I lost my compression and I want it back!

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Hey, new poster here! I have a 2004 Volvo S60 (non turbo) that appears to have some [censored] ring sealing.

I have spent the past several days googling "site:BobIsTheOilGuy.com" looking for information and I have come to the conclusion that there are two options for me.

1. AutoRX. Seems to be preferred by most.

2. LC20. There...isn't a lot of information out there.

My problem with the information I keep finding here is everyone is more concerned about cleaning sludge out of the crankcase and out of the head. I don't have this problem. I change my oil every 2,500 miles (only because I drive in really [censored] city traffic and I get oil at no cost) so there is zero issues with buildup in the engine itself.

My car has been feeling really slow lately and I had enough. I did a compression test. I had 150PSI on all five cylinders. A wet test (with ATF) brought it to 190 across all cylinders. I'm assuming my [censored] two hours a day idling in traffic jams has plugged my ring packs with carbon and they aren't sealing correctly.

I have left the ATF in the cylinders for the weekend in an attempt to break down this carbon and bring that 40(OMG)PSI back to my cylinders.

If this works, what should I do to keep it away? Auto RX maintenance dose or LC20 as the instructions say?

Thanks for the information. Sorry if I missed a thread but I Googled a LOT before joining and asking because I don't need a cleaner for the sump. I need a cleaner for rings only.
 
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my assumption is, that engine new should have 230 wet psi all across? did you verify that with an OEM Service Manual? The fact that you have 190 all across is a good thing, it is just the age...no auto rx or anything else will HELP with your compression...maybe a heavier oil? maybe not.

ATF in the cylinders? ...how old are you? or who in the world told you that will help? whoever it is, is CLUELESS.
 
My last car was a Volvo. I loved that car. From 120k-289k only a starter and a fuel pump.

Car still ran (reliably) when I scraped it but compression was bad. Car use to be fairly quick when I got it. It max's out at like 75 at nearly 4k rpm. Anything above 4k rpm on any gear causes it to disengage.
 
Originally Posted By: 01_celica_gt
my assumption is, that engine new should have 230 wet psi all across? did you verify that with an OEM Service Manual? The fact that you have 190 all across is a good thing, it is just the age...no auto rx or anything else will HELP with your compression...maybe a heavier oil? maybe not.

ATF in the cylinders? ...how old are you? or who in the world told you that will help? whoever it is, is CLUELESS.


That's an interesting assumption. The factory service manual states compression should be no lower than 180psi.

Also, thanks for the warm welcome. Seeing as how I never said that the ATF would help, I simply left the ATF in the cylinders after performing a wet compression test to see if it may make a difference. A little experimentation is the only way to find out.
 
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Put in new rings.

Worn rings are just that, Worn rings.

After that try some Liqui Moly Ceratec.

If youre really on a budget try some Liqui Moly Mos2.
 
Originally Posted By: CEHepp
Originally Posted By: 01_celica_gt
my assumption is, that engine new should have 230 wet psi all across? did you verify that with an OEM Service Manual? The fact that you have 190 all across is a good thing, it is just the age...no auto rx or anything else will HELP with your compression...maybe a heavier oil? maybe not.

ATF in the cylinders? ...how old are you? or who in the world told you that will help? whoever it is, is CLUELESS.


That's an interesting assumption. The factory service manual states compression should be no lower than 180psi.

Also, thanks for the warm welcome. Seeing as how I never said that the ATF would help, I simply left the ATF in the cylinders after performing a wet compression test to see if it may make a difference. A little experimentation is the only way to find out.


okay, What you said about leaving ATF in the cylinder is an old thing people used to recommend or some older mechanics still recommend, Engine Oil is better at cleaning your "build up" then ATF ever will be. Don't you think car manufacturers will recommend it as a maintenance if it could actually help? or Oil manufacturers would be silly to make ATF better at cleaning build up then motor oil itself...

If the OEM Service Manual states that then I wouldn't worry about a thing and try some Valvoline Maxlife as it has a decent amount of detergents, using 2500 miles OCI might be more harmful then good and you might be wasting oil & money (though I understand that "it doesn't cost you a thing").

harmful because from what I have understood from all the UOA I have read on here is that detergents are more at work during the beginning of an oil change and later on the anti-wear additives are more effective, which is sometimes seen by extending an OCI and having the same wear metals on a UOA as the shorter OCI

Maxlife at 5k OCI sounds more reasonable and see how things pan out.
 
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Originally Posted By: 123Saab
Put in new rings.

