1992 BMW 325is Compression

[lexluthor]

I recently bought a 1992 325is. It has 221,000 miles on it, Does anyone know what the cylinder PSI should be?... It seems to be running rich and smoking some, I am not sure why, what I want to start with a compression check. How many miles can I expect from a typical E36 2.5 litre engine?. Thanks!

 

[epj3]

The engine could last forever, but it sounds like yours will not. I believe most people turn around 150-170 psi for compression tests, but don't take my word for it.

 

[jrt67ss350]

One of the most important things is the symmetry of the compression. You want all of the cylinders to be within 10-15 psi or so of each other.

I have 300,000 miles on my 325 with M20 engine. I just checked the compression on it a few weeks ago when I was having idling issues, and all six cylinders were at exactly 130 psi IIRC. I believe that's a lower compression engine than yours.

 

[lexluthor]

My engine sounds fine. It idles smooth, revs fine, They have "hacked" the exhaust, midways of the car now has "cherry bombs"..and at the rear, the 2 pipes run into one pipe, then into a muffler... I am not saying the smoke is oil. I am not sure what it is, it burns my eyes, doesnt smell like oil. I wanted to run a compression check, because it just seemed like a good place to start. The car had set for a while until I bought it on the 6th. It has tree leaves and twigs all over it was parked under a tree. It cleaned up good, I changed the oil, and spake plugs.