Mechanical

 Symptoms of engine mechanical problems
 Typical engine mechanical diagnosis and

tune-up
 Decide what type of engine repair is needed
 Evaluating engine mechanical problems
 Service manual troubleshooting charts
© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only
 Excessive oil consumption
 Excessive crankcase blow by
 Noises
 Exhaust smoke
 Hard starting
 Poor performance
 Coolant in the oil
 Engine seizure
 Excessive fuel consumption
Indicate internal oil leakage into the combustion
chambers—caused by worn rings, cylinder walls, or
valve seals
 Causes:
a leak in the radiator oil cooler
 head gasket leakage
 a cracked block or head
 Causes:
 gaskets harden and crack
 seals wear
 fasteners work loose
 parts become warped or cracked
 To isolate leaks:
 clean the affected area
 trace the leak upward to its source
 Causes:
 hose problems
 rusted freeze (core) plugs
 warped, worn, or damaged parts
 Use a pressure tester to locate leaks
 May produce a hissing sound
 Affect idle quality more than high speed
conditions
 leaks represent a greater percentage of engine
airflow at idle than at high speed
 Produce a clicking sound
 Causes:
 leakingexhaust gaskets
 a warped exhaust manifold
 loose manifold bolts
The leakage path can be easily seen after exhaust
manifold removal
 Indicate part wear or damage
 Use a stethoscope to find internal noises
 A piece of hose can be used
 place
one end next to your ear, use the other end to
probe around the engine
• Intake
– Inlet valve is open
– Outlet valve is closed
– Piston moves from TDC to BDC
– Distance TDC to BDC = 180° crank angle
– Air-fuel mixture is sucked in by negative pressure in
cylinder
– Volume increases
– Pressure decreases
 Compression
 Inlet and outlet valves are closed
 Piston moves upwards from BDC to TDC
 Air-fuel mixture is compressed
 Volume decreases
 Pressure increases
 Ignition takes place some degree before TDC
 Power
 Inletand outlet valves remains closed
 Spark from the spark plug initiates combustion
 Highest combustion pressure at around 10° after
TDC
 Piston moves down from TDC to BDC
 Exhaust
 Inletvalves remains closed
 Exhaust valve opens
 Piston moves up from BDC to TDC
 Exhaust gases are pushed out of the cylinder
 The gap between rocker
arm tip and valve steam
 Camshaft base cam and shim on top

Steam of the valve
- Why valve timing is important for
valve clearance adjustment?
 A valve timing diagram is a graphical
representation of the opening and closing of the
intake and exhaust valve of the engine, The
opening and closing of the valves of the engine
depend upon the movement of piston from TDC
to BDC, This relation between piston and valves
is controlled by setting a graphical.
 Valve timing is an important part of the internal
combustion process as it regulates the flow of
fuel and air in and exhaust out of the
combustion chamber – that's the part of the
engine where the pistons compress the fuel and
air for combustion.
 If not, you could experience several
problems with your engine with improper
ignition timing like knocking, hard to start,
increase fuel usage, overheating, and
reduced power. The ignition timing error is
typically caused by damage internally like
the pistons or valves inside the engine.Jun
 Valve Lash or Valve Clearance is the gap
between the Rocker Arms
and the valve tappet. This clearance must be ti
ghtly controlled. If it is too little, the valves ma
y not seat properly. If it is too much, you create
valve train noise, and excess load on the valves
and valve train components.
 Too small valve clearance
 Earlyopening and
 Late closing
 Too large valve clearance
 Late opening and
 Early closing
CA 0 180 360 540 720
FO
 Measures the amount of pressure produced
during the compression stroke
 Performed any time symptoms point to cylinder
pressure leakage
 rough idle
 popping noise in intake or exhaust
 blue exhaust smoke
 excess blowby
 Engine is cranked
through at least four
compression strokes.
 The cylinders are
measured and compared
to determine
compression loss.
 Bring the engine to operating temperature
 Remove all spark plugs
 Block open the throttle
 Disable the ignition and fuel injection
 Screw the compression tester into a spark plug
hole
 Crank the engine through 4–6 compression
strokes, noting the readings
 Repeat for each cylinder
 Give your analysis for the following possible
compression test results
1. The gauge reading does not increase with each

compression stroke.
2. The cylinders have about similar readings that are less
than the spec..
3. Low compression reading in one or two cylinders.
4. Low compression readings on two cylinders that are
located next to each other.
5. A compression pressure reading that is greater than the
spec..
Intake Valve
Exhaust valve
Head Gasket
Rings
 If you get a cylinder that reads low, there is a leak
somewhere
 You can confirm or eliminate the rings as a source of
leakage by conducting a wet compression test.
 Wet Compression Test
 Squirt oil into sparkplug hole
 Crank engine over several times
 Retest compression
 If compression increases, rings are worn

