Home › Forum › Ask A Member › Compression check question › Re: Compression check question
I’ve never actually tested this, but I would imagine the reed valve is +critical+ to getting a proper compression reading. Secondary (cylinder) compression is the product of the primary & secondary compression ratios. Without the reed valve, you’re going to lose much of the primary compression, as the charge will be shoved back out of the intake before it transfers to the cylinder.
But other than that, there’s no need to have the carb installed on any engine when testing compression. The carb should always be held at WOT for a compression test, which is not all that different from not having a carb at all..
If the OP has the time and inclination, it would be interesting to see figures posted for compression with and without the reed valve in place.
Are you saying a 4-stroke engine +needs+ to have a carburetor in place to get a proper compression reading? Sorry, that’s just not the case..
(ETA: LoL, here we go again..)