While spending some come quality time with Loki, my 02' R53, and some detailing supplies I made a rather disconcerting discovery. I happened to release my parking brake and shockingly my car started to lurch backwards despite being in 1st gear. This was understandably disturbing and I immediately starting thinking of the worst case scenarios. I believe I am having compression issues. The car runs fine and is still quite spirited. It has been losing, I'm assuming burning, a little oil but I only need to add like half a quart a month or so. There have also not been any warning lights or engine codes. So I'm hoping that it's not too terribly serious and that I can buy some time to save for repairs with some thing a bit cheaper.

That's when, serindipidously, I started listening to an episode of Car Talk where Click and Clack suggested using Restore to put a fix on a car with low compression. I did some basic YouTube research and have seen the stuff boost compression in some cars over 30 psi!

Next weekend I had already planned on doing an oil change and new belt tensioner. I'm thinking that I mind as well get a compression test kit at the same time and figure out how bad a situation I am indeed in. When I add new oil I'm thinking I'll add a can of Restore too. What should my compressions numbers be at anyway?

Im hoping someone can give me some more tips on dealing with this situation without going broke. If I can get this repair to last till next year I will probably put a new head and possibly a cam in it as a Xmas present. In particular I'm wondering if I need a specific brand/type of compression kit. Is there a better additive then Restore? Would it be beneficial to use a higher viscosity oil, I live in Florida so I think I can go with something like 10/50 without worry. I could be wrong about that as those two numbers have always confounded me as to their meaning. Or am I altogether wrong and looking in the wrong direction. Or even wrose, do I need to prepare myself for a couple grand in repairs sooner than later.

Any help with my situation would be much appreciated.

P.S.

If anyone in central FL wants to help me with some repairs in the near future let me know. I'd be happy to throw in some beer and food for your time!

 

Used it in my 2003 Murano, car barely ran and I made it two miles to my mechanic who was pissed off at my stupidity for using it. He had to flush all that crap out and put in new oil and filter. Beware snake oil, in this case snake oil with a venomous bite.

 

Obvious question, but how steep was the hill you were parked on?

Any vehicle will roll down the hill in gear if it's a good enough incline.

I drove a manual delivery truck for about 12 years, those things would always roll in gear on the slightest hill. Luckily maybe half of them had working parking brakes lol. Just had be really careful where you parked.

 

Keep that crap out of your motor...Snake oil big time...Viscosity will only really be noticeable on startup. Once your motor is heated, it will not really make a difference. If you've got no warning lights, I'd also check for any leaks. Aren't these cars notorious for leaking oil pan gaskets? Do a pressure check, and then take it from there. But do not add any Restore or any other additive to your motor...

 

Could also be the clutch going out, how many miles does the clutch have?

 

What exactly do you mean by "lurch backwards"? The car rolling backwards from being on an incline, or actually propelling itself backwards? Whatever the case, it isn't something that would be caused by low compression. Why do you think so?

 

If you leave a car in a forward gear, while the car is pointed up hill, without the brake on, the compression from the motor is usually enough to keep it from rolling back, if it's not a steep incline. So I see his logic, but the amount of lost compression I would consider necessary for it to roll backwards I would expect the engine to run terrible.

So if it runs fine there is little doubt that the compression is okay, I'd suspect the clutch is slipping and the engine is not turning at all. But the angle of the incline where the car was parked is at question here. Enough angle and a perfectly running and mechanically sound car will roll without the parking brake engaged.

 

OK, so Restore seems to be out of the question but the rest of your comments have made me feel a bit better already.

Its hard to describe the steepness of the hill without using some sort of measuring device. I live in Florida so have very little experience with hills. Id say its too steep to think about jacking the car up but its not like the doors wont hold themselves open either. If i have to drive into my garage from the drive i do use the handbrake to get started not just clutch and gas. If i can remember may be ill post a pic when i get home. I've lived in this house and parked on this driveway in the same spot for over a year now but cant specifically recall a time when i didn't use my e-brake but I feel like I've done it before and it held.

