ok my car is a piece of crap. I took it in to get the muffler fixed and they told me they wold not put a muffler on because the engine runs so rich. The smell filled up the garage from the car running. Any ideas as to why the engine would run rich? Compression pressures were way off. We are debating if we should just quit trying to fix it or try to find the problem.

I will say I think there are oil problems and possible transmission problems. The fluids keep disappearing . Thanks Lori

Compression test reveals condition of the pistons, cylinder walls, valves, and valve seats in the cylinder head. If the numbers vary greatly, internal engine problems are indicated that would need to be addressed before worrying about anything else.

Rich running can be caused by a sensor (like the oxygen sensor, for example) that has failed, or one or more leaking injectors, or an air control malfunctioning, a bad fuel pressure regulator, and other stuff too.

If the disappearing fluids are being sucked into the engine, that may account for the rich running too. The color and odor of the smoke are clues to what those fluids may be.

Thank you for your reply it helps alot.