imported_tocivic

1995 D15B7 engine. My friend checked the compression on all 4 cylinders for me. Cylinder 2 has zero compression! The other 3 cylinders have 180 psi of compression. Is it even possible to have zero compression on just 1 cylinder? If the cylinder is moving (I assume the cylinder moves because the crankshaft is turning), I thought there will be some sort of compression (even maybe 10 or 20 psi), but not ZERO!

Can any one please tell me if this is even possible? The car does shake at idle when starting up cold, and then stalls after the engine is warmed up. I can fire it up again, but it would shake again until it stalls.

It does seem like cylinder 2 is not firing, but the dizzy and the spark plugs and wires are all good. So, do you think it's really the zero compression that's causing the problem?

Please let me know. Thanks for all your help in advance.

turbo___zc1

i would check for a bent or damaged valve

imported_Cablerat

If the car shakes and can't keep itself alive, you probably have a blown chamber.

If the cylinder itself was not firing and had compression, the car would NOT stall. You pretty much will have to throw the engine away. Not worth anything, not worth fixing.

Zero is possible. If your valve is blown, you have a hole in the camber, so trying to compress the chamber will just pour out the blown valve.

chris_si98

your timing is off.

imported_starboy869

I don't think timing would be off on just one cylinder.

I would do a leak down test with cylinder # 2 at TDC. A leak down test would let you know where the problem is.

ie. headgasket, bent valve, toasted rings, etc.

imported_tocivic

Thanks for all your reply. How do I tell where the problem is by doing a leak down test on cylinder #2?

Are there specific values from the leak down test that will tell me what the problem is?

Thanks.

imported_tocivic

Thanks. If a valve is blown, can't I just replace the valve? Do I really need to throw away the engine? The other cylinders in the engine are perfectly okay. What is required to replace the valve? Just need to take off the head to replace the valve, correct?

Please let me know. Thanks.

imported_Cablerat

You could replace just the valve, but the cost of removing the head, replacing the valve + seal + headgasket + head bolts are not worth the value of the engine, let alone the grief of ripping an engine apart.

Generally it's not worth replacing just one valve anyway, because if one valve cracked, the likely hood of the other valves being in bad shape are much higher. It also depends on the mileage, but usually an engine will not blow unless it's been oil starved or has very high mileage.. If it's been oil starved, that means it's probably burning oil. So replacing that valve may not solve all the problems. If it's high mileage, the other parts are nearing their lifespan anyway. Either you rebuild the whole thing, or throw it away and get a used JDM D15B replacement.

They can be picked up for like $350-400 at Tiger Japan or other shops.

A leakdown test will tell you how much a cylinder is leaking and the sound of the leak will tell you where it's coming from, Either the valve, piston ring or gasket. Say you have a bad piston ring. You do the leakdown, you will hear the hissing coming from the oil pan area (oil pan bolt off).

A perfect engine will have like 0% leakdown. The leakdown meter will have scales. 10% leak, you most likely have bad seals, rings or gasket.

imported_starboy869

For a leakdown test

If you hear hissing from your :

Intake : Intake valve toast
Exhaust: Exhaust valve toast
Oil dip stick tube: Rings
Rad. bubbles: Headgasket.
Oil filler cap: valve seals??? ( i think)

1sloweg

To replace the valve you have compress the valve spring, remove the keepers, depress the valve spring, take the valve out.

The new valve you just dont slam into the head, there is prep work required


The face must be ground to a 44 degree angle , and the valve seat must be ground to a 45 degree anlge.

Resinstall the valve . There must be an over hang of 1/64th on each end. Also make sure the tip is chanfered to a 1/32nd min.


If you can understand what im saying and have the equipment to do it, then go for it.

But from what ive read, your incapable of even removing the cylinder head so my suggestion to you is to replace that motor with a used japanese motor.

pm me if your interested

imported_mikepasini

mine leakdown tested 0% at 500psi too... so i rebuilt it... and now it leakdown tested at -50% (built so strong it makes vaccuum) at 650psi...

i'll take your head off for you... i just need a crowbar, some wd-40 and a hammer... and maybe a wrench or two...

imported_tocivic

If I really need to replace the engine, can any one recommend a good shop in Toronto that will order the engine and install it for me, and give me a warranty on both the engine and the installation? How much will it cost approximately?

Please let me know. Thanks.

imported_starboy869

It would be best to contact a shop yourself.

While your replacing the engine, get the t-belt, water pump, tensioner replaced. Also you should get a new clutch disc / pressure plate if required.

I would get a leak down test done before you drop the $$$ for an engine.

imported_mikepasini

PM me for contact info for reliable cheap engine swap...

sleeper_civic

Burned valve.
Most of the time I seen this situations it was from a burnt valve

imported_Cablerat

Yeah as starboy says, get a leakdown to confirm that the engine is pretty much done. For all we know, you may not be screwing in the compression tester properly on that cylinder and it's leaking out the top..

imported_tocivic

The compression tester was removed a few times and screwed in properly everytime. Remember, we were able to get good compression on the other 3 cylinders, so I think my friend knows how to use a compression tester properly.

Xgenturbo

I had this happen a long time ago to an old 89 civic I owned, turned out that the valve split in half (like a crack up the stem) and one side of the seat cracked and chipped off, so there was no compression at all in this cylinder

this was an exhaust valve, so the car would backfire like crazy from all of that fuel entering the exhaust stream.

imported_mikepasini

but the reason they are recommending a leakdown tester is that rather than cranking the engine and seeing what it gets, it forces air into it at a constant rate which will easily show you if there is a leak... thats #1... also, since you know what the bad cylinder is then do the leakdown test on the one cylinder and like stated above, you listen for the air escaping and that usually how you can roughly diagnose what's going on.

imported_Cablerat

^^^ Exactly.. Point is, before you fork out like $800 to have someone install a used engine, guarantee 100% that the engine in the car right now is blown..

Compression testers are not sufficient to determine engine condition.