Worn rings are just that, Worn rings.

After that try some Liqui Moly Ceratec.

If youre really on a budget try some Liqui Moly Mos2.


If your putting in new rings, you wouldn't clean the build up and also do new valve seals? I don't see how liqui moly will help if new rings/valve seals/gaskets are in place.
 
Originally Posted By: 01_celica_gt
Originally Posted By: CEHepp
Originally Posted By: 01_celica_gt
my assumption is, that engine new should have 230 wet psi all across? did you verify that with an OEM Service Manual? The fact that you have 190 all across is a good thing, it is just the age...no auto rx or anything else will HELP with your compression...maybe a heavier oil? maybe not.

ATF in the cylinders? ...how old are you? or who in the world told you that will help? whoever it is, is CLUELESS.


That's an interesting assumption. The factory service manual states compression should be no lower than 180psi.

Also, thanks for the warm welcome. Seeing as how I never said that the ATF would help, I simply left the ATF in the cylinders after performing a wet compression test to see if it may make a difference. A little experimentation is the only way to find out.


okay, What you said about leaving ATF in the cylinder is an old thing people used to recommend or some older mechanics still recommend, Engine Oil is better at cleaning your "build up" then ATF ever will be. Don't you think car manufacturers will recommend it as a maintenance if it could actually help? or Oil manufacturers would be silly to make ATF better at cleaning build up then motor oil itself...

If the OEM Service Manual states that then I wouldn't worry about a thing and try some Valvoline Maxlife as it has a decent amount of detergents, using 2500 miles OCI might be more harmful then good and you might be wasting oil & money (though I understand that "it doesn't cost you a thing").

Maxlife at 5k OCI sounds more reasonable and see how things pan out.





Give the new guy a break. That tranny fluid wives tale is still out there and the unenlightened non bitogers haven't gotten the chance to separate the wheat from the chaff.

Firstly OP welcome to bitog.

The tranny fluid in the cylinders won't do any harm and to be honest if it sits long enough on the carbon deposits it will soften them up somewhat.

I'm not on the auto-RX bandwagon so I can't really say if it can help ring coking on the top rings however it may benefit the lowers.
A really good ester oil should work better than auto-RX at cleaning up those bottom rings. The brand redline has esters included in its formula. I'd try that before using auto-RX personally.

Just spitballing here but have you ever heard of an inverse oiler. If your saying compression increased with aft in the cylinders maybe an inverse oiler will nurse that engine along until you can overhaul it.
I've got 2 of them. You fill them with mmo,hook up to a vacuum line and the engines vacuum sucks in an mmo mist. I can say without a doubt that when my inverse oiler is empty I can feel it based on how responsive the engine is.
Or you can try using a tc-w3 mixing oil added to your fuel. 1 ounce per 5 gallons is a perfect starting point.
Tc-w3 burns cleanly leaving no ash or residue behind therefore its harmless to sensors and the catalytic convertor.

Now let's address this 2500 mile oil change interval. You do understand how truly wasteful that is whether you pay for the ill or not. It's not a renewable resource.
5000 mile drains are easily attainable with today's conventionals.
Running a 2500 mile oci tells me that auto-RX isn't going to help you. The oil changed at that interval should have the innards,including the control rings clean.

Run a can of seafoam or similarly canned product through a vacuum line on a hot engine.
Let it sit for 20 minutes then head out for a high revving drive to wash it all out.
That will help the top side deposits. Mmo works through a vacuum line too.
Try that and report back. It should help a bit.
But nothing beats fixing it right.

Try a can of mos2 then test compression. It needs 500 miles to fully plate though.
 
Order a can of this..
https://www.protecautocare.com/motor-vehicle-care/engine-flush?gclid=CM2PwtTaq8ACFWwQ7AodcBIAYA

And get a can of Berrymans Chemtool..
http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/berry...-0116/7040112-P

Put the Chemtool in the oil and run it in the oil at idle only for 20 min. Let it sit overnight and run it an additional 20 min.
These two product have proven themselves to be very good at freeing sticking rings.

Remove the plugs.Divide the can of ProTec by the number of cylinders and put that amount in each cylinder.
Put the plugs back in a few threads to prevent evaporation or something falling down the plug hole.

Let the engine sit as long as possible overnight or all weekend, remove the plugs and crank it through with the ignition fuse pulled to blow out any remaining product.
Reinstall the plugs and fire it up, change the oil and filter. Take it for a high RPM run.

