Do a 'dry' comp test first and record the readings

then squirt a small amount of oil into each cylinder and test it again. if the readings improve you have worn compression rings.

1000kpa is about 145psi which is pretty low. a healthy pinto is usually 170-180 psi.

White smoke? is this car auto or manual? If its auto i would be suspecting the modulator is stuffed which will allow the motor to suck in and burn transmission fluid.

engine oil burning will usually result in grey/blue smoke.

yes i did a dry test first with the readings of 145psi then followed by a wet test with the readings going up to 155 psi.
it is a manual with a type 9.
i guess the smoke is a whitish greyish blueish :)

thankyou Gdub that was what i was needing...a definate answer!!
is there a way of double checking its the rings before the engine comes out?

i doubt i will be changing the rings myself so iam guessing i should take it to the bloke who did the head if need be. what kinda price should i be expecting?

cheers

Not really any way to check further. If the comp was that low its pretty much tired no matter how you look at it.

Rings is a full engine rebuild and you will be hard pressed to find anyone who would want to do it without it being a full recondition including boring and new pistons.

I'd me making some phone calls to get prices on a full reco of your Pinto. While its there you can look at getting the cam ground etc for a little extra go for not much extra money since they would be grinding it anyway.

Call half a dozen engine reconditioners and compare what they offer.

145psi on all cyls although not great, isnt completely terrible.

my low comp pinto at one stage had 100-120ish psi across all cyls. it still ran fine.
[:p]

after doing some research i have found that i have a low compression engine with the engine code "R" and not "J" i believe.
with this in mind it should only be 155psi new! so with 30 odd yrs under her belt isnt 145 acceptable?
just trying to be definate again before i even start calling around or pulling it apart.
i cleaned the plugs and then warmed it up and ran it for about 10 mins giving it a bit of a hard time..the plugs lookd like this:







they are all pretty oily around the base of thread:( and also sooty.
more ideas??
cheers

Might be that 2 valves are staying open due to being stationary for so long and is an old motor. Another thing is if you have twin webers that some sediment can block the fuel galleries. Have you swapped plug wires around (1 to 2, and 3 to 4) to see if the leads are suspect? Check if the plugs aren't dead.

how should i check the valves?
its got a single 45 weber.
will check leads again!

need to eliminate the fuel and ignition problems!
cheers

If 2 vlaves were staying open you wouldn't be getting 145psi compression. you would get ZERO!

OK, since you have a 'single' 45 Weber, 1 side of the carb can block up....now a single manifold crosses over 1&3 shared as do 2&4(going on memory here!), Take the carb off and clean it and blow compressed air thru ALL the passages, this might be the cause of the 2cyl motor !!

I am assuming you correctly gap all your plugs before they go in, (they will be all over the place straight out of the box).

You could make sure all the plugs are getting spark by pulling them one by one and checking they are firing by holding them against the block (with insulated pliers) and trying to start it.

If a couple of cylinders are simply not getting spark, check the dissy cap and TEST all your leads with a multimetre.

If you suspect sticking valves, take the rocker cover off, pull all the plugs and turn it over by hand a few times, they are usually pretty easy to see.

Dont give up, its figuring things like this out that makes you a better mechanic.

Cheers

Shaun B