Cylinder Leakage Detection

WARNING: This page is about a different car, the 2013 Ford F-550 Super Duty, 2013 Ford F-450 Super Duty, 2013 Ford F-350 Super Duty, and 2013 Ford F-250 Super Duty. 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 spark 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 PCV connection. If air is passing through a blown head gasket to an adjacent cylinder, the noise will be evident at the spark 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.