All 8 cylinders read 175-180 psi cranking pressure, cyl's #3 and #6 have the leanest plug reads

On the lean plug reads, all 8 base rings/threads are dark & sooty, but the porcelin is orangish-white Currently I've got the 3310 jetting at 70/78, 6.5 PV's and a 32 squirter, but I've had as big as 73's in the primaries without any measurable difference in the reads and/or power. Heat range looks good... WTF?

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1965 GT coupe, 333ci aluminum headed/solid cammed stroker, four speed, 3.70:1 9"

Doing a leak down test, particularly in conjunction with a compression test, will give you a great deal of additional information and allows problems to be pinpointed. The condition of the engine is determined by measuring the degree to which a cylinder with valves closed leaks air. In simplified terms, if air is pumped into the cylinder at 100 PSI and the gauge reads 97 PSI, then the leak down percentage is 3%. Doing a leak down test is a fairly simple matter. The tester is connected to an air source and is attached to the engine through the spark plug hole. There are two types of instruments, those with single and double gauges. The cost of the tester is usually between $50 and $100 depending on whether it is the single or double gauge and where it is purchased. The double gauge constantly measures the input pressure and the cylinder pressure. The single gauge instrument relies on checking the input pressure and then switching to measure the cylinder pressure. Each requires some adjustment to be accurate. The engine should be rotated so that the valves in the cylinder to be tested are closed and the piston is at top dead center. Tests should be conducted when the engine is warm.

Problems are pinpointed simply by determining where the air is leaking out of the cylinder. Air leaking out of the exhaust system (you can hear it in the exhaust pipe) indicates a problem with the exhaust valve. Air coming out of the carb indicates a bad intake valve or seat. Air going into the crankcase is leaking past the rings and does not indicate a problem if the percentage is low enough. A leak where the air is going into an adjacent cylinder or into the coolant indicates a blown head gasket or cracked head.

A brand new street engine might measure from 5% to 8% depending on the engine, manufacturer, and degree of break in. A B20 engine with unknown history I tested recently measured 10% to 11% per cylinder. Although indicating some wear, the consistency between cylinders and the fact that all of the air was leaking past the rings into the crankcase indicated a reasonable street engine for daily driving that did not need any immediate work. A new race engine should measure under 2%. My current race engine measured 0% after one race and a dyno session. Three years later, it measured between 2% and 3%. After six years, two cylinders are still around 2% while two others are at 5% and 6%. For race engines a leak down test is usually done after each race. The most common problem is valve seats that have been beat up by high RPMs and valve float. Find out which ones are leaking, touch them up and they are good for several more races. For street engines the most common problem is non-hardened exhaust seats that have eroded due to the lack of lead in the fuel.

Using the leak down test, especially in conjunction with a compression test, should allow you to quickly determine the basic condition of any engine. If you are not sure what the levels should be, differences in readings between cylinders is a key indication of a problem. These are tests that can and should be done by any competent garage. After testing, you will know whether the top or bottom end really needs a rebuild.

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Hope that helped,

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1965 GT coupe, 333ci aluminum headed/solid cammed stroker, four speed, 3.70:1 9"