Re: engine woes

[Steve Stegmann <stegmann@domain.elided>]

Kurt,

If the engine is misfiring fix that first.  80-110 is not enough 
variation to make me think you have some fried valves.  Last time I had 
fried valves on a Toyota, it didn't really have any compression at all on 
those cylinders.

The old test for whether it is valves or rings is to put a couple 
teaspoons of 30 weight oil in each cylinder and see if that brings the 
compression up.  If yes it is the rings, if no it is the valves.

80-110 is not as good as a new engine but you're not desperate for a 
rebuild either.  My Ford manuals alwasy have you compare the highest to 
the lowest.  if the lowest is 80% of the highest, they say everything is 
fine.  You're a little short of that but I doubt blown rings, gaskets, or 
fried valves.  Probably just normal wear.  I'm guessing to fix it will 
take a ring job, or a re-bore & rings.

I'd look for the misfiring before I did anything else.  The first place 
I'd look is the ignition. The most likely point of failure in my 
experience is the plug wires.  The normal kind of wires are rubber tubes 
filled with fibreglass fibers which have been coated/filled with powdered 
carbon. All it takes is about two removals from the engine and they are 
worthless.  Then do plugs, points, cap rotor.  If the misfiring cylinders 
are consistent then it isn't the coil.

Steve

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Steven A. Stegmann
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