Compression test results can some take a look

yeah i think i will do that drop the sump off and drop the pistons out.have the valves reseated and hone the bores and drop some bigend shells on.at lease this should masively improve performance and fuel consumption. also just a quick one does advancing the the timming increase or decrease fuel consumption.

The pistons won't come out the bottom fyi, But I think its worth while.
Have a look at Realsteel.co.uk there prices are good and only supply good parts!

smudge67999 said:

yeah i think i will do that drop the sump off and drop the pistons out.have the valves reseated and hone the bores and drop some bigend shells on.at lease this should masively improve performance and fuel consumption. also just a quick one does advancing the the timming increase or decrease fuel consumption.

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Far easier to remove the engine and do it properly than to do it in situ. Clean everything then new gaskets and bearings all over etc etc. Much muchhhh easier to do on a stand or on the bench.

it's not unheard of for some testers to be crap. i wonder if it's worth trying another one

Where are you from btw?

trax said:

it's not unheard of for some testers to be crap. i wonder if it's worth trying another one

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That does sound like a better alternative than some of us jumping to conclusions of total rebuild...

hi from wolverhampton westmidlands. i know it probably easier to drop engine but tbh you can do it in situ and i can drop the heads off and push the pistons out the top. plus the car can act as a craddle for holding the engine as i dont really have the facility to put it on a bench. i brought the compression tester new only 2days ago off ebay its a amtech one its got the airline adaptor seems good,

if it's a fifteen quid special, i'd probably ask a garage to double check.

it probably is what you say, but what a pita if it isn't.

got access to another vehicle?
if so try it out on that..save a garage bill..

smudge67999 said:

yeah i think i will do that drop the sump off and drop the pistons out.have the valves reseated and hone the bores and drop some bigend shells on.at lease this should masively improve performance and fuel consumption. also just a quick one does advancing the the timming increase or decrease fuel consumption.

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A bandage at best. Your cam could be totally fooked. If your engine is that bad at 78k miles the rest will be fooked also. A total engine out rebuild to say the least. or another engine as transplant. Poor maintenance to say the least, for the cause of your problems

yes my son-inlaw has the same vehicle so will be testing the compression on his to eliminate faulty tool. as for the cam engine sounds sweet so i would exspect some top end noise if that was fooked. im just going to do the valves rings and throw some bigend shells at it.and take alook at the shims and cam. thanks for all your suggestions will post back when its all done. i have been offered a donor engine for 200.00 says its a good engine but what says that dont have same issues. at least half rebuilding engine i know it should have all its compression back.hopefully.

You'd be surprised what Rover V8s will let you get away with!

I really would replace the cam, tappets, timing chain and gears while youre at it. Its not that expensive and if you're honing bores or replacing piston rings it makes sense, as Thor said, if its this bad at ~80k miles then the rest could be buggered.

I thought anything below 110psi was bad? How the dickin's was it still running? My 3.5 has 140-150 except for number 7 which is 160 for some reason, but as stated, it's poor oil changing regime that has destroyed that engine. A chap at RPI told me to always use engine oil with a high zinc content as it helps to preserve the hydraulic tappets against the forces applied to the cam and vice versa, so I change the oil every 3,000 miles and I have never had a RV8 get the rattle of death yet. Actually the above statement is bollox, I've changed my oil twice in 12 months and covered 900 miles, doh.
First thing I do with any RV8 vehicle I get is remove the sump and clean out the sludge if there is any, and clean out the oil pick up strainer, and then worry and fret about maintenance regimes, still, it gets me out of the house

hi yes i do agree with what you say about the cam and timming chain. and yes i cant understand how the engine still performes so well and starts fine. and i have done the test twice as the first time i dident open throttle when cranking over and i took a plug out 1by1. so second time i got engine running temp. removed all plugs and throttle wide open and cranked engine. the tool kit is bran new i used with a quick release air fitting type. but like i say i only got suspicion when i exhausted everything what causes heavy fuel comp. and only thing not done was compression test. after removing plugs the 1 side totaly black and the n/s nearly the same. so it must be compression as the fuel wont be getting burnt off properly and giving rich mixture i think thats right. its just a bugger. see when i brought this motor 12mths ago its got a 2" lift kit fitted and i think its been thrapped as the auto box gave up just after i had it and i converted it to manual. the forward plates had burnt out.so this is more than likely y such low miles engine is unhealth compression. see my son in law has one with 168000 on clock but his has been superbly looked after and you can tell how much better his engine is and its great on fuel.

Ever thought it might have been clocked? have you looked under the rocker cover to see what it looks like?

Sounds to me like the cam timing is out......

hi what will i look for under the rocker cover. sludge and stuff like that,

smudge67999 said:

hi what will i look for under the rocker cover. sludge and stuff like that,

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something like this

http://forum.ih8mud.com/attachments/sludge-jpg.1530/

take a pic and post it up. but yea it colour and build up really

hi yes i will take photo when i get the rocker cover off.thanks