Hey scotty, I have a 2005 toyota corolla 5 speed manual. It now has about 450,000 miles on it and I recently did a compression test. The numbers seemed a bit odd so I was wondering is my engine hurt? Is it time to get a new car and send this one to the scrap yard? Compression numbers are below.
Cyl 1- 146
Cyl 2- 140
Cyl 3- 145
Cyl 4- 125
@shawn-vega
i totally agree with all the previous answers, scotty has a recent video on how to check for compression test, follow every single step dont miss one. iam hoping you used the original engine oil, you should be able to get up to 1 million miles if you took good care of the vehicle
The vehicle has always been maintained by a mechanic for general repairs and by jiffy lube for oil changes. The only thing that wasn't taken to a shop for was the transmission and clutch swap. They wanted $4,000 to do it and I wasn't going to spend $4000 to fix it. Did it myself for a little less than $1,000 and a weekend of work.
To me this sounds like a valve clearance issue for your 4th cylinder. You can have a mechanic check the clearances for you or if you want to do it yourself I found a manual on how to do it: http://www.tcorolla.net/valve_clearance-1029.html With 450k miles on it though I'm truly surprised it hasn't been scrapped yet however if everything is still running in great condition besides your one cylinder of course, then its probably worth getting that fixed as you could get many, many more miles out of it.
@marshall-sweet
Thank you. I replaced the transmission and clutch about 16k miles ago along with the rear main since I was there, But the engine is all original. Appearantly the 5 speed manual in these body style corolla and matrix are known for issues from a part that I read was plastic? Never verify it myself, just what I've read.
Your next step would be a leak down test, this could lead you to narrow it down to an intake or exhaust valve not closing all the way, or just piston rings showing their age. 125 psi isn't great, but it isn't low to the point of misfire.... yet... The 5 speeds I've seen fail have primarily been the ball bearings in the far end of the mainshaft and countershaft.... The 6 speed is a more durable replacement option as they have a second set of ball bearings on that end, but the overall gear ratio is higher than the 5 speeds. (ie higher rpm for any given speed)
