How Do You Know You Have Bad Rings on a Dodge 1500 Ram?
- 1). Disconnect the coil wire from the distributor cap. Nine wires lead to the distributor cap. Eight of the wires form a circle. The ninth wire is the coil wire, and is located in the center of the circle. Pull the rubber boot at the base of the wire away from the distributor cap to disconnect the coil wire.
- 2). Remove all of the spark plugs from the engine with a socket wrench.
- 3). Screw the threaded end of a compression gauge into one of the spark plug openings.
- 4). Direct an assistant to crank the engine with the ignition key while simultaneously depressing the accelerator pedal to the floor. Record the reading on the compression gauge.
- 5). Repeat steps 3 and 4 for the remaining cylinders.
- 6). Compare the readings recorded for each cylinder. If the readings are all approximately the same, the piston rings are in working condition. If the readings for two adjacent cylinders is lower than the other cylinders, the head gasket must be replaced. If the reading is low for only one cylinder, that piston's rings may be defective.
- 7). Spray approximately 30 cc. of engine oil into the cylinder which produced the low-compression reading with a spray bottle. As an alternative, a syringe may be used to inject the oil into the cylinder. Repeat the process described in step 4 and record the reading on the compression gauge. If the reading improved, the piston rings are likely to be defective.
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