Could Bad valve adjustment show up in leak down?
 

Picked up another 964 '90 with 110k miles.

If the valves were adjusted improperly - too tight on lash - would this show up as in a leak down? Engine sounds OK when running and power feels OK.:confused:

Definitely have leaks and trying to decide when to do the rebuild (will be my second 3.6 rebuild).

Well certainly-- if some DPO has run the adjuster screws down so there is not only no clearance but the valve is held open when the rocker is on the base circle-- but somebody would have to affirmatively not know what the heck they were doing.

That said, valve adjustment is easy enough to verify.

What are the leakdown numbers? Where from?

If the valves are too tight, they may not be closed all the way and the compression test numbers and leak down will be bad.

Even if they are closing but very close could have caused crap in the seat area and not let them seal, listen to where the air is venting.

Leak down was close to 20% all the way around. I can visualize the valves too tight and not seating as being part of the cause. I guess my real question is - if the valves were that far off in adjustment would the engine appear to run OK or would there be other noticable symptoms of a problem.

I've never heard a 3.6 run this quiet.

Quiet? As in no valvetrain clatter? Easy enough to check.

A leak down test is used to determine WHERE the low compression is coming from.
A 20% leakdown is part of the test. WHERE it is leaking is the other part.
A simple compression test will give you a clue about engine health.
If the valves are in fact too tight, a leakdown test will show intake, exhaust or both.