Need some advice - 07 PT Touring

[wsgts]

We bought a second-hand touring with 34,000 miles about a year ago. Car now has 61,000 miles on it.

We have a problem with some front-end shaking at idle in Park about the last 10,000 miles, we have been seeing a little shaking in the front and when at idle is would stumble for no apparent reason. The stumbling has gotten really bad, and today I took it into the mechanic.

Compression results confirmed that cylinder 3 is at 70psi, while 1, 2, and 4 are all at 125psi. Their advice (as well as other mechanics) was to get rid of it because the engine is going to need major repairs very soon. I'm upside down on the car, so selling with a pretty much dead motor is pretty much out of the question, so any advice?

I called Chrysler and was told my vehicle only had a 3 year / 36000 mile warranty, and is therefore out of warranty. The senior adjuster is supposed to call me and see if something can be done to get this fixed since the vehicle is barely two years old with a medium amount of miles on it.

Thanks,
T

[CREWZIN]

I was going to suggest plugs and wires for the shaking and stumble but when you came up with the internal problem that kind of put a stop to anything simple.

Maybe there's a way out of some head/engine work but I don't know of it. There's things on the marketplace that say you can restore compression but I don't know if they work but if you can't do it yourself and short on cash, at this point it can't hurt.

[quicksilverdon]

MY OPINION.
Compression tests get different readings each time they are done, and accuracy often depends on who's doing it.
I'd try good wires and new plugs and see before I hit the panic button...

[cjb15]

QSDons right.
In fact, is there any reason that you cannot just keep driving it. Low compression is either piston rings or valves. If you have bad valves or rings they could stay as they are for a long time. In my younger poorer days I had a car with one low cylinder and drove it for over a year and sold it as is with no issue other than a little rough running.

[Matt42]

Also agree with QSDon. Another thing to consider if the plug and wire change have no effect is maybe a stuck ring. Try changing oil, but using a pint of CD2 detergent additive for about 1,000 miles, then changing again. I have used this stuff to fix all sorts of glued-up engine problems, when that was actually the problem.

Plugs and wires first, though. If they are still OEM, in some respects it's amazing it still runs at all.