If the compression is within about 10%, you should be OK.
Aside from that, causes of low compression:
1. Rings
2. Hole in piston
3. Valves
4. Head gasket
5. Cracked head (these cars are notorious for that, supposedly)
If you are not contaminating the anti-freeze, rule out the head gasket. To
test for rings, squirt a little oil in the spark plug hole. About a
tablespoon will bring compression back up. If compression is still low,
look to the valves. Burned valve seat or valve, valve recession, possibly
the adjustment. Adjust them and recheck. If the compression is still low,
there are other issues. If that is the case, it's fairly quick and easy to
pull the head off the motor. You need a new top end gasket set, and a
afternoon (or at least a few hours). May be a good time to send it out to a
shop to have hardened exhaust seats and hardened exhaust valves put in, and
a nice 3 angle valve grind. That's a fairly cheap undertaking, and will
lend itself to some additional reliability. Should be able to do that for a
few hundred or so.
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-mgs@autox.team.net
> [mailto:owner-mgs@autox.team.net] On Behalf Of MGMagnette@aol.com
> Sent: Sunday, March 20, 2005 11:24 PM
> To: mgs@autox.team.net
> Subject: B engine Stuff
>
> Two questions:
>
> 1. Would sloppy valve adjustment cause low compression in a
> single cylinder?
>
> 2. Without reading into my first question... haha... what is
> considered a normal amount of swarf for a relatively new
> engine? I found some collected in the last countersunk oil
> feed hole of the rocker shaft.
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