Leak Down Test 89 T1 Stock

[Gearjamer]

Question to those with experience. I have a used motor with 125k on the clock that I got out of a U-pull it yard. The car looked un-wrecked and showed 125k on the odometer. There was a sticker for a repair and service shop in one of the nicer city/neiborhoods around Portland, Oregon. So I think the car was taken car of when it was running. I got the motor home and did a leak down on it. I know the engine hasn't been run in a while but I wanted to know in general the condition of the motor. Well I hear air coming from the water pump port. I'm sure I have a blown head gasket which would explane why the car is in the yard. But when I test the other cylinders I can hear air in the crank case and feel it comming out of the oil dip stick when I block off the PCV. I show a 10-20% loss on my leak down gauge.

MY question: Is this normal for a motor that is cold? I sprayed WD40 in the cylinders before turning the motor over. Should I just replace the rings and rod bearings while I'm at it? The motor is not in a car.

Can I get away with a quicky rebuild and a 16v swap? I have a '98 2.4l 16v head from a Caravan. I don't want to put a tone of money into this. It's just a screw around car and I may have to sell it soon after it's done. Depending on if I move.

Thanks, Bill

[shadow88]

Your guess on the head gasket being bad is very likely correct. I've seen 1st hand a shelby z daytona with the worst cylinder holding 86% of a 100 psi charge. The car didn't smoke or even consume oil. Temperature will affect the leakdown test results, but not a huge amount (4% is my guestimate)

A re-ring can't hurt anything, but I'm a firm beleiver in a re-bore and new pistons for an engine of that milage. Just my $0.02