If that doesn't get it your probably dealing with worn out rings not stuck or sticking rings and you cant fix broke.

Edit: Stupid question but you did have the throttle fully open for the compression test right?
 
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+2 on holding throttle wide open when testing compression. Have you checked the back sides of the intake valves? With that much idling and city driving I wouldn't be surprised if the intake valves and the intake ports at the valve seat aren't carboned up restricting air flow. And I hope the free oil your getting is a good name brand low volatility kind.
 
Run the Auto RX, and if you are sitting and idling for long periods of time I would recommend a decent synthetic. That will be more resistant to coking up the rings.
 
Originally Posted By: Trav
Order a can of this..
https://www.protecautocare.com/motor-vehicle-care/engine-flush?gclid=CM2PwtTaq8ACFWwQ7AodcBIAYA

And get a can of Berrymans Chemtool..
http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/berry...-0116/7040112-P

Put the Chemtool in the oil and run it in the oil at idle only for 20 min. Let it sit overnight and run it an additional 20 min.
These two product have proven themselves to be very good at freeing sticking rings.

Remove the plugs.Divide the can of ProTec by the number of cylinders and put that amount in each cylinder.
Put the plugs back in a few threads to prevent evaporation or something falling down the plug hole.

Let the engine sit as long as possible overnight or all weekend, remove the plugs and crank it through with the ignition fuse pulled to blow out any remaining product.
Reinstall the plugs and fire it up, change the oil and filter. Take it for a high RPM run.

If that doesn't get it your probably dealing with worn out rings not stuck or sticking rings and you cant fix broke.

Edit: Stupid question but you did have the throttle fully open for the compression test right?


I like that idea, fast and to the point. You'll know in no time if the problem is ring coking, or if the engine needs to be torn down. No long waits or multiple treatments to see if a product will work or not. A good idea for those of us who are a bit less patient and are looking for a faster fix.
 
If the compression test was done properly it just seems like an older worn engine. The fact that the compression is even across all the cylinders is a good sign. How much time is on the motor?

Modern fuel injected engines don't typically carbon up anymore. Unless their is another problem and the engine is running rich for some reason.

Just drive it.
 
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Originally Posted By: Trav
Order a can of this..
https://www.protecautocare.com/motor-vehicle-care/engine-flush?gclid=CM2PwtTaq8ACFWwQ7AodcBIAYA

And get a can of Berrymans Chemtool..
http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/berry...-0116/7040112-P

Put the Chemtool in the oil and run it in the oil at idle only for 20 min. Let it sit overnight and run it an additional 20 min.
These two product have proven themselves to be very good at freeing sticking rings.

Remove the plugs.Divide the can of ProTec by the number of cylinders and put that amount in each cylinder.
Put the plugs back in a few threads to prevent evaporation or something falling down the plug hole.

Let the engine sit as long as possible overnight or all weekend, remove the plugs and crank it through with the ignition fuse pulled to blow out any remaining product.
Reinstall the plugs and fire it up, change the oil and filter. Take it for a high RPM run.

If that doesn't get it your probably dealing with worn out rings not stuck or sticking rings and you cant fix broke.

Edit: Stupid question but you did have the throttle fully open for the compression test right?








I agree, but the only thing that I would add to it (IMO), is not just to drive it at high RPM, but to try and put your foot through the floor board. Max RPM, let the transmission shift on it's own through 2nd and 3rd gear. Do it several times. If possible, find a STEEP and long hill and do this. The combination of lots of load, lots of heat and lots of RPM will blow all kinds junk out the tail pipe. In fact, the first time or two you do this, don't be surprised if you look in your rear view mirror and see a black or gray hazy cloud following you!
 
Originally Posted By: 01_celica_gt
my assumption is, that engine new should have 230 wet psi all across? did you verify that with an OEM Service Manual? The fact that you have 190 all across is a good thing, it is just the age...no auto rx or anything else will HELP with your compression...maybe a heavier oil? maybe not.

ATF in the cylinders? ...how old are you? or who in the world told you that will help? whoever it is, is CLUELESS.


190 wet
minus 150 dry
equals that 40(OMG)PSI
 
What does the shop manual say for compression? The fact that the 5 cylinder are all the same in a regular and wet compression test indicates that there is likely no gummed or carboned up ring packs. Nor burnt valves.

So worn cylinders/rings is a possibility.

Unless you pull the valve cover you do not know there are no issues with sludge.

I would go through a Auto-Rx cleaning. If it does nothing you are only out $25.
 
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