Ok guys so I've been misfiring for a while now, been rather broke past few weeks but with my tax return I've finally been able to spend some money on my car. So I went out bought everything I needed and changed my timing belt, water pump tensioner, fuel filter, air filter, spark plugs and wires, distributor cap. It didn't fix the situation, so today I bought a compression tester and checked my cylinders. Here are my results

Cylinder 1: 145 dry/140 wet (don't think I added enough oil)
Cylinder 2: 30 dry/35 wet (here's my issue)
Cylinder 3: 150 dry/ 185 wet
Cylinder 4: 130 dry/175 wet

So obviously cylinder 2 is the problem. But when I had my friend read my codes they read
0300, 0301, 0302, and 1399.

That's both cylinder 1 and 2 that are misfiring, I'm stumped I had assumed it was my headgasket so I went and bought a fel-pro headgasket and a cns kit to do it within the next week but could it be a piston or a piston ring that is causing the issue? Some symptoms the car gives off is I have to add oil to the car every now and then, white smoke out of my exhaust sometimes, smells like burning oil on starts. I'm not leaking oil and the car hasn't overheated on me once, except for when my radiator blew out and that's because I didn't bleed it properly. Any and all input appreciated.

 

Do a leakdown test.

 

I see leakdown gauges are a tad bit expensive, would it be cheaper if I just took it to a shop to get tested?

 

Surely they rent them.

 

I'll track one down and get it down within the next few days, I'll follow up in this thread.

 

felpro headgasket, no bueno, go oem and say yourself a lot of trouble

 

So I've called around and asked everyone and nobody will lend/rent/have a leakdown tester. I was thinking, I do have a compression tester, could I just use the hose for my compression tester and plug it to my compressor and feed the cylinder 100 psi and figure out where my leak is?

 

that can work to. It won't be a pin point/direct but i've done it that way myself a few times.

 

So I've been putting off the test but I finally got it done. I plugged the hose into cylinder 2 at tdc and the air sounded like it was going into the header, so when I went to my exhaust sure enough there was plenty of air coming out of my exhaust. So now that I've done that. What exactly does this put me at? Bad valve/valve guide? Should I start looking for a new head?

 

I would say valves(ex). just replace them all like 60$ on ebay, why get a whole new head takes an hour or so plus you learn a lot from doing it.

 

Guess I'll start looking into some diy's

 

Make your own leak down.
Remove the check valve in the compression testor.
Then use an air compressor to pump air into the motor.
Get a regulator and setting around 40-60psi.
Piston at Tdc.
Then your be ale to hear the air leaking. If its coming it the oil valve cover then its the rings.

 

I already did that lol, I pressurized the cylinder at 95 psi and it was coming from my exhaust.

 

may have missed that part. but start with a valve lash.
my intakes where leaking because they where to tight.

 

Did that as well, what sort of tools will I need for a valve job? Valve spring compressor I know for sure but any other special tools? Or should I just remove the head get it cleaned and taken to a machine shop? Also do the valves matter or should I just get oem valves, a full set of intake and exhaust oem valves is gonna run me about 150+ another 40 for the seats. Sorry lots of questions I'm not that big of a mechanic lol, but I've been learning a lot these past few weeks.