In my early diesel days, I used a hand-held Craftsman compression guage (the kind with the rubber tip) designed for gasoline engines. It only took 1 attempt when the guage went "boom" in my hand. Fortunately I wasn't hurt, but it was enough for me to purchase a real diesel compression guage.

SteveM.

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'93 190E/D 2.5 Turbodiesel 5-speed (daily driver)
'87 190D 2.5 Turbo rustbucket - parts car
'84 Dodge Rampage diesel - Land Speed Record Holder
'13 Ram 2500 Diesel
'05 Toyota 4Runner