running on 2 cylinders?

the car has been sitting for a while after doing some rust repairs and with a new battery today i thought i would kick her over. well it started no worries but its only going on 2 cylinders. apart from it sounding crap there is minimal heat out of the extractors on numbers 2 and 4. i believe this problem had been occuring previously and i couldnt solve it before so enoughs enough... i need answers!!
where what and how???????
weber, dizzy and valve clearances are my first thoughts.
cheers

its got a new dizzy cap and the points aren't to old either but will check them tomorrow. what about the dizzy cam could that cause this problem if worn?

Wont have anything to do with points!

First things first ... is there spark at the lead on the cylinders you say arent firing?

If yes, then do a compression test!

Neither will cost you a cent in diagnosis by replacement.

G

It wont be the plugs causing the problem, they are only a symptom.

Compression test!!

They will be fouling for another reason, too rich, burning oil, poor spark.

Sounds like you should take it to a mechanic

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.

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.

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