i picked up a 98 b18b1 engine for dirt cheap. the previous owner said it either needed rings or valves or something that he wasnt sure of. he said it hadn't lost any power but it smoked fairly bad. i took the head off and the head gasket is fine, there is a lot of carbon build up around the valves but barely any at all on the pistons. i didnt get a chance to do a compression check but i was wondering if those symptons sound like anything in particular. im hoping its just valves/valve seals so i dont have to tear the bottom end apart.

any insight will be greatly appreciated.