3.0L engine swap

[Ron]

+1 (dry first).

======
Before the tester broke, you had 125 PSI on cylinder 2. Now it's 184 PSI. It would be very odd to actually have a ~50% increase on the same cylinder....
Try:
Battery fully charged.
Throttle and choke fully open!
All spark plugs removed.
Record readings for 1st, 2nd, and highest compression stroke (after, say, 3 or 4 cycles).
Reset tester and repeat.
Move to next cylinder (order doesn't matter).
Report back.

If you do a 'wet' test afterwards, make sure you use the same amount of oil each time.

[opethmike]

Hug me, Ron.

[Ron]

Hug me, Ron.

Hug3.jpg

[Farrar]

Battery fully charged.
Throttle and choke fully open!
All spark plugs removed.
Record readings for 1st, 2nd, and highest compression stroke (after, say, 3 or 4 cycles).
Reset tester and repeat.
Move to next cylinder (order doesn't matter).
Report back.

Well, that made quite the difference...

Cylinder 1: 130 PSI
Cylinder 2: 130 PSI
Cylinder 3: 130 PSI
Cylinder 4: 140 PSI
Cylinder 5: 150 PSI
Cylinder 6: 150 PSI

You and Bill agree that I did the test incorrectly the first time. He gave me instructions similar to yours. I'm glad I followed them.

No oil on hand, so I haven't done a "wet" test yet.

[Ron]

No oil on hand, so I haven't done a "wet" test yet.

With those readings, I'd say it would be a waste of time. It wouldn't reveal anything related to a dead miss anyway...

You might try pulling the plug wires one at a time and listening for one that does not change the engine's sound or RPM...

[Farrar]

With those readings, I'd say it would be a waste of time. It wouldn't reveal anything related to a dead miss anyway...

You might try pulling the plug wires one at a time and listening for one that does not change the engine's sound or RPM...

I can do that next. However, I noticed something troubling ... The HVAC/Brake vacuum hose was on very tight, so when I went to yank it off and attach a vacuum gauge (spark plugs were black so I thought I'd adjust idle mixture), it came off violently. Not only did I knock three of the plug wires off of the cap, but I saw the cap move a little bit. My fault: I didn't tighten the distributor enough. But now the timing is sure to be off. So I have to look up timing procedure and make sure it's timed properly before I go any further. One step forward, two steps back.

[AugustneverEnds]

Whoever said it's the journey that counts and not the destination did not own a DMC-12.

[Lwanmtr]

Whoever said it's the journey that counts and not the destination did not own a DMC-12.

Just think about all the hours and hours of fun these cars give us....and its never the same thing..so it keeps things interesting.

[AugustneverEnds]

Just think about all the hours and hours of fun these cars give us....and its never the same thing..so it keeps things interesting.

You got that right. Honestly thought I get more satisfaction working on this car than any other I have laid hands on. Not totally sure what it is but once you're hooked it's hard to go back to cars without shiny unpainted finishes and doors that make you feel as giddy as a six year old.

[Lwanmtr]

Doors that on occasion will try to give you concussions when you stand up after crawling inside for an hour to put in a screw that the engineers figured no one would ever wanna remove that screw....lol