Squeeze check; static? Dynamic?? Best way?

[Schrade]

And how long for leakdown time is acceptable, for a static check?

edit:
Yes - talking about compression check; and what the best method is...

[VetteVet]

????

Schrade, when you say squeeze check, are you talking about compression? Unless you've got specialized equipment, it's impossible to perform a dynamic compression check. I do have that equipment. As far as a leakdown, there is no time period involved. You roll a cylinder to TDC firing, hold the piston at TDC with a breaker bar and apply the air pressure with the leakdown rig. The gauge displays the % leakdown. You can hold the pressure for 5 seconds or 5 hours, the reading will not change.

If none of this is what your post was referring to, please ignore.

Jep

[mike100]

Leak down reading can be tricky on older engines. Warm or cold makes a difference...are you looking for massively failed ring or valve seal, or trying to assess wear on an older engine?

Another quick trick to sort of act as a cheap leak down test is to look at the rate at which your compression gauge needle jumps up. Healthy cylinders get over 100-120 psi in about 2-3 cranks where worn ones come up slower. This is somewhat approximate and varies from one engine type to another, but simply compare to the best cylinder in any given engine.

The one thing I never bought was a cylinder sealer that would leak down a block with the heads removed (checks for cracked rings after a dropped valve etc.)