The guys at Muscle Car Review show you how to check engine compression with the latest tools. Check it out only at hotrod.com or the October 2011 issue of Muscle Car Review Magazine.

Compression test kits do just what they say: measure the ability of each cylinder of your engine to combust the fuel/air mixture without losing any of the resulting energy.

An engine's compression ratio is actually a theoretical number. This ratio compares the cylinder volume of the piston at bottom dead center (BDC) versus top dead center (TDC).

Is your engine underperforming? Our expert shares how a diesel engine compression test could provide the diagnosis.

The engine now had pressurized main and cam bearings, and, thanks to slightly higher compression and improved carburetion, horsepower was up to 50.

These two components, along with some clever engineering, allow the engine to adjust its compression ratio from 8:1 to 14:1. Thanks to variable compression technology, the engine manages to be ...