Andrew666

I have a mildly built "high compression" 22RE with a 260 cam and double sprung valves. It supposedly has an LC bottom end as well but I cannot verify. The motor is nearly brand new and the builder is unfortunately unavailable. I just installed the motor a few months back. It came to me with a cracked head, which had new valves and whatnot in it. I ordered a new head casting from AMC and had a local shop do the work.

It has been running poorly, shaking, missing a lot and misfiring. I decided to compression test it and found:

1- Zero lbs
2- 195 lbs
3- 202 lbs
4- 65 lbs

I pulled out all spark plugs at the same time and oiled the clylinders. Oiling did not change results. The head is brand new and professionally worked by a local machine shop. There is no water in the oil, and no oil in the water. Not blowing oil, PCV is good, no unusual top end pressure, no water vapor from exhaust (or oil), no head gasket blowout that I can hear..... WHERE THE HECK IS THE COMPRESSION GOING??
Thanks a bundle

Andrew666

May I also mention that if I remove the number one spark plug high tension wire, it does not make a bit of difference. None.

BajaRunner

Eek...no matter what you're probably going to have to pull the head no? Sounds like a bent valve to me!?

Andrew666

We were wondering about that, but it has brand new LC stainless valves and has never been stroked out of time to the point of collision. It did have a 274 cam with EFI and it didn't run right so I swapped it witha 260 which requires you to remove all the head bolts and retorque them. I did not replace the head gasket after that, but it is not showing any signs of being the head gasket....

What else could bend a valve?

thook

I don't know of anything else that could bend a valve on a 22re other than colliding with the pistons.

I'd contact Ted or Todd at engbldr. See if they'd care to offer any input. They usually will.

yotamonsta-

Andrew im not 100% positive but i would be willing to bet it is the head gasket. I have always been told you can reuse a head gasket once it been torqued down. Im not sure if this is true or not though!!!