L24 compression question

[Zed Head]

Before you button it up, just rotate each lobe to the base circle (the part where there's no lifting force on the rcoker arm) and measure lash.  No need to turn any wrenches, just get a number.  That will tell you a lot.

If you had excess wear you'd be able to feel it on the lobe, by running a finger nail across the lobe and feeling for a ridge.  The deeper the worser.

There's two easy things that will give you something to ponder over the cold weather.

grannyknot mentioned rings.  If you re-run your pressure measurements, but with oil in the cylinders, that will give an indication of rings versus valves.  Oil tends to affect the rings sealing more than the valves.

[Montana Z]

I did run my nail across the lobes and couldn't feel any type of groove or ridge.  Tomorrow I'll try a little oil in the #4 cylinder to see if I get a different number. Any recommendation on oil weight?

[siteunseen]

I've not done that before but have read automatic transmission fluid works good, a cap full down the spark plug hole.

That orange paint on your cam between the lobes makes me think the cam has been cut or modified somehow. The darker lobes are probably not as slick as the shinier ones. They should be like glass. If it ran without oil on the lobes when the OE spray bar broke off it may have roughed up those last three lobes. If the rocker arm pads aren't worn down too bad just give it a valve adjustment and see if they smooth out. Hoping for good results.