Low compression happens as a result of various factors. But also, low compression can occur as a result of some worn out parts of the engine. To correct and ensure that your engine has the right compression which is measured in the cylinder, you should take it to a professional mechanic to perform a checkup. In this article, we’ve listed numerous symptoms that indicate that your engine compression is low and something needs to be done instantly.
The leak in the cylinder head
The cylinder head is based at the top of the engine block. It allows combustion by enabling fuel and air to go through the cylinder and then escape after the combination is burned. The cylinder head is bolted to the engine block with a gasket in the middle. In case the gasket breaks down, a tiny hole forms in the middle of the cylinder and cylinder head. This condition is referred to as a blown head gasket. The leak present in the gasket enables gases to escape and causes compression loss and poor engine performance. Overheating of the engine is the main cause of a blown head gasket. When you note a leak in the cylinder head, take your car to a mechanic to take care of the vehicle.
Bad valves
The cylinder of combustion functions perfectly when the valves are in good condition. So, when the valves are bad, there will be a low compression engine. This is because the intake and exhaust valves are usually based on the top of the cylinder. They function by the intake valve opening up and allowing fuel and air into the cylinder combustion. After combustion has taken place, the exhaust valve opens to get rid of the exhaust gases. When there are some valves that are bad or damaged, they don’t allow the other valves to seat well, enabling the gases to leak out. In return, this leads to loss of compression. The major cause of exhaust valve failure is due to overheating. The extremely heated valves break or warps, leading to leaks inside the cylinder and loss of compression. You should take your cart to the mechanic for replacing the damaged valves and prevent the leaks from occurring.
Holes in piston
The pistons of an engine are based on the cylinder. If they are damaged, there will be low compression inside the engine and the car won’t perform well. During combustion, hot gases push the piston, which as a result operates the crankshaft. The holes that develop in the piston are caused by overheating. These holes cause low compression and leakage. A low compression engine occurs when the hot spots wear out the holes in the pistons. As a result, the leaks lead to low compression as the gases do not build up in the combustion chamber. In addition, bad spark plugs, bad fuel injectors, and inferior gas with low octane are things that can lead to hot spots on the pistons and finally cause holes in the pistons.
Worn out piston rings
If the piston rings are worn out, they won’t be able to assist seal the piston to the cylinder walls. Change them immediately by taking your car to a mechanic and have them work on it right away.
Broken timing belt
For the car engine to function perfectly, it requires a timing belt or chain to keep the camshaft in correlation with the crankshaft. In case these sections fail to work well, the camshaft ceases turning which leads both the intake and exhaust valves to open and close. And when the camshaft is not turning, the engine is not in a position to make compression until the belt or chain is replaced with a new one.
