Well, i got my van a couple of days ago and it has a dead cyl. and i was wondering what all could cause it. I dont know much about these 318 engines but i was told by the previous owner that it has like no compression and it burns oil...it has also had the tendency to run hot in the summer. Would bad rings cause this? I am a decent mechanic and could prolly rebuild it myslef but i wanna get a decent idea of what im up to. Thanx in advance!

 

There are multiple reasons for no compression like a hole in the piston, burnt valves, broken rings, etc. But the first thing I'd check is to see if one of the pushrods broke through the top of the rocker arm. If that happened to the intake valve, you'll get no compression on that cylinder and about 5 feet of blue smoke out of the exhaust.

 

Well, im pretty sure its not that cause it doesnt smoke much at all...

 

Can someone help me regarding a question I have regarding a 2006 Dodge Caravan? The heating vent is constantly blowing warm air....even when AC is on. Can this be turned off?

 

Well it's that or start pulling the motor out.

 

To ensure a better response, you should start a new topic with this problem.

 

A bit about the 318 from allpar.com. This has been a workhorse for a long time.

http://www.allpar.com/mopar/318.html