
TESTING
FOR
OVERHAUL
HOW
TO
DETERMINE
ENGINE
OVERHAUL
PERIOD
Cause
of
Low
Compression
Generally, the time at which an engine should be overhauled
is
detennined
by
various conditions such as lowered engine
power
output, decreased compression pressure, and increased
fuel
and
oil consumption.
The
lowered engine power output
is not necessarily due to trouble with the engine itself, but is
sometimes
caused by improper oil, clogged filters or a faulty
carburetor.
The decrease
in
compression pressure
is
caused
by
many
fac-
tors.
It
is. therefore, necessary to detennine a cause
or
causes
on the basis
of
data produced by periodic inspection and
maintenance.
Oil
analysis on a seasonal basis is a good
means
of
monitoring engine internal wear. When caused by
worn cylinders
or
piston rings, the following symptoms will
occur: 1 Low engine power output
2 Increased
fuel
consumption
3 Increased
oil
consumption
4
Hard
engine starting
5 Noisy engine operation
These symptoms often appear together. Symptoms 2 and 4
can result also from improper fuel regulation
or
a faulty car-
buretor.
They
are caused also by defective electrical devices
such
as
the battery, starter
or
spark plugs. Therefore it is
desirable to
judge
the optimum engine overhaul time by the
lowered compression pressure caused
by
worn
cylinders
and
pistons plus increased oil consumption. Satisfactory combus-
tion is obtained only under sufficient compression pressure.
If
an
engine
lacks compression pressure, incomplete combus-
tion
of
fuel will take place even
if
other parts
of
the engine
are operating properly. To detennine the period
of
engine
overhaul,
it
is important to measure the engine compression
pressure regularly.
At
the same time, the engine speed at
which the measurement
of
compression pressure is made
should
be
checked because the compression pressure varies
with
engine
rpm.
The
engine rpm can
be
measured at the
front
end
of
the crankshaft.
NOTE:
To
test engine compression see the ENGINE
ADJUSTMENT
section
of
this manual.
OVERHAUL
CONDITIONS
co~pressioln
pressure tendsdt0alincrease
ahli
\:-':::"e
in
a new
engme untl piston
f1ngs
an v ve seats a
v-
~
b b k '
Thereafter, it decreases gradually with the
p""~geen
rfo
en
10.
f th arts
~
ress 0 wear
o
esep
.
When decrease
of
compression pressure
reac:::
---e
tl
. .
I· .
h'
b h led
-0.1
S
lelepalr
mut, t e engIne must e over au .
The
engine
requires overhaul when oil
consL.~
t'
.
h'
I
. . ....·.IIpIOI1IS
19l
blowby eVident, and compression values
are
~t
..
'
b 1 -
mlmmum
or
eow.
Engines & Gener.tors
3