June 24, 200817 yr i'm getting low compression on cylinder #1 - shouldn't it still run? it won't get over 50/75psi at the most, seems to vary. but i also stripped the spark plug threads and rethreaded it - so who knows if it's really sealing and giving me a good reading? the other three are spot on 150-155 psi. the cylinder is not flooding with fluid...looks wet but i can't tell if that's just fuel from it not starting or fluid from a bad headgasket. either way - shouldn't it run even with one bad cylinder?
June 24, 200817 yr They will - and 50 lbs is probably right on the edge where it may still be fireing off and on. 50 lbs at a few hundred RPM turns into a LOT more at actual running/idling speeds. Try pulling a plug wire off a good running engine - it will still run - just idles rough. If one cylinder had very low compression it would actually run better than pulling a single plug on an otherwise good engine - less compression means less resistance for the other three cylinders to overcome. GD
June 24, 200817 yr they will run on 4, 3, 2 and even 1 cilinder but dont expect to go anywhere on 1 cilinder... 2 cilinders is doable, sounds like an old citroen 2CV, probably has the same amount of power.
June 24, 200817 yr A mate of mine drove his L series running on two down his driveway and back, basically couldn't get past 20kmh and probably wouldn't do it again. 3 cylinders is fine I reckon, done it a couple of times.
June 24, 200817 yr Author thanks all. the XT6 runs fine without one as well. it will actually run and drive about like normal...but you'll get a hint that something isn't quite right due to the lack of power.
June 24, 200817 yr Yep. Back in the early 90's, before the smog rules took effect, I have a 1980 GL wagon that had bad rings on one cylinder, causing very low compression. Would look like a crop duster going down the freeway. But I'll be damned if it didn't take me everywhere I steered it, including several trips form San Diego to Lancaster, and one to Big Bear ski resort. It later developed an oil leak that dripped reight on top of the cat. Man, I would get so much smoke in the cabin that when I opened the door, it probably looked like a scene from Cheech and Chong's "Up In Smoke" movie.
June 24, 200817 yr yeah i was doing it only a few months ago. it sucks. wondered why the MPG was only 20 and i couldn't keep up with traffic . could still top out at 92mph .
June 26, 200817 yr i blew the head gasket on the drivers side of my ea82 4wd wagon about 2 months ago. it blew right between the cylinders. i have been driving it on 2 since then. the clutch is now fully burned up from letting it out at 3-4k lol (it was horrible) but i could get up to about 45mph and thats about it. im now doin the ej swap.
June 26, 200817 yr not really any question now. but my buddy drove his '86 EA82 (carbed, now sitting in my driveway waiting on an EJ22) over to my house with the passenger side cam seized and belt broken.......yea, they don't need all 4.
July 4, 200817 yr My Brat ran on three cylinders twice, first one a pushrod popped loose on an intake valve, second a bad spark plug wire didn't fire the plug ( I even took the plug out and fired up the motor, it ran, pretty loud with air pulsating out of the plug hole). EA81 though. Another three cylinder runner, my brother has a Probe GT (turbo, 10 psi, TurboXS BC, chip), one spark plug hole stripped, he revved a bit, I was standing in front of the car, damn near shot me in the head with the plug!
July 7, 200817 yr yeah they will new years eve a few years back a friend had an emergency (wheel studs snapped 100 miles from town) at -45F I drove down and back on 3 cylinders. had to run it so hard I boiled alll the oil out of my engine. Didnt have any engine oil left over so we topped her off with ATF and ran it back 100 miles. Engine lasted 2 more weeks before front main bearing seized
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