Okay, got her all warmed up. adjusted the valves then did the compression check. Here's the results... 1982 22R
#1 - 140psi
#2 - 155 psi
#3 - 140psi
#4 - 120psi

Should I be concerned? Kind of all over the place..

 

Given just the data you provided, 20psi imbalance is out of spec they should be with in 10% of each other per the FSM.

But that's not the whole story, are these wet or dry tests, is the battery fully charged, is it supplemented, is the starter wire cooled off and the battery rested between cranking, which test method are you using crank till the needle stops or counting engine revs?

Your location also plays a part in this, if you tested the same engine in death valley vs. Beach side vs. Vail (and aren't cranking till the needle stops, or you exceed the cranking time which is something like 15 seconds cranking and 3-5 minutes resting and given in the owners manual) your going to get higher numbers the more dense and wet the air.

 

You left out an important one. Was the throttle jammed wide open???

 

Battery fully charged, all plugs out, cranked each one for a count of five. Did each cylinder twice. Only waited long enough between cylinders to get the checker screwed into the next plug hole. I'm at about 1000 elevation and no the throttle was not opened wide open.

 

If you have not tried a wet test I would try that. A little oil in each cylinder, and have another person watch the gauge. I have had new gauges bleed down. Or they bleed down through the rings. Hope this helps.

 

Your numbers are only a little wonky. That engine should still make decent power.

The limiting factor is likely to be whether it's oil consumption is tolerable, or not.

I find that anything over 5 or 6 hundred miles per quart doesn't cause problems in a 22r.

 

A compression tester shouldn't bleed down until you hit the release valve, it's supposed to have a one way valve. I wouldn't trust the numbers something like that gives, might be OK for a balance check but not a threshold test.

Anyways..

A wet test with a few squirts of oil will tell you if the lows are ring blow by or valve leaks.

Holding the throttle open will give you higher numbers, but shouldn't change the deviation/balance.

If your balance is off the engine shakes a bit more and the low cylinders don't perform as much work. Also puts more load on the bearings, the more energetic cylinders want to rotate faster and the low ones hold them up.

If you over work the starter (actually the cables and battery) you don't get the same work out of the starter.

.. It'll definitely run like millball says.. Hell we've seen them run with connecting rods sticking out the side of the block.

 

I can agree with that mostly.

Just be aware ring blow by is the major source of oil contamination, you might want to decrease the time between filter and oil changes as well as keep checking the dipstick regularly.

 

What did you set the valves at? 8 and 12? Try 7 and 11. And do it cold.

 

Not sure you responded to the thread you intended..

Excessive lash in the valve train should not have any effect on your compression number, since the valves are closed at this point. Overly tight could keep the valve from seating, but at that point you should probably be more concerned about trashing the camshaft.