# What happened here **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Created:** [April 29, 2026, 1:53am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/what-happened-here/205572 "2026-04-29T01:53:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![hannahabuata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5e925/32.png) [@hannahabuata](https://community.cartalk.com/u/hannahabuata)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2026, 1:53am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/what-happened-here/205572/1 "2026-04-29T01:53:06Z")
2002 ford ranger 2.3 253k miles lost compression in cylinder 3 (in photo) i dont know a whole lot can someone explain what could have caused this gap between piston and cylinder wall? thanks ![IMG_6138](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/3X/b/4/b44b65830131f887f28e7b9fb4cb93a111a766c4.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![pleasedodgevan2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ad7895/32.png) [@pleasedodgevan2](https://community.cartalk.com/u/pleasedodgevan2)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2026, 2:14am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/what-happened-here/205572/2 "2026-04-29T02:14:32Z")
It does explain the low compression. It’s about six inches lower than the combustion chamber. I can hear Linda Ronstadt singing “blew by you.” ---
**Author:** ![db4690](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/db4690/32/2583_2.png) [@db4690](https://community.cartalk.com/u/db4690)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2026, 3:30am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/what-happened-here/205572/3 "2026-04-29T03:30:08Z")
this is deleted I’d say this engine owes you nothing more Is this truck in good enough shape to justify dropping in a good used engine? ---
**Author:** ![hannahabuata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5e925/32.png) [@hannahabuata](https://community.cartalk.com/u/hannahabuata)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2026, 3:44am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/what-happened-here/205572/4 "2026-04-29T03:44:08Z")
Yes the truck is in pristine shape and sentimental to me. I already have a used engine I’m trying to get the time to swap in and plan on rebuilding the one thats in there now ---
**Author:** ![hannahabuata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5e925/32.png) [@hannahabuata](https://community.cartalk.com/u/hannahabuata)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2026, 3:47am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/what-happened-here/205572/5 "2026-04-29T03:47:41Z")
The cylinder walls look amazing, no vertical scoring, all 4 cylinders still have the original crosshatching at 253k miles. Other 3 cylinders have high compression ~215 psi, cylinder 3 had 80. When i put oil in the cylinder and retested compression went up to ~200 No struggle to crank and i drove it like this just fine for 2 weeks before finding out it was compression related. It drives fine except for a slight cylinder 3 misfire, nothing absolutely terrible ---
**Author:** ![db4690](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/db4690/32/2583_2.png) [@db4690](https://community.cartalk.com/u/db4690)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2026, 3:49am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/what-happened-here/205572/6 "2026-04-29T03:49:29Z")
Okay thanks for the update Sounds like you have a good plan moving forward Best of luck and please keep us updated ---
**Author:** ![ledhed75](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f6c823/32.png) [@ledhed75](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ledhed75)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2026, 10:21am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/what-happened-here/205572/7 "2026-04-29T10:21:50Z")
It’s called “25 year old engine” syndrome. Stuff happens. Agree with the suggestion of putting a used engine into it. However, consider that everything else on the truck (safety systems, technology, rubber hoses) are likely the same age, too. ---
**Author:** ![hannahabuata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5e925/32.png) [@hannahabuata](https://community.cartalk.com/u/hannahabuata)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2026, 10:25am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/what-happened-here/205572/8 "2026-04-29T10:25:25Z")
If you’d read you would see i already have an engine to go back in it. I was just wondering what could have caused that out of curiosity ---
**Author:** ![Purebred](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/purebred/32/46796_2.png) [@Purebred](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Purebred)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2026, 11:03am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/what-happened-here/205572/9 "2026-04-29T11:03:00Z")
> [@pleasedodgevan2](#): > > can hear Linda Ronstadt singing “blew by you.” Took me a minute! 🤣 Hope the phantom phlagger doesn’t tag you. ---
**Author:** ![davesmopar](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/davesmopar/32/41750_2.png) [@davesmopar](https://community.cartalk.com/u/davesmopar)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2026, 12:24pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/what-happened-here/205572/10 "2026-04-29T12:24:39Z")
> [@hannahabuata](#): > > I was just wondering what could have caused that out of curiosity Any codes other than a P0303?? Possible lean condition, or just old with 1/4 million miles on the engine, which is probably the average life of a well maintained 2.3L engine… May require tear down and a closer inspection of the engine/piston for more answers… ---
**Author:** ![hannahabuata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5e925/32.png) [@hannahabuata](https://community.cartalk.com/u/hannahabuata)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2026, 3:03pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/what-happened-here/205572/11 "2026-04-29T15:03:46Z")
No other codes truck ran like a top before the misfire started Someone told me it’s possible a ring could have broke and bent the piston but I don’t know i will be tearing the engine down eventually ---
**Author:** ![davesmopar](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/davesmopar/32/41750_2.png) [@davesmopar](https://community.cartalk.com/u/davesmopar)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2026, 3:59pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/what-happened-here/205572/12 "2026-04-29T15:59:11Z")
> [@hannahabuata](#): > > Someone told me it’s possible a ring could have broke and bent the piston but I don’t know Possible, but a broken ring should/would have most likely scored the cylinder wall… Probably just thermal erosion from age and maybe a lean cylinder and or some preignition at one point weaking the edge of the piston… ---
**Author:** ![old\_mopar\_guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/6bbea6/32.png) [@old\_mopar\_guy](https://community.cartalk.com/u/old_mopar_guy)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2026, 4:11pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/what-happened-here/205572/13 "2026-04-29T16:11:38Z")
Id say that was caused by 253,000 miles of use. ---
**Author:** ![hannahabuata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5e925/32.png) [@hannahabuata](https://community.cartalk.com/u/hannahabuata)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2026, 5:31pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/what-happened-here/205572/14 "2026-04-29T17:31:50Z")
Yeah i guess so. All I’ve ever owned is older diesels so i guess i’m used to 500,000 miles or more ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2026, 5:40pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/what-happened-here/205572/15 "2026-04-29T17:40:12Z")
I’ve read that softer rings are being used to reduce drag and improve mileage. Who knows? I got 520,000 on my Buick with no engine problems though. While I got 480,000 on my diesel, I never got over 200,000 on any one diesel engine. I know they are popular Across the pond, but diesel cars are not th3 same as diesel trucks, and I wouldn’t have another one. ---
**Author:** ![Nevada\_545](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/nevada_545/32/41232_2.png) [@Nevada\_545](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Nevada_545)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2026, 9:10pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/what-happened-here/205572/16 "2026-04-29T21:10:55Z")
> [@hannahabuata](#): > > Someone told me it’s possible a ring could have broke and bent the piston but I don’t know I have found broken rings in an older 2.3 liter Ford engine, that will cause compression loss. Erosion in one spot of the piston won’t necessarily cause compression loss. However, in the picture it looks like the oil you added to the cylinder has filled the piston-to-cylinder gap. The blob of oil resembles a void. Do you have a picture from a closer or different viewpoint?