 If No change, the leak is somewhere else
 Performed if a cylinder fails a compression test
 Helps isolate cylinder and ring problems from
valve problems
 Oil is squirted into the cylinder before the
compression test
 if the pressure rises, the rings and cylinder are
suspect
 if the pressure does not rise, the valves are suspect
A. Perform dry test B. Squirt oil into cylinder
C. Measure again
 Use a diesel compression gauge that reads up to
approximately 600 psi
(4000 kPa)
 Remove the injectors or the glow plugs
 Install the tester in the recommended hole
 Disable the injection pump
 Crank the engine, noting the readings
 Repeat for each cylinder
 Refer to service manual for specifications
 Typical gasoline engines
 125–175 psi (860–1200 kPa)
 Typical diesel engines
 275–400 psi (1900–2750 kPa)
 Maximum variation 10–15% between cylinders
 If a compression test shows that any of the
cylinders are leaking, a cylinder leakage test
can be performed to measure the percentage
of compression lost and to help locate the
source of leakage.
 Measures the amount of air leakage out of a
cylinder
 Shop air pressure is forced into the cylinder on
Top Dead Center
 Pressure gauge reads percentage of leakage out
of the cylinder
 Typical maximum leakage is 20%
 If leakage exceeds specifications, listen at
various points to isolate leakage
 Oil filler cap—ring leakage
 Throttle body—intake valve leakage
 Exhaust pipe—exhaust valve leakage
 Radiator bubbles—head gasket or cracked head,
block
 Use this tester to
pin-point specific
malfunctions in the
cylinder.
 This tester pumps
air into the cylinder.
 You listen to where
it leaks out.
 Connect air supply to the tester and
calibrate the tester.
 Remove the spark plug, attach the adapter
and get the cylinder at TDC between the
compression and power strokes.
 Connect the air supply to the cylinder and
listen for where the air escapes.
 If the leakage is 20% or less the cylinder is OK. If
not check the following:
 Air escaping from the tail pipe.
 Burnt exhaust valve.
 Air escaping from the throttle body.
 Burnt intake valve.
 Air Escaping from the oil filler.
 Bad piston rings.
 Air escaping from radiator cup
 Defective gasket or crack
 Air escaping from adjacent cylinder
 Worn gasket or crack
 1. Why must the cylinder that is being tested
during a cylinder leakage test be at TDC?
 2. What is the advantage of a cylinder leakage
test over a compression test?
 The cylinder power balance test is
used to check if all of the engine’s
cylinders are producing the same
amount of power.
 Ideally, all cylinders will produce the
same amount of power.
 To check an engine’s power balance,
each cylinder is disabled, one at a
time, and the change in engine speed
is recorded.
 Start the engine and warm it up to operating
temperature ,
 Connect the tachometer to the engine and set the idle
speed ,
 Short circuit each cylinder in turn and keep a record of the
rpm loss for each,
 No rpm loss or very little loss in a cylinder indicates:
-- faulty ignition
-- poor compression
-- a vacuum leak or
-- any problem affecting engine
compression.
 On an engine in good condition a normal rpm loss variation
would be 25 % at most. Trouble is clearly evident if the
loss variation is 50% or more, and 70% to 100% is an almost
sure indication of a bad plug or a compression or vacuum
leak.
Percent of variation by cylinders = Highest rpm loss – lowest rpm loss
Highest rpm loss
 Locates a misfiring
cylinder.
 Manually
 Scopes have built-in
power balance test.
 Car’s computer will
run it’s own cylinder
balance test. Need a
scan tool.
 Remove each plug wire one at a time
listen for drop in engine RPM. If there in
no drop the misfiring cylinder is located.
This test is tough in the catalytic
converter.
 Remove the fuel injector wire to each
cylinder one at a time. This way the
converter won’t be over loaded with fuel.
 This test is built in on many engine
analyzers.
 With many new cars, this test can be run
with the scan tool.
Unequal cylinder power balance can be caused by the
following problems:
 Defective ignition coil

