No lifters, SOHC engine with timing chain.
90% chance of a blown head gasket or warped / damaged head.
Here is a series of tests to do on your engine...First get your number 1 cylinder to TDC on the compression stroke. remove your oil filler cap and your ducting to your carb or throttle body... Next remove the spark plug and insert a plug that allows you to add a steady air supply into the cylinder...While keeping a steady air supply into the cylinder listen for air either escaping out of your oil filler tube or coming out of the throttlebody/carb...a friend will be need to go to the tailpipe and listen for air coming out of the exhaust...If you have air coming out of the oil filler, chances are its the rings or a cracked piston, if its coming out of the throttlebody/ carb then thats usually an intake valve and if its coming out of the tailpipe its an exhaust valve...It doesnt mean the end of your engine for any one of these...Before you give up all hope, try this little trick that we call staking a valve...You will have to remove the cam to do this on our engine but once its removed you will need a rubber mallet...Keeping the same air pressure applied to your cylinder, smack the stem (where your cam lobe normally contacts the valve) of whatever valve is leaking. Listen carefully, if the air leaking out lessons then continue smacking the valve stem until the leaking stops. Staking a valve can also help with leaky piston rings. The process works by popping the valve face into the valve seat where normally the cam allows the valve to softly contact the valve seat. By popping the valve it will break up any carbon deposits and the air pressure will blow it clear. Same thing happens to the piston rings, by popping a valve the pressure differential moves the rings and can break loose deposits on the rings....This is the same procedure we use on aircraft piston engines and has helped me on my vehicles...Good luck!!!
no compression could not be a coil or module can't believe that you are still driving it . how do you know you lost compression on number one. has it overheated? is there water in the oil. remove the radiator cap , start the engine. look in the radiator for bubbles. that would be head gasket. remove valve cover don't think your car has lifters but I could be wrong. probably a bent valve which keeps the valve from seating
Low compression mean bad things, like;
your piston rings are bad,
your valve seats are bad,
your block is cracked,
your head is warped,
or your head gasket is failing.
Lost compression in cylinder #1. It basically runs on 3.5 cylinders and it will refuse to move past 3500rpm no matter how hard I press the gas pedal. It feels like a lifter is sticking but I seafoamed 5000 miles ago. When I first start the engine it will rev at 2500 rpm for about 7 seconds before idling normal, so I replaced the vacuum lines and PCV valve but to no avail. After long periods of driving the engine will hit extremely low rpms at idle and I have to feed it gas to stay alive (its an automatic). So I inserted new spark plugs and plug wires hoping to skim by, but I still have the same symptoms. 205,000 miles, oil change at 203,000. A buddy is telling me its the ignition coil and possibly module. Lets hear your golden nugget on this. I want all opinions to avoid getting a new engine, its so hard to let go of my very first car :'(
