Does anyone know about this 95 Berlinetta on ebay?

I have got to remember how to diagnose with "sticking my head in the engine compartment..."

 

Let's also remember that compression tests are performed at cranking RPM. That's pretty slow compared to the engine running a 3000 rpm and upwards. Why does than matter? Get a bicycle pump and depress the plunger slowly. It doesn't take much effort because the air leaks out as fast as you depress the plunger. You can not build up any pressure. Now depress the plunger as fast as you can. You won't be able to depress the plunger very far before the pressure builds up significantly. The point being that how much pressure is generated in a cylinder depends on both the amount of leakage and the rate at which the piston is moving. So when the engine is running at 4, 5, 6,...8k rpm the loss in pressure in that 150 psi cylinder is probable a lot less that what one might expect fro a compression test at cranking speed.

That reminds me of a colossal blunder a friend made back when I was just learning about building engines. He bough a 55 Chev drag car with the engine in parts. I helped him put the engine together. When finished it would crank and crank but would not start. We push it and it fired up. Ran like the preverbal raped ape. But the dam thing just would not start off the starter motor. Compression test showed the problem, there was none when cranking. The short of it was that the auto parts guy gave him the wrong compression rings. The pistons were 30 over and rings were for standard bore. But it didn't stop the car from running strong.

 

This is an excellent point John. Does that explain why the cars that have poor leak down tests still run fine my most standards?

The one 355 that I passed on after a CT and leakdown at Algar had the leakdown done at the Porsche dealer who was selling it 100 psi and it was fine. Algar used 40 psi which they told me was the standard to use for leakdown test. SO the 100psi closed the valves and the cylinders held the pressure but at 40 psi three of them would not hold it.

Understanding that it would be great and ideal if all of our engines could pass a static leakdown at 40 psi in all cylinders, is this really useful standard and attainable in every car? Is every car that cannot pass this test to be avoided?

I avoided one that sure seemed to run fine. I wonder where that car is now and how its holding up.