Some guy I know brought his son's 850 NA over and asked me to get it started. It wouldn't start. So I check, check, check, several things and now it's time to check compression. Well, this thing has a bad motor.

1 = 145
2 = 132
3 = 0
4 = 130
5 = 135

I told him that it has a burnt valve on #3 (or a bad piston). He asked me to get it started so I cleaned up the plugs that look bad to me and they came and got it. #3 Was covered with a mound of junk. Anyway, it's running real rough on 4 cylinders and now he wants to install new plugs to see it it'll run any better. I told him to buy 4 because 5 would be as sure waste.

Will this thing run on 4 cylinders?

 

Those compression numbers would be low for a turbo car. They're really low for a NA car. I seem to recall seeing a spec of something like 185. I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong.

If you had very good compression in the other 4, it would run, but it would still run poorly. In this case though, I doubt it would run with those numbers even if you had compression of a similar number in #3. If this guy just wants to run it on 4 cylinders as a daily driver, I'd say that's probably not gonna happen.

 

From the look of that plug, it looks like something piston related, either a hole in the piston or bad rings. Thats burnt oil build up.

Running it on 4 cyl is really iffy, if it was to bring it to a shop to get fixed, that would be on thing. But, a daily, I wouldnt attempt it.

 

I was given an old cavalier with a rod knock. It had a dead cylinder so it was not only noisy from the knock but idled really rough. I drove it for over a year that way. Managed to start all through the winter too and I'm in Minnesota.
My way of saying that yes it should run on four. Not that you'd want to but it should be possible.

 

I bet it never got an oil change in the last 3+ years,
Looks like your gonna have to strip it down and have look.

Hope your getting paid!

 

LOL, yea, I usually make this guy pay me up front. He likes to try to short me $5 or $10 bucks every time.

The top of the motor was covered with some dark black coffee, wait, maybe that was oil. LOL The top of the strut towers were hanging on the ends of the body, the list goes on with that thing. Dash reads 116,574, OBD-1 reads 184,875.

 

Oh, compression numbers for an NA are 189 - 219

 

That's the problem with most cars. To a degree the better they are built the more crap and or neglect they will tolerate and still keep running.

Mine had all the good driven out of it and it was close to being a parts car. Former owner was a single mom who figured that since it leaked oil pretty bad she only needed to replace the filter once a year and would call that an oil change since she was adding fresh oil a quart at a time through the year.

These 850s really will just keep going till a wheel falls off or a piston goes through the block

Rspi, you need to start bumping up your quote to include the "shortage" so you can let him short you and still smile at him as he's driving away

 

LOL, it's didn't take me long to do that. The first time he was $5 short, the second time he was $10 short, the next quote was $25 high and he was $5 short so I was a few dollars ahead at that point. Now i always quote him 10% high and get a deposit. And he is always telling me how he's going to help me out and take care of me. I'm not sure what is going on in his head.

 

Well, they're going to try to drive it on 4 low cylinders.

Here is a short list of what it needs...

- Timing belt at 68500.
- Both front strut mounts blown.
- Right control arm.
- PCV
- Fuel line cracked.
- Oh, motor bad.
- Tires
- Dash
- Lower dash panel.
- Seats torn
- Hood damaged
- Truck struts.
- Battery cleaned.
- Has 2 tranny codes, P0750 being one of them.

I'm sure there is more. Prime example of what these cars will run with.

@ Matt: I agree. Maybe a sleeve slipped on that piston.

 

"he is always telling me how he's going to help me out and take care of me!"

You could take that 2 ways i guess.
Don't you love customers like that,

I normally say, i have two words, one of them starts with an F, the other ends with an F
Fill in the blanks.and send me a postcard when you work it out you eFing F.

And excuse my ignorance I'm From UK, what is a RICER? 1995 Volvo850?

 

Poor old 850, altogether aaarrrrgggg! lol

 

Originally a derogatory term for a driver of a japanese vehicle that has been disgustingly modified with horrible body kits, wings, and spoilers, generally in multiple colors of unfinished primer and body filler. As the trend has moved beyond asian brands, so has the term.

Such as this ricer Ford....

 

OK,
So a Ricer is a worthless piece of scrap that has had so many things attached/bolted to it, it's poor little gasping engine cant pull the shear weight of the said attachments anymore.
It is a working progress. or as we know in the UK a "Shed" or "Scrap" or "a piece of toot"

I'm guessing the drivers of Ricer's are young/inexperienced?
Possibly needing to spend more time, talking to women?
This is most likely to be their short term objective!
Which is, dah dah!
"getting laid".

Ive been told there are cheaper ways of getting laid.

LOL
Good luck Ricer's
Where ever you are

 

Got another car with a no start today. I pulled the plugs and had compression between 130 - 170. Cleaned the plugs and got the car started. Let the car warm up to about 125 degrees then checked compression again and the lowest number was 180. So, the other car may have better compression after it's warm. Don't think that 0 will go anywhere.

 

And don't forget the necessary "fart can" to make it sound .... ah ..... well ..... someone thinks powerful. First thing they do is get rid of the muffler and resonator if it has one and hang that big round muffler at the back of the car so it sounds like a hoover vacuum taking off. Usually the rest of the exhaust is still small, stock and a bit restrictive. Repeat after me, ricer.
Back when I was young (yes they had cars then) we used to think it was cool to put glasspacks on. They were loud, we got noticed but usually they sounded like power and they did help produce a little more power. When I hear that tinny high ringing and all I see is slightly modified exterior, stock engined Honda or Acura trying hard to get to 40 MPH with the throttle floored I can't help but laugh.
That's just me, just my 2 cents.

 

Lol, I was just thinking... hey, they have jacked thread.

Anyway, the guy called me a few minutes ago and asked if I would give him any $ for the car. From what I have seen about the rest of it, he'd have to give me $800 and the car for it to be worth my while. I guess this is his big chance to "take care" of me.

 

But we jacked it very, very smoothly.

And yeah, you gotta love those people who have a car that's beat to hell, and they still think it's worth a fortune. It makes for some really hilarious reading on craigslist.

 

Or Ebay where the 500 dollar car has too much rust but a cold air intake, fart can exhaust, non functional hood scoop, power tuned (advanced two degrees if it's an adjustable distributor) and a 3.99 vinyl "racing" stripe with a 2,000 dollar opening bid

We may have jacked the thread but everyone needs a little rant once in a while.