A leak-down tester is a measuring instrument used to determine the condition of

internal combustion engines by introducing compressed air into the cylinder and
measuring the rate at which it leaks out.
Compression testing is a crude form of leak-down testing which also includes effects
due to compression ratio, valve timing, cranking speed, and other factors. Compression
tests should normally be done with all spark plugs removed to maximize cranking
speed. Cranking compression is a dynamic test of the actual low-speed pumping action,
where peak cylinder pressure is measured and stored.
Leak-down testing is a static test. Leak-down tests cylinder leakage paths. Leak-down
primarily tests pistons and rings, seated valve sealing, and the head gasket.
Leak-down will not show valve timing and movement problems, or piston movement
related sealing problems. Any test should include both compression and leak-down.
Testing is done on an engine which is not running, and normally with the tested cylinder
at top dead center on compression, although testing can be done at other points in the
compression and power stroke. Pressure is fed into a cylinder via the spark plug hole
and the flow, which represents any leakage from the cylinder, is measured. Leak-down
tests tend to rotate the engine, and often require some method of holding the crankshaft
in the proper position for each tested cylinder. This can be as simple as a breaker bar on
a crankshaft bolt in an automatic transmission vehicle, or leaving a manual transmission
vehicle in a high gear with the parking brake locked.
Leakage is given in wholly arbitrary percentages but these percentages do not relate
to any actual quantity or real dimension. The meaning of the readings is only relative to
other tests done with the same tester design. Leak-down readings of up to 20% are
usually acceptable. Leakages over 20% generally indicate internal repairs are required.
Racing engines would be in the 1-10% range for top performance, although this number
can vary. Ideally, a baseline number should be taken on a fresh engine and recorded.
The same leakage tester, or the same leakage tester design, can be used to determine
wear.
In the United States, FAA specifications[1] state that engines up to 1,000 cu in (16 L)
engine displacement require an 0.040 in (1.0 mm) orifice diameter, 0.250 in (6.4 mm)
long, 60-degree approach angle. The input pressure is set for 80 psi (550 kPa), and
60 psi (410 kPa) minimum cylinder pressure is the accepted standard.
While the leak-down tester pressurizes the cylinder, the mechanic can listen to various
parts to determine where any leak may originate. For example, a leaking exhaust valve
will make a hissing noise in the exhaust pipe while a head gasket may cause bubbling in
the cooling system.

How it works[edit]

This schematic shows the component parts of a typical leak-down tester. The gauge on
the right is held at a standard pressure by adjusting the pressure regulator while the
gauge on the left shows an example reading of 85-or 15% leakage.
A leak-down tester is essentially a miniature flow meter similar in concept to an air flow
bench. The measuring element is the restriction orifice and the leakage in the engine is
compared to the flow of this orifice. There will be a pressure drop across the orifice and
another across any points of leakage in the engine. Since the meter and engine are
connected in series, the flow is the same across both. (For example: If the meter was
unconnected so that all the air escapes then the reading would be 0 or 100% leakage.
Conversely, if there is no leakage there will be no pressure drop across either the orifice
nor the leak, giving a reading of 100 or 0% leakage).
Gage meter faces can be numbered 0-100 or 100-0, indicating either 0% at full pressure
or 100% at full pressure.
There is no standard regarding the size of the restriction orifice for non-aviation use and
that is what leads to differences in readings between leak-down testers generally
available from different manufacturers. Most often quoted though is a restriction with
a .040in. hole drilled in it. Some poorly designed units do not include a restriction
orifice at all, relying on the internal restriction of the regulator, and give much less
accurate results. In addition, large engines and small engines will be measured in
exactly the same way (compared to the same orifice) but a small leak in a large engine
would be a large leak in a small engine. A locomotive engine which gives a leak-down
of 10% on a leak-down tester is virtually perfectly sealed while the same tester giving a
10% reading on a model airplane engine indicates a catastrophic leak.
With a non-turbulent .040" orifice, and with a cylinder leakage effective orifice size of .
040", leakage would be 50% at any pressure. At higher leakages the orifice can become
turbulent, and this makes flow non-linear. Also, leakage paths in cylinders can be
turbulent at fairly low flow rates. This makes leakage non-linear with test pressure.
Further complicating things, nonstandard restriction orifice sizes will cause different
indicated leakage percentages with the same cylinder leakage. Leak down testers are

