Hey guys i have a 68 camaro with a 396, i did a compression test and all of it was like around 125psi to 135psi. and i have only one way off which was #8 and it was 110psi, i just bought this car from the dealership. I took it to the shop to do compression test and they told me, my rings are bad, i am really hoping its not, for i am about to take it back to the dealership and have them take a look at it too. I told them the numbers and they say to me that it probably need the carb adjusted and the fuel, i hope that will solve it. I researched how much it should be and its suppose to be around 160-165psi, but the motor is old and i dont think the person who used to own it before did that much maintenance or ran the **** out of it for, i believe he used to drag race it, so i am having a hard time finding out what parts are on the head if any and etc. Thanks everyone for the help, i just want to know what you guys think? Also do you think my engine is bogging or dumping too much fuel, for when i gas it all the way and once it gets to 3,500 rpm it like cuts out. Also when i rev the car to 3,500 it makes a sound like the engine is stalling. I want to run it hard one time, but cant even go pass 3,500.

 

You couldn't hear me, but I laughed real good at that one. I'm surprised the guy didn't also tell you "they all do that".
Since you took the car in for the compression test, does that also mean they did it with a hot/warm engine? I hope so, as a cold engine will give an inaccurate reading. Also, how consistent all the cylinders are to each other can be more important than overall numbers. Yes, 160-165 psi would mean the engine is pretty healthy, but most of your numbers are still considered good considering it's not a new engine. The rule of thumb is you want no more than a 10% difference between the highest and lowest cylinder. Meaning #8 would still be "ok" if it read in the 117 range. So yeah, based on their findings, that cylinder has rings that are worn more than the others (they would have had to do a "wet test" to determine it was the rings). Of course, your compression test results are worthless if they did the test on a cold engine.