Did a compression check on our '67 P220 last night. This car has unknown mileage, but could be north of 300,000 miles. Results were:

Cyl. Pressure
#1 175 psi
#2 170 psi
#3 175 psi
#4 190 psi

Added oil to each cylinder and the pressure came up between 0 and 5 psi.

I was a little surprised that the compression was so even until I got to #4. Then I was surprised that the compression was so even in the low cylinders. Valve adjustment was off a little on the exhaust valves, 0.001"-0.003" too tight. Three uniformly leaky valves ?

Time for a valve job or time to take the head off and see what's up with cylinder #4 ? Other ideas ?

Greg

I was under the impression that Xena had hardened valves installed long ago. The 190psi isn't terrible, but take a flashlight and look at the piston top and see if it is carboned up a lot.

If the valves were off by .001 then I think that is quite reasonable.

Nope, never used oil, just drips from the RMS.

The oil pressure is quite high until warmed up when it drops into the 30's with 10W30.

Have you sealed that space between the steering column and the firewall?
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My back feels better when I sit in a Volvo seat

Hi Klaus,

That's good to know about the hardened seats in the head. I've been using 15W40 diesel oil and it still leaks a little from the rear seal. Oil pressure remains quite high even after several hours on the highway, but it seems to get dirty pretty quickly.

I'm still not convinced that I shouldn't pull the head off and have a look inside. Who knows, I might find a reason for the buzz at 3000 rpm (which would be a dopey place to design in a resonant frequency).

New gaskets for all the doors are on order. The wind noise is a bit much after an hour or so. When we went up to the north shore I stuck bits of yarn all over the windows to see what the air was doing. The airflow does not straighten out until it gets back to the cargo windows. On Mary's V70 it is pretty smooth by the middle of the passenger window. So sealing is going to have to do what it can. I did plug up the hole around the steering shaft early on.

Greg

If you are that bored, pull the engine or gearbox out and fit a new seal. You might have to buy a modified seal housing or get a late model housing to upgrade it from felt to neoprene.

Make sure you are using the right dielel oil too, you want a "mixed fleet" type, that caters too older European & Japanese trucks wuth flat tappets. American truck Diesels are roller follower at the cam, i.e., the old GM has been roller lifter since 1938, Cummins since the 1950's, Caterpillar about 30 years ago.

The Buzz could be an exhaust rattle, the dual pipes are tuned in the 3000-3500 rpm range. Look for loose tinware attached to the motor, not in the motor. Save the money & effort for something else. NEVER BREAK THE MECHANICS NUMBER ONE RULE.

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69 142S Overdrive + 69 164S Manual

There's nothing wrong with diesel oil per se but it's formulated with additives that keep the soot that diesels are prone to, in suspension. It will do the same on your engine but most of the black stuff is probably being washed off the insides of the block etc as its also a good cleaner. No bad thing, but it'll clog up your oil filter quicker, so extra changes a good idea. If the oil starts to look a bit cleaner I'd swap back to a regular, but high zinc oil.

but it'll clog up your oil filter quicker, so extra changes a good idea.

I swear by using the big Ford filter. It is 1 pint, not 0.5 pint, is twice the height & has twice the filter area. It's also 0.25 of the price, so that pays for the extra 300ml of oil. Been using it since about 1986, I think it probably is the first "modification" I ever did.



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69 142S Overdrive + 69 164S Manual

Remembering that I'm in the UK, which Ford engine takes the big filter? Part number? Years ago I remember seeing a recommendation for the larger filter that was fitted to an early Golf/Jetta diesel, same diameter but longer.

The 1975-1997 Ford F150 360 cid V8 oil filter is a Fram PH8A. If used on a 240 the right motor mount must be in good shape.

Greg

I used to use a Fram PH62 (I think) on my 240's years ago. Same diameter and threads but about twice the length, they worked fine.

Dan

Thanks Dan but PH62 doesn't show on the Fram site or elsewhere. I use the same filter on both my Amazon and 240, the standard Volvo one.

It's been a while how about the PH8, I believe it was for Fords.
Dan

Since pulling the head is not a real big deal with these 4 bangers, you could do that and then have the valve seats cleaned and valves inspected. Checking the rings and bore at the same time. That will give you piece of mind and something to do :>)

There is a mechanic in Wis who is selling PV parts on Craigslist once in a while, I believe his name is Rob and did a lot of work on your car. Then again, I never met the man and don't know for sure. He would remember C.A.

New door seals will be a nice plus. As would insulation under the hood and inside the firewall.

I wouldn't use 40W, the RMS really only leaks from the top half due to being parked for 7 months every year. You could pull the tranny/clutch and replace the seal.

I always attributed the black tailpipe to the weber pulling too much vacuum from the PCV... Not blowby.
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My back feels better when I sit in a Volvo seat

Thanks for all your replies. The issue is that the 190 psi reading is higher than the spec. How come ? Seems like a prudent move to have a look and see that nothing is wrong before heading off on a 5000 mile trip.

One thing that I didn't mention is that there is an oily ring around the tip of the exhaust pipe. It may be that it just needs to be run, but none of our other cars or bikes does that. The motor does not use any oil to speak of, but still.

I am pretty confident that I can R&R the head and not cause myself more problems. I have been able to keep a headgasket in my Norton Commando for the last 50,000 miles and in a working H Farmall for the past 2500 hours. The 4.3L Chevy is another matter, but that is intake gaskets...

Greg

I don't see what the issue is? Those numbers are within 10% of each other and are pretty high, anything you do will probably make it worse.

keepn it simple....numbers are good enough to let you go fix something else..
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Patrick, '68 220 , '53 GMC 4104, '97 VW Transporter.

I'm with Gary. Drive it.

The numbers you have don't indicate any shortcoming of note.

Cameron
Rose City

I would leave it alone. I have to say, that's awfully good compression for that kind of mileage, assuming stock compression ratio. Are you sure it hasn't been overhauled some where along the way? Also, if the engine wasn't warmed up to operating temp before the tests, do so before performing another test. Cold compression tests can be very misleading.
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Gary L - 142E ITB race car, 73 1800ES
YouTube Racing Videos

What Gary said.

Just give it a tuneup, an oil change & it will go & go... Don't worry about inside until you have to.

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69 142S Overdrive + 69 164S Manual

That's the problem. This car came my way a couple years ago and I have not looked inside this engine. No telling what was done in the past. I'll take out and warm it up and see what changes. Thanks

Greg

Did you do that test with the engine fully warned up? A said, the numbers are very good especially if done all plugs out and fully open throttles. If you've never done the valve clearances on this engine you won't know, but the small reduction in the exhaust valve clearances could indicate that the seats are starting to recede a bit. Set the clearances to perfection and then recheck them after 5k miles to see if there are any changes. Are you using lead additive?
Numbers that high should also indicate that your oil consumption is virtually nil between changes. Correct?

It didn't use any oil in the 900+ miles we drove this week. Oil pressure is quite high even at idle so I'm thinking it has been overhauled relatively recently. The higher compression on the back cylinder makes me curious if it has an odd piston in it.

Greg