i want to run this by you guys and see what you think,

my cylinders from left to right are marked (in front) as 1 - 4 - 2 - 3 (spark sequence i guess) #3's spark plug comes out clean with a slight lean condition and seems to cold heat range (no threads mark by color change) but timing is dead on

#4's and #2's spark plugs have a coffee with milk colored ceramic and a little bit of fouling that is not shiny

#1's spark plug is shiny fouled (but not too much) making reading a bit dificult

so this is my conclusion; (let me know if you agree)

timing o.k. timing advance a little of (under timing) jetting a little lean

#3's valve clearance and valves ok,

#4''s and #2's valve clearances slightly tight on intake

#1's valve seal a little damage or sticky valve problem

Vacuum reading shows a little over vacuum (23 inches of mercury) and a 3/4 to 1 inch of mercury drop every rev (sticky valve problem)

this is what i'm thinking to fix the problem;

1st. change oil to eliminate problem with viscosity (its due for a change anyway) and put in a additive to fix seal

2nd. retard timing by 2 degrees until vacuum shows 20 on idle, 23 on partial open to WOT

3rd. adjust valve clearance to 0.25 all around until valves get cleaned (even if they are a bit noisy like that) and check vacuum to see if #1 valves are sealing.

4th. filling tank with miracle oil and injector cleaner to fix any jetting problem (remember i have a carburetor)

5th. change spark plugs to a slight hotter plugs to match engine's/gasoline's octane / cylinder's needed heat rating

possible reason for the hole mess; first mechanic i went to after purchasing car set the valve clearance to 0.15 exhaust 0.10mm intake, burning on of the valves, oil degraded too quick due to piston rings not sealing well because of car running cold (70 degrees) and gasoline(just a little) mixed with the oil making the valve seal loose its seal on the valve stem

i'm gonna wait to do this a couple of days, oil with additive and filter should cost me $800, new spark plugs should be $240 and gas additive should run to $300, $1,340 (US$38) total

spark plugs can be oily or wet if this cylinder is short before ignition!

spark plugs can be oily or wet if this cylinder is short before ignition!

what do you mean, short before ignition ?, and can that be a constant thing on only one cylinder ?, please let me know to find a fix

good diagnose

but in my opinion keep your money, this operations will not effect so much on consumption or performance.

I mean if you turn off the engine there is one cylinder which is short before ignition... and there is the fuel in which can moist the sparks...

Are we talking about tuning a 1.3 Skoda Felicia or a 4 cylinder formula 1 racing car engine? As long as tappets, timing etc are correct to factory settings, and the engine runs, stick with it. The basic design was done 40 or so years ago when running was the main concern.I dont know what sort of milage your engine has but dont expect perfection without spending thousands on a complete engine rebuild with performance parts. Even Ferrari engines 40 years ago were not that reliable

well, i dont know exactly how many miles per gallon im getting, right now i'm doing a experiment to check, but torque is a little low and no smoke is coming out of the exhaust, but its not realy a big ammount of money and one thing i do need to clear is spark, checked before leaving and is orange and no big "clack" sound should be bluish and you should definelty hear a clack, so i guess one of my problems is im not burning the fuel in a well matter, but thats another subject, and i'm pretty sure i can make all the plugs nice and clean, witch is best to read them and futher diagnose the engine

the colour of the spark plugs won't tell you much about how the engine is running tbh

the colour of the spark plugs won't tell you much about how the engine is running tbh

in reality, to me is just one of the diagnostic tools, like the vacuum reading, in a sense is just a human way to check what a lambda and oxygen sensor check.

heres is what has happened, this morning (coffee in hand) i went to my car, removed the valve cover and sprayed a hefty amount of DW-40 on the valve stems, while it was soaking i finished my coffee, then i reset valve clearance, now to 0.25mm all around. started the car and let warm (while eating a egg sandwich) checked vacuum readings... i was amazed :eek:

took the ignition timing and set it to 20 inches of vacuum and accelerated to 2000 and 3000rpms, reset ignition timing and now i have a wide band of rpm @ 21 inches of mercury (vacuum reading) but the best part is i can now set the idle to 700rpm and the needle stays still in 20 inches of mercury and the engine hardly vibrates also recalibrate the idle back to 800 rpm and checked vacuum, it was at 21 inched of mercury the valves sound just a tad more noisy (but pleasant still) i can barely feel the engine running and i will check spark plugs tomorrow after i good run. (wonder how is going to feel after the new oil and filter)

had a quick run to work, ride felt very smooth but lacked a bit of power, that's ok since i have the fuel mix lean i'm gonna ground the coil better and change the spark wires to get a better spark, but the ride showed good promise, i actualy belive that fixing the weak spark is all that i'm gona need to get 35+ mpg (still not 100% sure how many mpg im getting) but i'm pushing to get 40mpg

re-checked the spark plugs this morning, all running clean with a slight tan on the ceramic ground strap discoloration right in the apex and idle timing 3mm before, i'm still trying to get the hairline ring in the ceramic's crown