Hello all
I tried doing a relative compression test on my engine to determine its health. The low amp probe clamp was too small for the negative battery wire. It seems that all low amp probes have a small clamp. What alternative can I use?
2011 Chevrolet Traverse AWD 3.6L V6 LLT 200,000km automatic transmission
Thank you
First, what is a "relative" compression test? Second, what is a low amp probe and why are you connecting it to your battery? I just hook up a battery charger to do compression tests.
I saw it on a Scotty Kilmer YouTube video
From 3 min 22 to 5 min
https://youtu.be/RLOpo71JtIU
Yes, that will detect a bad cylinder but of course won't tell you much about the overall health of the engine like a wet vs. dry compression test or a leakdown test.
That is good to know thank you
The low amp probe clamp was too small for the negative battery wire.
Scotty is measuring a sedan . Your SUV probably has a bigger engine/more accessories etc. and hence a fatter cable.
In the Scotty video you posted, Scotty is essentially measuring starter current. If you can't get your probe on the battery cable, then try the starter cable. It should be a bit smaller and you will get the same waveform. If you're feeling adventurous, you could even replace the clamp with a few turns of ordinary wire.
Of course, this test is very crude. It will tell you if you have a bad cylinder, but not how bad. Since you're trying to assess your engine health (not eliminating poor compression as the source of a problem) then you should do it properly by putting a pressure gauge on each cylinder, like Scotty does at the beginning of the video. Better yet, do a wet/dry test as Chuck mentioned.
