22RE Head Cam Timing Question

[jgalt]

I had my head gasket replaced - head shaved, and now I don't have compression on cylinder 3. Is it possible that my mechanic got the cam / timing chain out of sync on this engine? Is there a scenerio that would cause this condition?

On C3, I see only about 10 pounds cold cranking compression. It goes up to about 35 pounds with 3/4 oz 10W30 squirted into the cylinder. The car runs, only poorly, but ran ok before the head work (shaved, pressure tested).

Today I pulled the valve cover (to check for a stuck valve, broken rocker arm) and everything looks fine - cam lobes, rocker arm action, I could see the top of the valve stem flush with rocker arm.

I hope it's a simple mistake - my mechanic is really upset! He's a great, young mechanic - and wouldn't let me pay for the job until we solve the problem.

Thanks in advance for your help!

[kovawa]

If the cam timing were off all four cylinders would have low compression. Why was the head gaskett replaced? Was the engine overheated? Was the cylinder head pressure tested? Was a valve job performed on the head while it was off? Were the valves adjusted properly after the head was installed? It's hard to diagnose these problems without seeing it first hand, but i would suspect that a valve is hanging open or that there may be a problem with the piston rings in cylinder #3. Another more remote possibility could be a bent rod in cylinder #3 caused by coolant leaking into the cylinder while the engine was off. If the engine were cranked with this condition, the conn. rod in that cylinder could have been bent. That would cause a reduction of displacement in that clyinder and lower the compression. Good luck with the repair I hope this information was helpfull.