stumped

[kevin-ct]

possible a blown head gasket? did you take a compression test yet?

[cousindave]

I checked compression today and I got as follows: #1-115 #2 -130 #3-126 #4-135. Could valve adjustment cure this or this something that has to be dealt with more drastically

[cousindave]

Could it be a burnt valve and how do i check?

[albersj51]

Those numbers arent terrible...obviously #1 is getting low as its lower than the other 3. I read of people running them with a cylinder at 50psi (doesnt run well, but it runs). At 115 psi I dont see how that would prevent it from firing. Also, since the problem seems to move I would suspect your ignition system.

[stomper]

Re-reading this thread, I am guessing you are getting an intermittent spark failure. I would check all of your plug wires and coil wires for continuity, and bend and wiggle the wire to make sure you don't have an intermittent failure to them. Check your points and condensor again to make sure they are opening and closing consistently as the rotor turns through several revolutions. you may have a worn cam lobe in the distributor that prevents the points from opening correctly each time.I would also make sure you don't have any distributor shaft wobble that may be affecting the points opening and closing fully.

Aside from these options, I don't know how to advise you any further. The coil should be OK, as it is firing some of the plugs. it has to be a problem with the spark getting directed to a certain cylinder. That is the job of the distributor and the points, and the wires to the individual spark plugs. It has to be one of these three components.

For what it is worth, I put a new distributor in mine recently, and it made a world of difference to the running of my 2.25 engine. It is an incredibly simple part to switch out, and they are really quite cheap at around $125. If I were in your shoes, and was completely stumped, I would almost consider swapping it out to know I didn't have an issue with it.

[cousindave]

Thanks for the help guys. I did check the distributor and it does move side to side. I'm going to order a new one and I'll report back!

[albersj51]

When you pull the Dizzy, I'd give the drive gear a good look and make sure its not damaged in anyway. When I pulled my engine apart last week, I found some damage to the drive gear. Nothing major, but I am going to replace it anyway. In order to get it out, you have remove the grub screw, which is behind the oil filter housing gasket...took me a while to find it