2002 Honda Accord SE, 4 Cylinder- Cylinder Compression issues

[amanda]

Hi all,
The engine light on my 2002 honda accord just went on. I took it to the shop they replaced the spark plug but also said the compression was low on cylinder 1. They said it was at 100lbs and should be around 150 lbs. They said the check engine light might come back on for that. After two starts, the check engine light is back on. How concerned should I be? It misses while idle and when it goes into the 65-70 mph range. Whats the problem? Maybe a head gasket issue? Is it safe to drive? How much should it cost to get fixed.. I've also noticed slightly worse gas milage. Should that be a concern? The missing started after my last oil change, and 3 weeks later, the check engine light came on. Did the person who did my oil change potentially mess up my car?

 

[amanda]

Forgot to mention, car has 117k miles on it.

 

[Grumpy AuContraire]

Hi all,
The engine light on my 2002 honda accord just went on. I took it to the shop they replaced the spark plug but also said the compression was low on cylinder 1. They said it was at 100lbs and should be around 150 lbs. They said the check engine light might come back on for that. After two starts, the check engine light is back on. How concerned should I be? It misses while idle and when it goes into the 65-70 mph range. Whats the problem? Maybe a head gasket issue? Is it safe to drive? How much should it cost to get fixed.. I've also noticed slightly worse gas milage. Should that be a concern? The missing started after my last oil change, and 3 weeks later, the check engine light came on. Did the person who did my oil change potentially mess up my car?

With 100 lb compression, the cylinder still should fire.

Low compression can indicate the condition of valves and rings primarily.

If compression is low and introduction of some oil into that cylinder results in a better reading, worn or broken ring(s) are indicated. If no change, a valve may be in the process of being burned.

Additionally, low compression can indicate a head gasket problem but usually this is accompanied by other symptoms such as coolant in the exhaust, oil in the coolant etc. Many times, low compression will occur in adjoining cylinders.

If the car has been maintained properly, 117K (as indicated in your follow up post) is way too early for serious problems of this nature but I'm sure that others here will offer good advice.

JT

 

[John (15)]

The check engine light should have a number, something P-0301. What code(s) do you have?

Spark misses may be caused by a bad spark plug wire or plugs among other things (EGR system). In this case you already have new plugs and maybe should also check/replace wires if not already (but they should still be good at 117K miles).

Low compression is most likely piston ring wear or valve sealing problem. It may be as simple as adjusting valve clearances but can get as involved as replacing piston rings for example.

Besides the simple oil trick mentioned (if squirting oil seals then you know it's the piston rings), you may want to consider a "leak-down test".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leak-down_tester

 

[John (15)]

Don't know about the oil change causal factor, at least not as obvious as doing a timing belt or tune-up for example. But where was it done, Honda dealer? What type of oil/filter?

 

[jim beam]

Hi all,
The engine light on my 2002 honda accord just went on. I took it to the shop they replaced the spark plug but also said the compression was low on cylinder 1. They said it was at 100lbs and should be around 150 lbs. They said the check engine light might come back on for that. After two starts, the check engine light is back on. How concerned should I be? It misses while idle and when it goes into the 65-70 mph range. Whats the problem? Maybe a head gasket issue? Is it safe to drive? How much should it cost to get fixed.. I've also noticed slightly worse gas milage. Should that be a concern? The missing started after my last oil change, and 3 weeks later, the check engine light came on. Did the person who did my oil change potentially mess up my car?

three potential causes:

1. burnt valve. expensive.
2. blown gasket. expensive, but easy to differentiate from other symptoms.
3. worn or cracked rings. expensive.

bottom line, an oil test will tell you if it's a ring or valve/gasket, and a look in the radiator when running will tell you if it's the gasket.

from here, you have two choices

1. get the repair work done. many labor hours and thus a huge cost.
four digits.

2. replace the engine with a used jdm import. three digits typically.

if it were my car, i'd look into the latter option. not because the old engine can't be repaired, but because cheap and available low mileage import engines make so much more sense.