Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

I borrowed a  pressure tester from the local auto parts store and tried testing the compression on this Yamaha 8hp snowblower engine.
I opened the choke and set the throttle to full open.  But I'm confused.
When I tested by pulling the recoil starter just through one cylinder of compression I got one reading ( 47 psi  ):

Then when I pulled the recoil starter cord fully (like you would to start the engine) I got another reading (72 psi  ):

Then when I plugged in the electric strarter and really spun the engine over I got a third reading  ( 100 psi  ):

I  repeated each of these tests several times and always got the same results (pretty much). Could I be doing something wrong?  So which one am I supposed to be looking at?

friiy wrote:

Increase the compression?  That is a strange concept for me to understand.  Like "an increase in the amount of sleep you get at night" or "an increase in % of healthy foods you consume" or " an increase in the cleanliness of the air you breath?" 

What could be wrong with a little more compression?  This is a combustion engine.  Compression is a good thing.     I did the test because I thought the cylinder did not have enough compression.  (lack of power)

Too much compression?  This engine is 20 years old. It should be on its last leg. Hanging onto a thread. Leaking compression at every bolt, gasket, and o-ring.  I hope I don't sound indignant.  The previous owner sold me the snowblower because it was (in his words) "lacking in power" and this is true. It starts and runs fine but does not blow snow with  the gusto that it should.  This symptom pointed me to a lack of compression.  That would make so much sense.

Too much compression,   may cause a ping,  knock or rough running.. The carbon in the combustion area is taking up space causing the air/fuel charge to compress to a smaller area.  Higher compression means faster burning of the fuel /air charge..

Friiy

The engine does vibrate more than it should at idle.  I could take the cylinder head off and look in there to see if there is a large deposit of carbon. But I'm not sure that a buildup of carbon would relate to the "lack of power issue."  Would these two be seperate?  "carbon buildup" and  "lack of power"  ? 

I think that I may have hit a dead end here. I picked up some books over the weekend from the library and I've started reading them in hopes of learing something that might help me.

The if your engine has that much cabon it has other problems  (oil burning/ smoking)...  I would not tear off the head yet... I would check the vavle clearance first...  If the engine has preignition (knock and pinging) it is fighting itself buy buring fuel before top dead center..

Friiy

Thank you.  Is this task "checking  valve clearance" reasonably straight forward?  Any rare or unussual or expensive tools required?  My manual provided me with this guidance:

You'll need a feeler gauge.  A good set is less than ten bucks. 

You say the engine vibrates a lot while idling.  I'd check the motor mounts.  If your compression is as high as you say it's reading and you don't have a problem with pre-ignition (pinging - particularly under load) I wouldn't be too worried about it.  Did you do the compression test with a cold engine?   The correct method, is cold engine and crank until the gauge no longer reads further increases.   

borat wrote:
No, I did not do the test with a cold engine. The manual (see above) specifically said to warm the engine up first.   So I did that. I ran it for roughly five minutes. The spark plug was hot when I pulled it out to put the gauge in.  I really truly thought the compression test was going to give me a reading in the low 30's.   I'm still in shock/denial.  

Well, that's a first for me. 

Everything I've read about compression testing has always been with a cold engine. 

Did you check  your belts to see if they have any shape formed in them...   A belt if it sits in one place for a long time is will harden in a set position...  Kinda like when you park a  car or a motorhome for a couple of years in one spot..  If you start it up and drive it away,   it will rattle and shake because the tires have formed  flat spots.  The same can happen to a belt or a rubber fuel hose.  A belt or two with this setting in the rubber will shake the idler pullys and vibrate / rock the machine.

How old are your belts?   And how long have they been sitting before a bought the " non-running "  Yamaha?

If you take the belts off,  does the engine run smoother,   or have less vibration?

Just an Idea,

Friiy

P.S.   It almost time to till your garden with the BSC

friiy wrote:

I did take the cover off that conceals the belts yesterday.  I looked around in there. (The cover is still off) I was reading up on the snowblower's manual trying to determine if the tension is adjusted correctly on the belts.  I have had the belts off completely before.  I compared the old belts to a set of new unused ones that previous owner had supplied along with some other parts.    The belts look good and match the original replacement part number.  I am not sure about the tension on the belts.  There is some slack but I have not figured out how to move the clutch wire.   As for rototilling, we have a long long long way to go.  The only hints of spring here are frost heaves and pot holes.  You are spoiled out there.

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