does'nt feel like it's running at top form

[narfire]

Kinda wondering about the engine in my 80 FI.
At the moment it does not feel like it has the power/pull as it did soon after I installed it last November.
I feel a "burble" perhaps a bit of a stutter in the engine at idle or when driving.
What I have done on the 1800 head/with oversize valves and engine, is change plugs rotor cap and leads. I've checked all the clearances and did re-shimm #2 exhaust to get it closer to spec (19 thou I think it was). After installation I checked compression and it was around 145-150 on all 4 but now 125 cold +- a couple pounds. As mentioned in a previous post a month or so ago the ticking I thought was a bit louder than it should be so thats why I checked clearances. It was a bit quieter for a while but sometimes at idle its noticable again and also while driving now,compared to another 80 that followed me home recently.
The injectors have all been serviced and check out just fine,no fuel line leaks,noids check good. Hoses tight,good plastic intake.
I'm wondering if a oversize valve has gone wonky,if thats possible.
Can one get compression but a "leak-down" test indicate an issue? I hav'nt done a leak test,don't really know how to go about it,but a neighbour could perhaps help.
Perhaps time to pull the head and have a look?
Cooked some rings? I do smell oil a tad when using the engine to slow down.
Chris

[ventura ace]

. . . Can one get compression but a "leak-down" test indicate an issue? I hav'nt done a leak test,don't really know how to go about it,but a neighbour could perhaps help . . . .

Yes, you can have great compression numbers, but still have leaking rings, leaking valves, leaking head gasket, etc. I leakdown test can tell you a lot about the health of the engine before pulling the head (and may tell you that you don't need to pull the head -- or maybe tell you what you need to fix when you get the thing apart).

Alvon

[narfire]

Thanks Alvon, I'll talk to the fellow today and see when I can drop it off for a leak test. He's the fellow that did the valves/seats anyway.
Chris