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I can post pictures of the relevant two pages in a bit. If I was in your place, I would have a cylinder leak down test done on cyl 4 to really confirm the issue, specially when according to the factory service manual, the cylinder is still within spec even though it's lower than the others...
So how is a cylinder leak test different from a wet compression test? They seem similar to me. The oil will help the ring seal better as a makeshift temporary sealant according to what a wet compression test is. If the compression shoots up, its piston compression ring issue since the oil helped seal that ring, and without the oil the compression ring leaks.
At that point, factory spec shouldnt even matter at that point right?
It matters when determining if the cylinder truly has too low compression in order to fire, or not. If Ford has decided that a cylinder can be up to 25% lower than the rest, with a lower limit of 101 psi, that should tell you something....
The point is, ALL cylinder rings leak, they're not 100% sealed. The question is, how much can they leak before the cylinder will fail to fire? Ford has that spec there to tell you that...
Why are you the only one saying this? Every single source I have listed has said 10-15% for engine compression not 25%. 25% seems to be a wide range of compression
If its not causing the code, then what is causing the p0304 code and other evidence that points to the piston rings????
I'm only citing what Ford wrote in their factory service manual, they built the engine so I'd assume they know best of what is acceptable for it. I'll post the relevant two pages in a moment, I just have to take a picture of them. Can't add PDF here, only images.
Here's the three pages from the 2005 factory manual, I checked the 1999 manual on my laptop, it had the exact same specs so I'd be extremely surprised if the 2000 had anything different. Take it for what it is, but according to what Ford has written on these pages, your compression test results are within spec. I can't tell you what causes the misfire, at this point it would require more diagnosis. A leak down test would show a definitive answer on the piston rings, manual states a leak above 20% in a leak down test is excessive, if you get a result less than 20% leakage together with the results from the compression test, that would rule out compression actually.
Honestly I'm getting ready to kill this vehicle, haha. That is the last thing I wanted to see or hear.
Edit: Now I've looked locally for a cylinder leak down tester and there pretty much are no good ones. I have to order from Amazon. I don't want to put the coils and sparks back in until I know what the issue is. I'll pose my results tomorrow hopefully
How would I check for this issue? Would that be a hint from the current compression test or the cylinder leak test I'll perform?
The only hint is when one cylinder is low and the others are not and it is not a leaking valve or head gasket issue. Other than that, disassembly and inspection is the only true way to know for sure.
The only hint is when one cylinder is low and the others are not and it is not a leaking valve or head gasket issue. Other than that, disassembly and inspection is the only true way to know for sure.
For a long block, they were double the cost of a used full 4.6l v8 triton engine I could buy off ebay. They were 1800-2200 dollars new. I couldnt find any used long blocks.
For the full engine swap, the cost would be 900-1k for the engine itself according to ebay. A new engine was more obviously.
The price of the long block is high but keep in mind that it is a complete professionally remanufactured engine (engine block, pistons, heads, internals); it is never sold used. Being that it is professionally remanufactured usually means that it comes with a warranty which really gives some assurance when doing a major haul like an engine replacement. The last thing you want to find out after shelling out the money or time (if you are doing your own labor) that the engine has an unexpected problem or leak and have money down the drain.
But going with a used engine is a good call too if you can find one with lower mileage or have some type of reassurance that it is truly a good engine. Honestly $1000 seems a bit high, I'd suggest to continue to shop around because you may find a better deal elsewhere.
The price of the long block is high but keep in mind that it is a complete professionally remanufactured engine (engine block, pistons, heads, internals); it is never sold used. Being that it is professionally remanufactured usually means that it comes with a warranty which really gives some assurance when doing a major haul like an engine replacement. The last thing you want to find out after shelling out the money or time (if you are doing your own labor) that the engine has an unexpected problem or leak and have money down the drain.
But going with a used engine is a good call too if you can find one with lower mileage or have some type of reassurance that it is truly a good engine. Honestly $1000 seems a bit high, I'd suggest to continue to shop around because you may find a better deal elsewhere.
Well, due to finances the long block is out of the question even if it truly is the engine at this point when Skauber proved me wrong, haha.
A used engine is going for 750 to 100 with 800 being average. I should have stated that more. Some could be less, but that's all the research I had to work with at that time.
Labor alone will be a lot according to my mechanic and that is where the close to 1.5k mark is coming from. I could get it for less, but it's still in that range. Hell, if Skauber is wrong in pretty much going to sell it immediately. If not, I need to diagnose and fix the issue before I sell it or Atleast tell the buyer what the issue is exactly.
The only other causes are either a faulty oxygen sensor, cataclytic converters, or a burned exhaust valve. I probably should have listed those causes as well since I don't think I did list them all.
I don't think anyone is wrong at this point, I only proved a point that it warrants more investigation. When talking about condemning and engine or not, that's a big decision with a rather large impact financially, so diagnosing and interpreting the results should be done vigorously to prove beyond doubt that the engine is indeed needing a rebuild or replacement. Not something to take lightly, specially when the specs leaves it up in the air like that..
I actually looked a around a little as well, the first site I opened with a guide on compression testing actually stated in general (not related to any specific engine, just any gasoline engine in general) that the lowest cylinder should at least be 70% of the highest, with a minimum of 100 psi, so seems that Ford's specs is not that wide...
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When talking about condemning and engine or not, that's a big decision with a rather large impact financially, so diagnosing and interpreting the results should be done vigorously to prove beyond doubt that the engine is indeed needing a rebuild or replacement. Not something to take lightly, specially when the specs leaves it up in the air like that..