possible botched topend rebuild

[guards73/2.0]

I've got 2 cylinders firing. I checked the compression on one of the dead ones with a
rubber-hose-with-a-three-threads-on-it type fitting and got 90 psi ) I'm guessing actual is higher, but 90 should fire, right?
The two not working are the two in the front of the motor. I had the valves professionally adjusted when I got the motor in the car, started it and realized I had rods stuck on lifters. The mechanic said that
he had to shim a couple of the rocker stands to get them to adjust. The only thing unusual I recall about assembling the motor
was that my torque wrench was incapable of measuring the low torque required on these head gaskets so I had to back them off and go
buy a Sears torque wrench ( the bending-rod type) that had the 16-18 ftlbs reading on it.
I'm told that these are inaccurate. I backed off an an over-torque, and re-torqued with the Sears wrench. Is is possible to check head torque with the motor in the car?

[Eat-um-up]

I would think it should fire. I had a similar problem with my bug. it turned out to be a fuel problem with the carborators. check your plugs, point, wire, and timeing. then run the valves again. ive never heard of having to shim the rocker stands. that just dont sound right to me.

[guards73/2.0]

Thanks so much for your input. I've just gone through the ignition...bought new Lucas
Speedleads ( local Euro parts house had these solid core wires for Porsches, which, by the way are the nicest ones I could find),put new nonresistor Bosch plugs, put the points back in my stock 2.0L dizzy, timed it
and when I remove the wires with the engine running, I get a nice spark at the cap and 2 cylinders are "helping" an two are not. It was suggested to me by a local maechanic that this could be a massive INTAKE leak ( I hear a "chirping" or squeaking sound from the carbs
when I try to start it or when it stumbles).
Any ideas? BTW, the mechanic only had to shim the rockers one one cylinder ( due to something that changed on head rebuild I guess. I set the deck height at .060, BTW.

Originally posted by Eat-um-up:
I would think it should fire. I had a similar problem with my bug. it turned out to be a fuel problem with the carborators. check your plugs, point, wire, and timeing. then run the valves again. ive never heard of having to shim the rocker stands. that just dont sound right to me.

[This message has been edited by guards73/2.0 (edited 09-01-2001).]

[This message has been edited by guards73/2.0 (edited 09-01-2001).]

[Eat-um-up]

Its verry highly likely it could be an intake leak, buti would think it would be drivers side/passenger side. not front and back about the fireing. theres a spray like mrvel mystery oil. even wd40. spray that on places and look for sighns of leakage. check your vaccume pluggs and lines.. umm make sure you got the right pluggs in it. My friend has a new engine from vw in his bug. normal plugs for that are no longer good due to it needing a deeper plug. you might wanna try deeper spark plugs.

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[Jake Raby]

This is often the case with a top end only rebuild..If the rocker stands needed shimming, either you have loose seats, or stretched valves. Eith one can be disatsterous...

If he was referring to having to shim the stands due to the heads being flycut, and changing geometry, you can have too high of CR as chamber volume has been removed..

90 PSI is low, and will sometimes not fire, the cylinders must be within 10% of each other to pass the test..

Your cam could be hating life, it the 2 cylindewrs are opposing each other..

[guards73/2.0]

Thanks for the input here. When I checked the compression, I only let it crank over a couple of times. I'll go back and try 'em all and look for vacuum leaks. I re-plumbed a bad fuel plumbing by a PO and swapped carb tops to get a rearward -facing fuel input
,one of the idle screws was missing a screw and I have a "thread protectors",sort of vinyl caps on each base vacuum port for a seal which might not be working properly, so plenty of opportunities for leaks there, but the 90 reading has me bummed....BTW, the plugs on the nonfiring cylinders look very clean...hmmmm I really hat the idea of pulling out the motor again in September!QUOTE]Originally posted by Jake Raby:
This is often the case with a top end only rebuild..If the rocker stands needed shimming, either you have loose seats, or stretched valves. Eith one can be disatsterous...

If he was referring to having to shim the stands due to the heads being flycut, and changing geometry, you can have too high of CR as chamber volume has been removed..

90 PSI is low, and will sometimes not fire, the cylinders must be within 10% of each other to pass the test..

Your cam could be hating life, it the 2 cylindewrs are opposing each other..[/QUOTE]