most accurate at low leakage levels, and the exact leakage reading is just a relative
indication that can vary significantly between instruments.
Some manufacturers use only a single gauge. In these instruments, the orifice inlet
pressure is maintained automatically by the pressure regulator. A single gauge works
well as long as leakage flow is much less than regulator flow. Any error in the input
pressure will produce a corresponding error in the reading. As a single gauge instrument
approaches 100% leakage, the leakage scale error reaches maximum. This may or may
not induce significant error, depending on regulator flow and orifice flow. At low and
modest leakage percentages, there is little or no difference between single and dual
gauges.
In instruments with two gauges the operator manually resets the pressure to 100 after
connection to the engine guaranteeing consistent input pressure and greater accuracy.
Most instruments use 100 psi (690 kPa) as the input pressure simply because ordinary
100psi gauges can be used which corresponds to 100% but there is no necessity for that
pressure beyond that. Any pressure above 15 psi (100 kPa) will function just as well for
measurement purposes although the sound of leaks will not be quite as loud. Besides
leakage noise, indicated percentage of leakage will sometimes vary with regulator
pressure and orifice size. With 100 psi and a .030" orifice, a given cylinder might show
20% leakage. At 50 psi, the same cylinder might show 30% leakage or 15% leakage
with the same orifice. This happens because leakage flow is almost always very
turbulent. Because of turbulence and other factors, such as seating pressures, test
pressure changes almost always change the effective orifice formed by cylinder leakage
paths.
Metering orifice size has a direct effect on leakage percentage.
Generally, a typical automotive engine pressurized to more than 30-40 psi must be
locked or it will rotate under test pressure. The exact test pressure tolerated before
rotation is highly dependent on connecting rod angle, bore, compression of other
cylinders, and friction. There is less tendency to rotate when the piston is at top dead
center, especially with small bore engines. Maximum tendency to rotate occurs at about
half stoke, when the rod is at right angles to the crankshaft's throw.
Due to the simple construction, many mechanics build their own testers. Homemade
instruments can function as well as commercial testers, providing they employ proper
orifice sizes, good pressure gauges, and good regulators.

Un medidor de fugas hacia abajo es un instrumento de medida utilizado para

determinar la condicin de los motores de combustin interna mediante la introduccin
de aire comprimido en el cilindro y la medicin de la velocidad a la que se escapa.
ensayo de compresin es una forma cruda de la prueba de fugas en la cual tambin
incluye los efectos debidos a la relacin de compresin, la sincronizacin de vlvulas,
la velocidad de arranque, y otros factores. Las pruebas de compresin normalmente
se debe hacer con todas las bujas removidas para maximizar la velocidad de
arranque. Durante el arranque de compresin es una prueba dinmica de la accin de
bombeo a baja velocidad real, en el que se mide y almacena la presin mxima del
cilindro.
Las pruebas de fugas hacia abajo es una prueba esttica. pruebas de fugas en los
cilindros vas de fuga. De fugas en las pruebas principalmente pistones y anillos de
sellado, vlvula de asiento, y la junta de la culata.
Fuga hacia abajo no se mostrar sincronizacin de vlvulas y problemas de
movimiento, o problemas de sellado relacionados con el movimiento del pistn.
Cualquier prueba debe incluir tanto la compresin y fugas.
La prueba se realiza en un motor que no se est ejecutando, y normalmente con el
cilindro de prueba en el punto muerto superior de la compresin, aunque la prueba se
puede realizar en otros puntos de la compresin y el poder derrame cerebral. La
presin se introduce en un cilindro a travs del orificio de la buja y el flujo, que
representa cualquier fuga desde el cilindro, se mide. pruebas de fugas hacia abajo
tienden a girar el motor, y con frecuencia requieren algn mtodo de mantener el
cigeal en la posicin apropiada para cada cilindro probado. Esto puede ser tan
simple como un interruptor de barras en un perno del cigeal en un vehculo de
transmisin automtica, o salir de un vehculo de transmisin manual en un engranaje
alto con el freno de estacionamiento de bloqueo.
La fuga se da en porcentajes totalmente arbitraria, pero estos "porcentajes" no se
refieren a cualquier cantidad efectiva o real dimensin. El significado de las lecturas es
slo en relacin con otras pruebas realizadas con el mismo diseo probador. lecturas
de fugas hacia abajo de hasta 20% son por lo general aceptable. Las fugas ms de
20% indican generalmente se requieren reparaciones internas. motores de carreras
estaran en el rango de 1 a 10% para un rendimiento superior, aunque este nmero
puede variar. Idealmente, un nmero de lnea de base debe ser tomado en un motor
nuevo y registrada. El mismo probador de la salida, o el mismo diseo probador de la
salida, se pueden utilizar para determinar el desgaste.
En los Estados Unidos, las especificaciones de la FAA [1] estado que los motores de
hasta 1.000 pulgadas cbicas (16 L) desplazamiento del motor requieren un 0,040 in
(1,0 mm) de dimetro de orificio, 0,250 in (6,4 mm) de largo, ngulo de aproximacin
de 60 grados. La presin de entrada se fij para el 80 psi (550 kPa) y 60 psi (410 kPa)
de presin mnima del cilindro es la norma aceptada.
Mientras que el probador de fugas en presuriza el cilindro, el mecnico puede
escuchar a varias partes para determinar dnde cualquier fuga puede tener su origen.
Por ejemplo, una vlvula de escape con fugas har un silbido en el tubo de escape,
mientras que una junta de culata puede causar burbujeo en el sistema de
refrigeracin.