Engine Overhaul

Supervision: Student name:

Dr. Mohamed Mohey •George Merzek
•Bola Boles
•Joseph Mokbel
•Antonous Nawar
Contents:
1. Introduction to Engine Overhaul
2. Engine Tests
a) Test 1: Engine Compression Test
b) Test 2: Cylinder Leak Down Test
c) Test 3: Oil Pressure Test
d) Test 4: Oil Leakage Test
e) Test 5: Vacuum Test

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Introduction
Maintenance
A series of procedures made to preserve a certain efficiency and
performance over time.

Maintenance service types:

1- Preventative maintenance:
This is done before a failure occurs and consists of many types like:
A- Time-Based Maintenance -every 10,000 Km, every
6 months.
B- Risk-Based Maintenance: Equipment that has a higher risk and
consistent failures needs more maintenance and inspection,

Ex. Relief pressure valves.

(All Specified by the manufactured)

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2- Corrective maintenance:
This type is done after a failure has occurred to fix/replace a part.

3- Emergency maintenance:
Immediate failure of vehicle’s part that may cause the vehicle to
stop, usually happens because of neglecting the two previous
types..

4- Overhauls :
A complete failure of a subsystem due to lifetime expiry and it’s the
most expensive type. We will study this thoroughly in this chapter.

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Engine’s poor performance shows in:
• Engine power loss.

• High fuel consumption.

.• High oil consumption.

• Engine rough idle.

Engine light check, noises, smokes and exhaust colors doesn’t

necessarily mean we need overhaul, they are only indicators of a
problem, so we must check the above steps.

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Test (1): Engine Compression Tests:
Engine compression test is one of the fundamental engine diagnostics (Wet - dry)
For smooth operation, all cylinders must have equal compression.

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1- Dry Compression Test

Test Steps:
Step 1:
Disable the injectors or Spark Distributor in old cars.

Step 2:
There is no need to obstruct the air path so remove the air filter and the
throttle must be open at 100%.

Step 3:
Remove the spark plug then thread a compression gauge into one spark
plug hole and crank the engine (5-7 times) until the gauge needle stop
moving while wide open throttle.

Step 4:
Record the reading, repeat on all cylinders and compare the results.. 1/2
2- Wet Compression Test :
If the dry test indicated leakage, we preform
dry compression test similarly but with oil
added inside the cylinders to specify the
leakage location whether from the cylinder
head or engine block.

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b) Test (2): Cylinder Leak Down Test

• Another type of compression test is the Cylinder Leak Down

Test/ Compression loss test/ Smoke test.

• This involves injecting air -some used to infuse color- under

pressure into the cylinders one at a time.

• Amount and location of escaping air help the technician

determine the engine’s condition.

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Test steps:
• Step 1: Move the piston of the cylinder to
TDC to make sure all valves are closed and
this where the greatest cylinder leakage occurs
during the compression stroke.

• Step 2: Connect the pressure leakage test

hose to the compressed air system (5 - 10
bar).

• Step 3: connect the tester via the spark plug

thread of the cylinder.

• Step 4: Inject air into the cylinder (using high

flow hose), rotate the engine as required by
firing order -to save time- to test each cylinder
at TDC on the compression stroke. 1/2
Evaluate the Results
• Less than 40% leakage: good/ Green.
• Less than 70% leakage: poor /Yellow, Find the
cause.
• More than 70% leakage: Engine run down/ Red.

If it’s yellow, do the following steps to find the leakage source:

• Unscrew the radiator cover.

• We take off the oil dipstick.

• Open the throttle blades

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With our ears, we should determine the leakage happens from
where:
1. If the air goes out from the oil dipstick port, so the problem is from
the piston rings.
2. If the air goes out from the throttle or intake manifold, so the intake
valve has a problem.
3. If the air goes out from the exhaust system, so the exhaust valve
has a problem.
4. If there are bubbles go out from the radiator port, so the cylinder
head gasket has a problem.

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The compression tests we have studied are the essential tests to determine
whether we need an overhaul or not, but there are more tests we can perform
on the engine to evaluate the whole condition we are working with, which
we will look into briefly.

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c) Test (3): Oil Pressure Test
Test steps:
• Step 1: Run the engine until operating
temperature.
• Step 2: With the engine off, remove
the oil pressure switch then thread an oil
pressure gauge into the threaded hole.

• Step 3: Start the engine and observe the gauge.

• Step 4: Record oil pressure at idle and 5000 RPM.

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Test Results:

Oil Pressure Specifications:

• At Idle: 14 Psi or more. / AT 5000 RPM: 43 Psi or more.

• If the oil pressure is out of specification, check oil pump, oil filter

and lubrication line (cracks in the engine body).

• If the oil pressure warning light is turned ON and oil pressure is in

specification, replace the oil pressure switch.

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d) Test 4: Oil Leakage Test

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b) Test Introduction
(5): Cylinder Leak Down Test
18

Definition
Vacuum is pressure below atmospheric pressure, measured in
inches (or millimeters) of mercury (Hg).

Importance
• An engine in good mechanical condition will run with high manifold
vacuum.
•Manifold vacuum is developed by the pistons as they move down on
the intake stroke
• Vacuum tests include testing the engine for cranking vacuum, idle
vacuum.
1-Cranking Vacuum:

The engine should be at operating

temperature and the throttle closed.

•Step 1: Disable the ignition or fuel injection.

•Step 2: Connect the vacuum gauge to a manifold vacuum source.

•Step 3: Crank the engine while observing the vacuum gauge.

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Test results:

Cranking vacuum should be higher than

2.5 inches of mercury (Normal is 3 to 6).
If lower than 2.5 look for the following:

•Worn piston rings.

• Leaking valves.

• Excessive amounts of air bypassing the

throttle plate.

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2- Idle Vacuum:

The engine should be at operating

conditions.

• Step 1: Run the engine at idle speed.

•Step 2: Connect the vacuum gauge to a

manifold vacuum source.

• Step 3: Observe the vacuum gauge. An

engine in proper condition should idle with a
steady vacuum 17: 21 inches Hg if out of limits,
then it’s timing problem or lubrication of the
valve

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References:

•Ghabour Academy Foundation

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