Most on this site looking for help, won't have 'that' feel, price of tester cheaper (usually) than throwing parts at machine. 50 - 60 lbs good considering ACR and under 500rpm. He can always loan to friends & neighbors that may need help. Getting over 500rpm can be done with drill, but, you have to lift off before you let go of trigger, or most time nut will come off! This takes some experience. Leak down tester is for more experienced person, different ways to lock crankshaft so as not to get hurt, or remove rockers. But cylinders wear more at the top for checking ring leakage. Valves or head gasket doesn't matter as much. We all have our way!
Well, if someone doesn't have the feel for compression blowing out of the hole in their finger they certainly aren't going to have the ability to remove the shroud and adapt it with a drill chuck and an adapter to fit a socket so they can spend one over and as I said from the beginning it's just more work than most people need to deal with or that's even necessary.
I have guided pure novices and homeowners through that basic test over the phone many times.
It's not an experienced or educated feel that someone needs.
It's simply the fact that it blows your finger out of the hole when someone else pulls the rope or when they crank the engine over if it's a starter on a rider.
In fact, sometimes it's just a matter of seeing if the piston is going up and down.
Just had one the day before yesterday or maybe it was yesterday call me about a twin that he knew was low on oil and it made some sort of noise and now won't run but it does still spin over without any noticeable noise.
For the first basic diagnosis, the actual amount of compression is quite irrelevant but rather seeing that it has anything from both pistons moving up and down is what's important.
Also, with the finger test regardless of the pressure I explained to people how it should blow blow blow blow blow.
It should be very rhythmic and in a pattern and never have like double blow and then a space and then double blow and it should never try to suck your finger into the hole.
These two tell you you have valve issues, normally with one not opening.
Or, if you have not enough pressure to even blow your finger out of the hole you could have a valve staying completely open like a popped valve seat etc.
All of this can easily be diagnosed but ever actually knowing whether or not you have good full compression or only 85% compression.
I use percentages because again it's kind of irrelevant what the actual number is on the compression tester but more important what it normally is on decent running engines on that same compression tester.
I just hate to see people go out some number and often when people use a compression tester they're expecting at least 100 if not 120 to 150 like on a car.
So when they don't get that because of the acrs they often start thinking of other things that are damaged or tearing into things and causing other problems and expense when all of that was perfectly fine and it was something else to begin with but their numeric number on a compression tester led them down the wrong path because they didn't really understand the situation.
It's fine if someone has done lots of engines and expects to only see 70 on the compression tester but the average person dabbling into this or auto mechanic will not come to this conclusion quickly.
You're right, everyone has their own methods and ways and I somehow once I started doing this morphed and evolved into the absolute most efficient, minimalist way to do everything and then get on to the next one.
Not in a reduced quality sort of way either because my shops reputation for quality work and doing little extra for people speaks for itself and all of the reviews.
I just seem to find all the little tricks and ways to do things quickly and efficiently even if it is a little bit harder for the short period of time I'm doing the work.
You can take a row of other people and myself and present us all with an identical situation mower and say get it running or fix it whatever.
You might find me hanging from a harness from the ceiling basically standing on my head with a head spotlight on and a mirror etc but I would be done in a short number of minutes.
Everyone else would probably have just barely disassembled something and have it over on there very convenient and easy to work on workbench going through something and then they would have to go back and reassemble it all taking 35 to 50 minutes etc when I was done in 9.
I will admit speed isn't everything and it's not good at sacrifices quality but that's not the case with me.
I just choose to work a little harder for a shorter period of time.
Time is of the essence in two situations that I can think of in this regard.
When you have a whole lot more to get to after you finish the one you're on or when you actually work very little so when you do get around to working you have to get a lot done for every minute you work. Lol
