Compression check

[pop]

I'm looking to by an imported Civic Type-R (EP3??). But I want to get the seller to get a compression test on the engine, to make sure it hasn't been raced to death and on the verge of blowing up. How should I go about this? Can anyone recommend a good place in Melbourne? I live in the city so anywhere is fine. Thanks.

[NSPYRE]

go buy urself a compression tester from autopro/repco/autobarn for $50 and do it urself

[Daynesy]

or u can always see if its spitting oil, a good inddication to drop the keys and run for your life!

[dsp26]

^^not really.. depends what you mean by "Spitting oil"

A car spitting oil out of the exhaust is uncommon

A car leaking oil may not be that bad... mine had a major one at the cam seal and it was a $20 replacement triple seal... and the cylinders were making perfect 220psi on all 4 <--- and that is not neccesarily good either... check up the service manual for the car and check the tolerances for various altitudes.

Cylinder compression tests aren't the be all end all either... Leak down tests as mentioned in previous threads/posts by others, are more accurate than the compression testers as the result is dependent on the quality of the parts inside.. and i'm sorry to say that the $38 one i bought from supercheap giving me the perfect 220psi on all 4 under perfect testing conditions (warm engine, full throttle, ignition coil power disconnected) may not be accurate anyway


But if the buyer really wanted to 'check' if a car hasn't been raced to death, theres more to it... but here are SOME things i would check:
- gear shifting ALL gears at cruise and WOT (maybe not the higher ones obviously for speeding) to check for popout and crunch
- sudden throttle on/off to check engine mounts
- general pedal & shifter feel
-Spark plug condition is a good indication of its revvy life
- etc.... there are so many things to check that you will always forget one
- suspension rebound (you must know the type of suspension in the car, best to have driven a good example to know what to expect if your unsure what your checking for)

but anyway like i said... .there is soooo much more in checking a car than if "its been raced"... you have to understand a bit about paint quality (ie orange peel effect), chassis, body part alignments (a good indication of acco).. suspension components... the interior plastics.... KNOW THE CAR YOU WANT TO PURCHASE and realise that there will be things you miss and will only notice when you've owned the car for like 3months or so... accept it, it's life

don't get caught up like most that the quality of the engine dictates its overall quality