Compression question

[RedLaserRST]

Hey guys so I just bought a 1990 Laser RS turbo.. I've worked on Hondas for a long time (no flaming please) but this is my first dsm..

I just did a compression test on it and these were the results:
cyl 1 - 120
cyl 2 - 105
cyl 3 - 125
cyl 4 - 145

obviously the compression is low. The car doesn't smoke at all, not at idle or under load..
could it be the rings? or head gasket? there's no coolant in the oil either.

 

[2gGSX]

It looks to just be a very worn motor and could be caused by anything from the head, headgasket, piston rings, valves leaking, timing, etc. That's already enough below spec to warrant a rebuild, especially with the disparity between cylinder 2 and 4.

A leakdown test would really provide more information.

 

[bling5tatus]

I would suspect the rings or it could be due to a nice crust on your valve seats. It can be a number of things. A good ol' leak down test will reveal the reason, but is often hard to get done because nobody seems to have a leak down tester. They aren't too hard to make though, if you look in the tech section I think there's a guide.

 

[turbosax2]

http://www.geocities.com/dsmgrrrl/FAQs/leakdown.htm
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=94190

 

[Big Woo]

If you do not have access to a leak down tester, you could preform the compression test again. This time however add a squirt or two of motor oil to each cylinder (A squirt or two from a lever type oil can).

Basicily the idea is to preform the compression test wet & dry (which you have already done). When comparing results an increase of compression pressure values by more than 10psi generally means there is likely a ring sealing problem. Less than 10 psi or no change tends to mean valve sealing problems.