tom wrote:
> I have recently developed a severe hesitation problem. Cyl 1 shows
> compression of 120. Other 3 have 150. If I squirt oil into 1, it
> also shows 150. There has been no change in compression or vacuum
> (18) since before the problem, but the hesitation and missing started
> suddenly as I was
> driving last week. Prior to this, I ran smoothly at all speeds up to
> 85 mph., although the engine had been a little weak, I consume very
> little oil, except at sustained very high speeds,
>
> Now the engine idles nicely, but hesitates under load under any
> driving conditions. I removed the #1 spark plug wire and grounded it
> to the block. Car runs much smoother now on 3 cylinders at all speeds
> than it had been on 4 with one missing..
>
>
> Questions:
> Will running the car like this on a short term basis damage the
> engine?
> Could raw gas ignite in the exhaust system and damage it? (I can't
> shut off gas supply because this is a carb engine, not EFI.)
> Is there any way to tell if problem is rings rather than valves
> without pulling the cylinder head?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Tom

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Look inside your distributor cap for red dust. If you find it , do a
google(groups) search for 'red dust'. I think your timing belt has
jumped a tooth. Did you ever tell us what kind of car it is, or the
mileage ? ? ?
'Curly'