I was told by a seasoned diesel mechanic, after I told him I'm getting a "suffocation sound" from the intake manifold, to check the compression since I'm not getting any combustion. My question is besides where to get the equipment and what do I need, can this test even be done without the engine started? The Haynes book says it has to be at least 200 rpm. I'm starting to get real anxious about this when He starts talking about bad valves, rings, and the possibility of a blown head or worse. I can't take it to a mechanic because I can't move it and I'm living in it. All I can do is D.I.Y. and I don't have much experience with these. If it is the valves or rings, aside from labor what kind of parts and machining costs could I be looking at? He also said I could thrown off my timing, but would't there be a backfire, or is that just in gas engines?
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dieselhome want to have good charged batteries, need around 300-400 psi gage and adapter to go in glowplug hole or injector(would have to pull inj.) use hand trigger to crank with key off to get no fuel. if have access to aircompressor could do leak down test also. look in 6.5 section search for canadianrigger's write-ups he went thru troubleshooting his engines, lot of good info for you. did you check air intake piping filter for blockage. good luck

No I haven't checked the intake yet, I need to do that. Im not sure if you are talking about where the air filter goes or soemthing else? If you are talking about where the filter goes I have that off. Does it need to be on while trying to get it going?
Thanks

Suppose dirt or debris got into the intake pipe, would it make a suffocating like sound when you crank it? Almost forgot to mention it makes like a gulping sound as well, sounds like it coming from the front of the block. I just took the hoses and pipes that connect to the breather off and there is no more suffocating sound, there appears to be some debris and there is I believe oil in there, is that normal? I'm going to blow them out with a compressor and put them back.

I took of the hoses and lines from my breather and they are filtered through this thing that says AC Spark plug and it has oil in it. Anyone know what this thing is I called advance and Napa and they are stumped. I figure it should be replaced or I can just clean it out with compressed air, at any rate, it's keeping air from getting to the engine. It's an 82 6.2 Chevy
Thanks

If you are not a seasoned mechanic, then doing a leak down test won't tell you much. A compression test is easy if you have the right tools (a guage and the glow plug port adapter -- about $120 I remember at toolsource.com). Run a wire (about 10 or 12 guage) from a positive battery terminal through a single pole switch to the small terminal on the starter. Keep the ignition off and also disconnect the fuel on/off wire from the inj. pump just to make sure. Use the switch to crank the engine over at least six to ten times and record your highest reading. It's best to do this with the engine warm for accurate readings, but cold will still give you relative numbers to go by. If you have a battery charger, use it while you perform the compression test. And do the test with all the glow plugs removed to eliminate compression in all but the cylinder you are testing -- easier on the starter and batteries.