I had a fairly major leak a few years back, passenger wheel well was covered in oil, and if i recall correctly i had every oil seal/gasket replaced except for the head gasket. Lost the ticket but i think it cost me around $800, mini specialty shop not dealer. I'm pretty sure they did the pan gasket with the rest. There are no spots on my drive nor where I park at work, same spot daily, but I'm yet to park in the garage and run for 20-30 min over cardboard to do a better check. That is on my to do list this weekend. Pretty sure i smell oil in my exhaust and my tail pipe gets black rather quickly. I saw the blue/grey smoke once, a week or so ago, on start up for a second but it has not returned or at least i haven't noticed it. Only leak I noticed last time i was under there was that my power steering pump had spewed all over itself, really hoping I'm still eligible for that extended recall i got a letter about last week.

I'm at 97k this week and wouldn't be surprised if my clutch was showing some wear. I do drive rather hard but don't engage in real racing, burn outs or dramatically hard shifting. I learned to drive on a standard but have never experienced one on its last legs so am not really sure what it would feel like. I'd like to think i have good clutch habits but rarely drive others in my car and those whom I do can't drive a stick and so wouldn't be able to comment on my style. 20k miles ago or so a mechanic told me that my clutch was getting worn based on the throw in the pedal, told me he was having to push too far down on the pedal to release and it was engaging too low off the floor, but I'm pretty sure he was just trying to make another grand. I don't notice any slippage but am not confident that i would recognize it if it were there either. Any recommendations on a reliable and safe way of testing?

By lurching I mean that it kind of pulsed backwards. Would almost hold, then give way, then almost hold, then give way, speeding up as momentum built. I only let it go a few feet backwards. Like how I would expect manually turning and piston would feel.

Forgetting the Restore, what about other high mileage engine oils or oil additives that tout the ability to stop/reduce leaks. I realize that not all miracle products work but I'm sure they do sometimes....and whats the harm in hoping for a small miracle, right?

Im assuming that any ~$100 compression kit from an parts store will work on my fancy your-o-pee'in engine or do I need to order something online.

Thanks for the help so far, ill keep giving y'all the info if you keep baby-birding the knowledge back to me!

 

Stupid question.....but have you actually checked your compression with a gauge? If so...what is it?

Here is a compression tester kit from Harbor Freight....$25. I wouldn't' get too worried about fixing your compression problem....until you first find out if you actually have a problem or not........


http://www.harborfreight.com/compres...-pc-69885.html

 

Nope, haven't had a chance to check it yet. But i do tend to worry about things that even just might cost me hundreds and thousands of dollars. Yea, I'm a worrier. But I'd rather be kept up at night by my car then my job, although that happens some times too.

After I change my oil and replace my belt tensioner this weekend I plan on doing a compression test. I hope it all comes out good but until then I'll worry, look for side work, read how-to's and plan for the worst. What should my compression be anyway?

Thanks for the link for the kit but I've been burnt by Harbor Freight a few times and will likely get one from Advanced Auto or a comparable off Amazon. Im early in my tool collecting career and don't mind spending a bit extra on something I feel has a better chance of lasting. I just wanted to make sure that I didn't have to have some special version or adapter preferably before I start taking my car apart.

 

Compression is a universal thing, any tester will work as long as it reaches the spark plug holes. I'd be very surprised if you have compression issues. How does the car run? And that sounds like a steep enough hill to roll regardless of the vehicles condition.

 

I'd be willing to bet that everything is just fine with your motor. I don't think I would assume that just because my car rolled a little on a hill after letting the clutch out....that the compression was low on the motor. Not sure what the compression is supposed to be in psi, but I'm sure someone on here does. Probably 140-160 if I had to guess. I would think that if your compression was way low....you would have felt the loss in power a while ago.

