Greetings!
How do i know if the piston rings are bad without used compression tester? There is no oil in the tailpipe.
Please make sure you always post your details. Thanks.
That’s just it - you are not going to know for sure without a compression test. Some symptoms of bad piston rings include oil consumption, gray/white/blue smoke out of exhaust (from oil in combustion chamber), loss of power/acceleration, even misfire in a particular cylinder. But you won’t know for sure (and you will not know which cylinder or cylinders) without a compression test.
I think worn valve seals will cause consumption and smoke too, right?
Correct, that is true too. This is why I would take oil leaking over oil burning, at least I can (more easily) track it down (usually).
If you want to see if it's rings or valve seals, do a wet/dry compression test - if it still has low compression with an ounce of oil in the cylinder, then its the valve seals.
the other option is to rebuild the engine.
Personally, I would opt for the compression test.
Thanks a lot
Greetings! I did compression test, cylinder 1 is 125 psi, other cylinders read between 105 and 115 psi. i checked engine oil and there is no sign of oil mixing with water. As I mentioned earlier the smoke is white after starting the engine but it does not last. Can it be piston rings or valve stem seals?
105 psi is not great, but acceptable for an older car. You didn't mention what you're driving, but if the smoke goes away then maybe you should just live with it.
https://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/how-to/a8520/cars-101-how-to-do-a-compression-test-14912158/
its BMW E90 323i, but when i check on top of the pistons from spark plug hole, there is sign of burned oil deposit on top of different pistons
mileage?