Hi I just joined this forum and I have a question about Restore engine treatment. I have a 1998 v6 3.0 Ranger manual that is in awesome condition except that the 6th cylinder has low compression. All other cylinders are at or close to 120 and the 6th is at 80. My truck only has 127,000 miles on it and im wondering if the engine might not be tired enough for me to use Restore on as I have read a few product reviews that say it can clog or mess with other engine components. any input?

Thanks!

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1998 V6 3.0

that stuff is just snake oil...you have a mechanical issue going on there

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2021 F150 5.0 Screw

Past:18 F150 2.7, 16 F150 5.0, 14 F150 5.0, 07 F150 5.4, 03 Ranger 4.0

Master Certified Ford Parts / Warranty Admin

Any thing that can clog/plug passages should be avoided. Similar to bars it will plug the leak but its essentially a glue so anything thats open has the potential to be plugged by that stuff even if its supposed to remain open. Unless its on its last leg and your trying to squeeze a couple more miles out of it thats a bad idea. If its just one cylinder in the long run it will be easier/cheaper to fix the broken part. Ive seen leaky radiator bars treatments turn into a new engine from blocked coolant passages. The $150 radiator job turned into a $5k engine change. Just from personal experience generally snake oils have no business in a decent garage. Just MHO

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New DD-2009 Mustang GT/CS candy apple red

(For Sale)2003 XLT 5speed swap, Hurst Shifter, STX valance SLP drop coils, thunderbolt hood scoop,Screamin demon coil, Flo-pro super v, 1.8:1 Morana rockers, Roush sway bars, SCT tuned by Fred at Rogue, Taurus E-fan, 15x8 Torque thrust wheels gunmetal on chrome, Led 06 tails and smoked HID projectors, mud flap delete, painted drums/calipers, Rear flip kit.

The replacement of and the cure for worn away metal is not found in some can that costs $6.95 + tax. Either move past the "only has 127,000 miles" and find the cause and fix it, or accept an engine that runs a little rough.

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2004 Ranger FX4 Level II, 5R55E, Sonic Blue Pearl

Proudly JAP/RICE free since March 2000

As far as I can tell, those restoration products are arguably OK-ish for plugging little tiny pinholes, but that's just about it. If you managed to catch the leak immediately as it started, then maybe it's worth considering, but this is a much deeper mechanical issue. Trying to fix a leak that's massive enough to kill that much of the compression would be like trying to plug a sewer pipe with a bunch of wine bottle corks. You won't get very far.

Your best bet at this point is to do a leak down test. You might just have a valve or something that's not sealing completely. Could also be a blown headgasket, but at least there's a mostly-reliable way to test it.

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2003 Ford Ranger XLT
2.3L I4 Duratec DOHC, 5R44E 5-speed auto, RWD, 7.5" Open w/ 4.10 Ratio, Gibson split-rear catback
Sonic Blue Pearl with dark gray trim