Q: 1 cylinder is down on compression 2005 Subaru Legacy

asked by on December 06, 2016

Was just told that I have 1 cylinder firing at 90, all others are up around 140-150. Is the engine done or can a cylinder be fixed/

My car has 70000 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.

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Hello - there are several possible causes of low compression on 1 cylinder only. Causes include: burned valve, worn piston rings (not common for a single cylinder), worn camshaft lobes (not allowing full air charging of the cylinder), valve adjustment too tight (leads rapidly to burned valve). I would recommend an engine inspection by a mobile, professional mechanic, such as one from YourMechanic, who will come to your location, diagnose this problem, give you an accurate assessment of damage and cost estimate for repairs.

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