When performing a cylinder leakage test, you find air flow out of the throttle body. What does this indicate?

In a cylinder leakage test, significant air escaping from the throttle body typically indicates an issue with the intake side of the engine. When air flows out of the throttle body during this test, it suggests that there is a problem with the intake system, and the most likely cause in this scenario is leaking piston rings.

Leaking piston rings allow combustion gases to escape from the combustion chamber into the crankcase, which can result in a decrease in cylinder pressure. However, part of the diagnostic process is understanding how these leaks might affect the various components of the engine, leading to symptoms such as audible air escaping from the throttle body or other intake areas.

This airflow can also be attributed to leaks in the access points around the intake manifold or potentially to gaskets. Although there might be confusion regarding exhaust valves or head gaskets causing issues in other areas, working with piston rings deals directly with the air being lost in the compression cycle, which manifests as air coming from the intake side rather than the exhaust or areas around the head gasket.

In summary, air escaping from the throttle body during a leakage test is an indication of leaking piston rings, reflecting a breach in the combustion chamber's integrity, rather than problems with the valves or gaskets, which would generally