Anyone able to suggest a good Compression Tester?

[Rags2Fishes]

According to OTC Tech at Customer Service I was told the Shrader Valve isn't necessary for Compression testing. The Tech said even when using the extension I will get a good reading. I imagine because of turning over the motor 5 times or so? I'm not sure but the 5606 Tester Kit is a mid-line tester that has most Gasoline adapters. Any thoughts before I make my purchase?

 

[MrGiggles]

According to OTC Tech at Customer Service I was told the Shrader Valve isn't necessary for Compression testing. The Tech said even when using the extension I will get a good reading. I imagine because of turning over the motor 5 times or so? I'm not sure but the 5606 Tester Kit is a mid-line tester that has most Gasoline adapters. Any thoughts before I make my purchase?

He's full of crap.

Without the valve the needle just bounces up and down as cylinder pressure oscillates. Yes, you can decipher a reading, but it works much better with the valve.

 

[Rags2Fishes]

According to OTC Tech at Customer Service I was told the Shrader Valve isn't necessary for Compression testing. The Tech said even when using the extension I will get a good reading. I imagine because of turning over the motor 5 times or so? I'm not sure but the 5606 Tester Kit is a mid-line tester that has most Gasoline adapters. Any thoughts before I make my purchase?

He's full of crap.

Without the valve the needle just bounces up and down as cylinder pressure oscillates. Yes, you can decipher a reading, but it works much better with the valve.

I wish I could tell by the photos. Does anyone have the OTC 5606 that can verify if there is a Shrader Valve at the tip? What your sharing makes sense. OTC has a good rating by a lot of people. :-k

 

[MrGiggles]

According to OTC Tech at Customer Service I was told the Shrader Valve isn't necessary for Compression testing. The Tech said even when using the extension I will get a good reading. I imagine because of turning over the motor 5 times or so? I'm not sure but the 5606 Tester Kit is a mid-line tester that has most Gasoline adapters. Any thoughts before I make my purchase?

He's full of crap.

Without the valve the needle just bounces up and down as cylinder pressure oscillates. Yes, you can decipher a reading, but it works much better with the valve.

I wish I could tell by the photos. Does anyone have the OTC 5606 that can verify if there is a Shrader Valve at the tip? What your sharing makes sense. OTC has a good rating by a lot of people. :-k

From what I have seen, gauges that have a quick coupler usually have the valve right behind it, essentially in the middle of the hose.

 

[KMixson]

I believe you are over thinking this too much. An OTC 5606 would be a quality gauge. It is designed to measure compression. It will measure compression. The schrader valve or some other form of check valve is there keep the needle stabilized while cranking over the engine. If it does not have a schrader valve the intake stroke would pull the needle back down every time making it hard to get a good compression reading.

 

[Rags2Fishes]

I believe you are over thinking this too much. An OTC 5606 would be a quality gauge. It is designed to measure compression. It will measure compression. The schrader valve or some other form of check valve is there keep the needle stabilized while cranking over the engine. If it does not have a schrader valve the intake stroke would pull the needle back down every time making it hard to get a good compression reading.

Thank you. I appreciate all replies. I don't believe I was overthinking this because I simply didn't have any experience with a Compression Tester and a reply here said to be sure it has a Shrader Valve. I had no idea if the one I was looking at did. I took the advice above and called OTC and was told I didn't need it. However, as mentioned above and your reply, it is obvious the Shrader Valve should be there to avoid the fluctuation of the needle. I ordered the next one up from the OTC 5606 that comes with more adapters so I'll be all set now. I was only trying to confirm there was a Shrader Valve and unfortunately, the online photos and OTC Tech didn't help. Again, I appreciate all replies as I now ordered what I was looking for thanks to the help here!

 

[DaleH]

I may be wrong, but ‘Schrader valve or no Schrader valve‘, one with a button to release the pressure will hold the reading. I’ve been compression testing OBs using a Craftsman model for 40+ years now and I never even gave it one thought about whether or not it has a Schrader valve or not ... in fact, I’m not even going to go bother looking at it.

I’ve also only seen one bad gauge in my life ... no small surprise that Haba Freight sold it ...

 

[Rags2Fishes]

I may be wrong, but ‘Schrader valve or no Schrader valve‘, one with a button to release the pressure will hold the reading. I’ve been compression testing OBs using a Craftsman model for 40+ years now and I never even gave it one thought about whether or not it has a Schrader valve or not ... in fact, I’m not even going to go bother looking at it.

I’ve also only seen one bad gauge in my life ... no small surprise that Haba Freight sold it ...

Thank you DaleH, I appreciate the reply. I ask where I need to learn and will gladly share when I'm able. I have MANY tools, but never bought a Compression Tester so asked some questions and took suggestions. I learned right away H. Freight had many bad reviews so knew I needed to look elsewhere. I believe the OTC will serve me well. With past measurement tools, I learned to always use the same tool to compare readings before and after. There are too many variations using different tools for the same Job. That isn't to say that there isn't a "better" tool but I'm happy landing somewhere in the middle.