Cylinder Leakage Detection

WARNING: This page is about a different car, the 2011 Ford Pickup, 2011 Ford F550 Super Duty, 2011 Ford F450 Super Duty, and 2011 Ford Cab & Chassis. However, it is still accessible from the selected car via links, so may be relevant.

When a cylinder produces a low reading, use of a cylinder leakage tester will be helpful in pinpointing the exact cause.

The leakage tester is inserted in the glow plug hole, the piston is brought up to dead center on the compression stroke and compressed air is admitted.

Once the combustion chamber is pressurized, the leakage tester gauge will read the percentage of leakage. Leakage exceeding 20% is excessive.

While the air pressure is retained in the cylinder, listen for the hiss of escaping air. A leak at the intake valve will be heard in the Throttle Body (TB). A leak at the exhaust valve can be heard at the tail pipe. Leakage past the piston rings will be audible at the crankcase vent oil separator connection. If air is passing through a blown head gasket to an adjacent cylinder, the noise will be evident at the glow plug hole of the cylinder into which the air is leaking. Cracks in the cylinder block or gasket leakage into the cooling system may be detected by a stream of bubbles in the radiator.