the engine while you watch for coolant out of the plug holes.

Coolant leaks into the cylinders are sometimes hard to pin down. I'm betting that it is something else though.