I want to buy a relatively inexpensive compression tester. What do you guys recommend? I am seeing some good deals on ebay. Any brands to stay away from?

 

I use to have a Matco CT and it worked great. Matco, SnapOn, Mac, Craftsman should be okay.

 

while the topic is out there, what all is involved in the process? Can the novice mechanic do this?

 

i might add that a cylinder leak down tester is also a good tool to have
Nolan, its as easy as changing your spark plugs

 

can you explain a little more in depth? Just a quick summary of the process.

 

i believe you plug in the compression tester in place of the spark plug in the cylinder you are testing, then you crank the engine a bit. the guage should now say how much psi the compression is in that cylinder. i did it on an integra in school.

 

make sure you pull the fuse for the fuel pump. You want to make sure you have the throttle all the way open as well.

other than, pretty simple. Most autoparts stores, especially NAPA will have the basic gauge compression testers. There are electronic ones, but they are a waste of money.

 

wrx2yota, do you know if it matters where the piston is at b4 testing the compression?

 

nope.. piston location doesn't matter.

You want to crank it for about 10 seconds to get a good reading.

 

and you may want to put a low amp battery charger on it while your testing, because after you crank it for 10 sec a few times the engine will start to turn slower because your loading the battery pretty good, when it turns slower you will not get accurate readings because the piston is moving slower so the air in the cylinder has more time to leak by the rings, thus giving you lower results

 

What do you think of mityvac name brand compression tester?