 

Exactly, if it had enough compression loss for normal inclines to be a problem it would run like crap as well. I suspect your car is just fine. But I commend you for being proactive on your cars health and being aware of things that do not seem normal to you. That's how you keep it nice!

 

"Forgetting the Restore, what about other high mileage engine oils or oil additives that tout the ability to stop/reduce leaks. I realize that not all miracle products work but I'm sure they do sometimes....and whats the harm in hoping for a small miracle, right?"

You have received good advice to leave "snake oil" out of your engine. Please take that advice or proceed at your own peril.

 

OP......did you ever get around to checking your compression?

 

Had to go into work yesterday so my masons could catch up an not make me look like an *** in front of my inspector tomorrow so had to push back maintenance. Compression test, oil change, belt tensioner change, hood scoop replacement and a wash all slated for today. Lets see how far i get on that list but i hope to have results later this afternoon.

 

I realize there are many products with claims of performance gains and some are just hype. But to those here who have said Restore is snake oil, have you actually used it, tested it.

With respect to this OP's application for a W11 engine lacking the Solenoid valves with micro-screens of the Prince Engines, I would use it and have for last 100K miles.



Have yet to read any negative aspects of its use that would deter my further use of the product.

 

My question is how...how does it restore compression? Does it thicken the oil a little bit to make the rings seal better? Does it use a bunch of harsh solvents and cleaners to clean stuck rings? Does it have micro abrasives in it to smooth out cylinder walls?

....so how do those things affect the rest of the components in your engine....like the bearings, seals, gaskets.......? Sure it might be a temp fix to a low compression issue.....but what affect does that stuff have on your motor as time goes on?

....that's what worries me about that stuff.

 

Microparticles of CSL or Copper and Silver and Lead suspended in oil to fill in worn surface areas.

 

Post #2 a complete fail, costly in my case.

 

Not sure what to say other than we don't drive Nissan's, Op has a MINI, and I've been using it for last 100,000 miles and no longer has the regular oil consumption once had.

 

From what I've read, engines with variable valve timing and a build up of sludge can get blocked up by the Restore treatment. Probably happened to my Nissan and can do the same to Mini. I know my Countryman had sludge issues with the Vanos due to previous owner not changing oil frequently. Caveat emptor!

 

Holy crap that tensioner took FOREVER !........ still got an oil change to do so im guna make this quick.

Compression results

#1 = 119
#2 = 110
#3 = 120
#4 = 120

(btw, an engine wont crank if you dont re-attach the ground cable....does that surprise anyone? lol)

I think they all should be 150+ according to a couple how to's i read.


My uneducated opinion is general engine wear due the fact that it appears to be low across all cylinders and not any 1 in particular.

So the next question is what should i do about it if anything? Im still temped to try Restore but i think i have time to do more research first. Again I've seen more good results then bad, all be it a mear 3 (2 youtube 1 here) good to 1 bad and only 1 of those good being in a mini. Tomorrow ill try to remeber to call my local mini specialty shops and the dealer to see if i can get any opinions out of them. Ill try my long time other car mechanic too.

So far in this thread its 1 to 1 leaving it at a wash. Spread the word and help me find more first hand experience with this stuff in mini engines.

Ill post shots of my spark plugs later tonight if i can figure out how to get them off my phone (damn you HTC pain in the *** M9!) But they dont look ugly, again what would i know, burnt on the ends like they are in a combustion chamber or something..... but no build up or blackened scorching and they all look pretty much the same.

 

Getting back to the original problem... If I understand correctly, you start off uphill on an incline and experience this lurching thing. Otherwise the car runs fine. That doesn't seem like something related to compression.

I'd suspect the clutch or other drivetrain issue. Does it happen consistently, or only with engine cold or warm? When it is happening, is it with the clutch fully engaged, or are you still modulating it?

 

You miss understand the original problem. If he's parked facing up hill with the car in gear, and takes the parking brake off, the car will lurch backwards. This is all with the car off and parked. Not running on a take off