The wire is between the valve and seat, so it is not fully closed, thats where the compression is going.

with the engine off, and the VC off, and the heel of the cam on the follower of that valve, you will find it is a bit looser than the rest, along with the retainer down a tad more.

no need to pull the cams, just pop the follower off, push the spring down with a long hefty screwdriver a bit and the follower will pop right out.

But at this point the head has to come off.

Once the head is off, then a better inspection of the pistons can be done.

EDIT

If that is the fire ring, then not only are you loosing compression out the valve, but across the HG to the adjoining cylinder.

BogusSVO said:

The wire is between the valve and seat, so it is not fully closed, thats where the compression is going.

with the engine off, and the VC off, and the heel of the cam on the follower of that valve, you will find it is a bit looser than the rest, along with the retainer down a tad more.

no need to pull the cams, just pop the follower off, push the spring down with a long hefty screwdriver a bit and the follower will pop right out.

But at this point the head has to come off.

Once the head is off, then a better inspection of the pistons can be done.

EDIT

If that is the fire ring, then not only are you loosing compression out the valve, but across the HG to the adjoining cylinder.

Click to expand...

Thanks Dale.

I was obviously hoping that is carbon on the piston as opposed to detonation, but I'll post pics when I get the head off.

Thanks!

If you are more concerned about the transmission warranty i would just install it and drive the car on 3 cylinders. But that's not going to really tell you if the transmission is like new since you are way down on power.

If your the more methodical type you are it sounds. Just start by taking off the valve cover and inspecting everything like Dale said and everything one step at a time.

Why are you even wortied about the warranty? Are you assuming the trans wont work? your other problems are way worse.

yhype said:

If you are more concerned about the transmission warranty i would just install it and drive the car on 3 cylinders. But that's not going to really tell you if the transmission is like new since you are way down on power.

If your the more methodical type you are it sounds. Just start by taking off the valve cover and inspecting everything like Dale said and everything one step at a time.

Click to expand...

You are correct there! I guess that I can only see that the transmission is not acting the same way as before. I'll probably just try it out on the stands in a few gears and see if I can get through the basics.

Other than that, since after the boroscope discovery, Dale mentioned that the head has to come off so I won't even bother with the methodical stuff on the head...I'll just get it off.

I understand being methodical...but this thread is a bit ridiculous.

Is this your only mode of transportation? I don't see the hassle with taking the head off. I understand your view on the warranty, but my question is, how long is your warranty?

most junk yards, puck n pulls etc offer a 6 month warranty. Past that, 400+ for a used trans is outrageous. For that price, a 1 yr wty would be a given in my book.

I understand getting all the info and opinions you can, but you've had several very knowledgeable ppl recommend solutions and fixes for you, and still haven't done what you need to do: pull the head and have it rebuilt, order the parts you need, and check everything else while your in there.

It will take less time to just do it, than it will to guess at it with all of us trying to net diagnose your issue.

Now go get dirty and fix this thing!

So back from the grave. I decided to pull the head. I noticed no wire in the valve. In fact, cylinder 2 right next to it is pitted at the edges while #1 looks just fine...just covered with carbon. I am starting to wonder if I got my cylinders wrong.

I have a fresh BogusSVO head to go on here but how do I know whether the issue is in the head or the block if there is nothing obvious to see?

Is there a way to do a compression test of some sort without the head on?

It is too risky to just slap a head on there willy nilly and *guess* that was the source of my problem.

I turn the cam gears and the valves open and shut completely. Not sure what that is a good enough test.

How can I be sure that the problem was the head?

Also, while this thread was marked with "Best Answer" and "Answered", there is obviously more to it. I need some additional help here.

Thanks.