 Defective spark plug wire
 Defective or worn spark plug
 Damaged head gasket
 Worn piston rings
 Damaged piston
 Damaged or burned valves
 Broken valve spring
 Worn camshaft
 Defective lifters, pushrods, and/or rocker arms
 Leaking intake manifold
 Faulty fuel injector
 Measuring intake manifold vacuum is
another way to diagnose the condition of
an engine. Vacuum is formed by the
downward movement of the pistons
during their intake stroke. If the cylinder
is sealed, a maximum amount will be
formed.
 Manifold vacuum is tested with a vacuum
gauge.
 Used to measure
manifold vacuum
 Measured in inches
of mercury (“Hg)
 Great screening tool
for engine problems
 Must be connected
to the intake
manifold
 Vacuum gauge readings can be interpreted to
identify many engine conditions, including
the ability of the cylinder to seal, the timing
of the opening and closing of the engine’s
valves, and ignition timing. Ideally each
cylinder of an engine will produce the same
amount of vacuum.
 Conditions that can be revealed by vacuum
readings follow:
 Stuck or burned valves,
 Improper valve or ignition timing,
 Weak valve springs,
 Faulty PCV, EGR, or other emission-related system,
 Uneven compression,
 Worn rings or cylinder walls,
 Leaking head gaskets,
 Vacuum leaks,
 Restricted exhaust system,
 Ignition defects.
 Stethoscope helpful
in isolating noises
but a big
screwdriver, dowel
rod or heater hose
can also work.
 Sort out bearing
noises such as
alternators and
water pumps.
Noise diagnosis (using stethoscope)
 Decision by the help of the diagnosis made
above to remove and overhaul the engine.
 After performing inspections and tests, decide
what part or parts must be repaired or replaced
 Evaluate your pre-teardown diagnosis
 If you still can’t determine the problem,
partially disassemble the engine for further
inspection
Causes an engine miss, a popping sound at the
throttle body or exhaust
Causes tapping noise, oil
consumption, spark plug
fouling, or stem breakage
 Lets oil drain through the clearance between the
stem and guide
 Oil will be pulled into the intake port and
burned
 Causes blue exhaust smoke, especially after
startup
 Caused by valve stem fatigue or by a broken or
weak valve spring
 Usually causes severe piston and cylinder
damage
 Valve stem rusts or corrodes and locks in the
valve guide
 May happen when the engine sits in storage
 Excess engine speed, weakened valve springs, or
lifter problems cause the valves to remain
partially open
 Usually occurs at higher engine speeds
 Engine may miss, pop, or backfire
Causes reduced compression and power
 May break, jump off its sprockets, or skip a few
teeth
 Severe lack of power, no-start, and valve
damage can result
 Worn cam lobes
 Worn journals
 Broken cams
 Worn distributor drive gear
 Loose or worn fuel pump drive eccentric
Reduces valve lift and power output
 May cause clatter (light tapping noise)
 Rocker arms may wear
 Push rods may be bent
 To check, roll the push rods on a flat bench
Excess clearance can produce noise
 Worn or defective hydraulic lifters may produce
valve clatter
 To check, remove the valve cover
 Try adjusting the valves
 If adjustment will not quiet the noise, check for
valve train wear
 If the valve train passes, the lifter is bad
 Low oil pressure can cause lifter noise
Loud, metallic knock that is loudest when
the engine is cold
 Too much clearance between the piston pin and
the pin bore or connecting rod bushing
 Makes a double knock
 The noise does not change much with engine
load
 Results from prolonged preignition or detonation
 Causes low compression, blowby, smoking, and
rough idle
 Journal wear
 Main bearing wear
 Rod bearing wear
 Low oil pressure
 Light, regular rapping noise with the engine
floating
 Loudest after warm-up
 Caused by wear and excessive rod bearing-to-
crankshaft clearance
 To locate, short out or disconnect the spark plug
wires, one at a time
 The knocking bearing may quiet down when its
cylinder is disabled
 Similar to rod bearing knock, but slightly
deeper in pitch
 More pronounced when the engine is under
load
 Worn bearings and journals are letting the
crankshaft move up and down
 Usually reduces oil pressure
 To verify, remove the oil pan and pressure
test the lubrication system
 Excessive oil flowing out of one or more of
the main bearings implies too much bearing
clearance
 If the crankshaft is not worn, the bearing
inserts may be replaced
 Caused by a worn main thrust bearing
 May produce a deep knock when applying or
releasing the clutch
 On an automatic transmission, a single thud or
knock may occur during acceleration or
deceleration
 Allow the engine to move in the vehicle
 To check:
 open the hood
 engage the parking brake
 shift transmission into drive or into gear
 with the brakes on, slowly increase engine speed or
release the clutch pedal
 if the engine moves excessively, the mounts may be
broken
 Charts list possible problems and needed repairs
 Refer to the chart when you have difficulty
locating or correcting an engine mechanical
problem

Mechanical

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Mechanical

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 Symptoms of engine mechanical problems

 Typical engine mechanical diagnosis and

 Camshaft base cam and shim on top

1. The gauge reading does not increase with each

 If compression increases, rings are worn

 Defective ignition coil

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