help me out with with my options

[rounder]

ok so I found out that my #3 cylinder has no compression. and that can mean new compression rings. which means a lot of money.

the options Ive been given

1. trade it in and get a different car

2. pay to get the rings replaced

3. pull the engine and either get it rebuilt or drop another one in.

option 3 is in my head but Its gonna cost a lot of money and I don't even know where to look for another block. and I also have to see if i can make due with a short block or if I will have to get a long block.

any suggestions will help. thanks

[kjewer1]

If by "no cpmpression" you mean ZERO compression, it is much much more likely to be a problem in the head. Much easier and cheaper to fix It would help if you could be more specific and post the actual numbers, instead of a generalization.

[rounder]

um so the mechanic said # 3 cylinder had 20 pounds and the rest had 70 or 80 pounds.

the engine runs really rough and you can tell that its missing. so I did the plug check and pulled off #3 and the car idles the same. so thats just saying its gotta be #3

[gthompson97]

70-80 is still a very low pressure for a cylinder. engine swaps aren't too terribly tough, and they're kind of fun too. if you like working on shit, i would say try out the engine swap and drop in another 6-bolt.

if it's just the rings that are bad, you should be able to get by with just a shortblock and using your old head, but it all depends on what is leaking. have your mechanic do a cylinder leakdown test to see where you're losing compression.

[kjewer1]

With those numbers it could even be a really bad HG. If this was my car, I would pull the head first to get a look at the gasket, and the pistons/cylinder walls. The can be off in an hour or two, and can answer some questions. From there, pulling the motor isnt hard, most of the work is done.