Yes on the valve lash. If its 0 or preloaded, a valve will always stay open.

OP...u sure you are at TDC when doing the test? You sure you're at TDC when you did the valve adjust?

You sure the cam timing is not off?



As far as valve seals...
Air can't pass thru the valve seals if the valve is closed...

Oil can tho. But OP didn't say he was burning oil.

OP...

while the cylinder is pressurized...take off the radiator cap. Obviously only do this if the engine is cold.

Does the coolant level rise?

 

^ Good call. You're definitely right that the compression can't be leaking through the seals if the valve is closed. OP did claim much more oil burn and soot on the bumper though.

 

So, I did all the work myself. As far as the valve work. I used AP2 intake and exhaust retainers and valve stem seals. I was very careful in installing the valve stem seals and made sure to differentiate between intake and exhaust side when doing it. There were no AP1 valve stem seals available for purchase; I concluded that the AP2 seals would work after reading on the forums.

I made sure to adjust the valves while at TDC.

The car has been misfiring on and off over the past years/months. It would come and I would replaced coils or spark plugs, gaskets, etc. and after resetting the CEL it would go away for while(can be months or year) and then eventually come back. Until recently I haven't thought of checking the injectors. I have not got it professionally serviced, but from what I can see it switches on and off fine and spray pattern is ok.

I am pretty sure I got the cam timing correct. Would the car start with it not timed correctly?

After doing all the valve work. The car ran strong and no misfires came up for maybe like 2-3 months and then it happened again this time.

 

Wait, cam timing? Did you remove the head or the timing chain? You wouldn't need to do that just to replace retainers and valve seals. Confused.

 

The cams need to come out.

 

Oh, right. Only ever done this on old school V8. Just need to remove rocker.

 

The reporting here is not making a whole lot of sense to me. First, it sounds like a lot of work was done without first making a diagnosis and based largely on guesses. In my opinion the best thing OP could do right now is to STOP doing things and get the car to a good experienced mechanic, hopefully one with a lot of S2K experience. Relying on internet diagnostic work is probably not the way to go. I would say the sooner OP gets the car to a qualified mechanic the better. Does anyone know a good S2k shop in Nevada to send OP to?

The thing that is really confusing is the reference to cam timing suggesting the chain was moved. I suspect/guess that OP may have meant that in performing the valve adjustments he may have put the cams in the wrong place. Hopefully that is all it is and than can be easily remedied. See post #8 above for simple and accurate way to set the cams in each cylinder as you proceed with valve adjustments. No way I would throw this engine away quite yet.

 

How would another mechanic diagnose a misfire? I believe diagnosing a misfire is a process of trail and error or guesses. The reason why I did all the valve work was because the car is old on top of that it is a MY00 with over 200k miles on it. it was time for a refresh as well as preventative maintenance. It is not rocket science.

I still have not got around to further diagnosing the problem due to time constraints.

Here is what I think happened and if so, then I am completely at fault; For some reason I have not thought of replacing or testing the injectors after all this time. I assumed it to be low maintenance item and that if the injectors did fail, a CEL would show right away and stay on persistently. In my case the CEL would come on I would reset it and then it would go away for a while (days, months, year). I suspect that one of the injectors (cylinder 1) has not been spray right over a long period of time, causing a lean condition on cylinder 1 causing it to misfire and maybe let to either burnt valves or damage to the piston ring causing a failed leakdown test.

OR

I pray this is the cause; When doing the valve adjustment I didn't get it to spec, which is causing the misfire.

Which ever the case. I will need new injectors if the engine is salvageable.

The next step for me is to do a valve adjustment, redo the leak down test and compression test see how it affects it. If there is no change then I will have to assess the next best course of action.

There are no reputable or good mechanics that I know of or trust in Las Vegas. So I do all the work myself (I practically worked/replaced all areas of my car which the exception of removing the head or short block). The car has new suspension, new spherical bushings, all mounts replaced, radiator, new paint job, new top, windshield, driveshaft, axles, clutch, the car is practically refreshed and then this happened. So the only component that needs a refresh is the engine and it will practically be a new car.. Even for the engine bay I replaced the radiator hoses, TCT, all gaskets, spark plugs, coil packs, IACV, MAP, Throttle Body, etc. all with oem parts.

Side Note: I did not think of doing a compression test until recently because (1) The car always felt like it pulled hard and strong and (2) I was maybe subconsciously afraid of what ill find lol.

 

Maybe you left one of the valves tight and it burned up?

Maybe the borosope will tell you.

You could put a vinyl glove or balloon tied to the exhaust pipe, TB, and PCV valve while doing a leakdown test.

See which balloon fills up.

 

That is a good idea. Thanks I will have to try that.