I think I got taken

[jblackburn]

Is there any other possible reason for the white smoke from the dipstick and oil blown all over the motor?

Yes and no. It's related to the PCV system for sure - it's either due to it being clogged (most likely it's never been replaced) or worn valve seals in the engine.

Do I risk blowing seals by driving the car in this condition for a short while before I get the chance to fix it?

I put mine off after I knew about it for a few months, and blew a cam seal. I freaked out and thought it was the RMS b/c I had oil dripping off the transmission. If you're going to put it off, leave the oil dipstick out slightly to let it vent.

Will fixing the PCV do anything to increase the pickup or make the engine run more evenly?

I had more pickup and better gas mileage afterwards. Especially with AC on. Though, mine is a turbo and I felt like the turbo picked up better afterwards moreso than the rest of the engine.

The timing belt was apparently changed 48k ago (date and milage on the cover). I took a peek inside the cover and the belt doesn't look cracked or dry-rotted. How can I tell if the timing is off? Can you fine-tune the timing at the distributor (by tightening or loosening bolts)?

No way to change the timing without the marks on the cams. If you can pull off the top part of the cover, you can rotate the cams around until the marks line up to check them. One tooth off can cause it to run pretty bad, but it'll still run. Check out Lee's pinned thread '850 140k major maintenance' at the top of the forum here.

Finally, what is the trick to checking the compression on these deep well cylinders? Is there a special tool for getting in there to tighten the adapter AFTER you finger tighten on the hose? I don't think there is room for a crow-foot.....

Does yours look anything like this?
I stabbed the adapter with long needle-nose pliers to get it in/out. The hose doesn't need to be super tight.

[mindshadow]

I had the same experience as jablackburn. I put off doing my PCV job and I was blowing oil all over the top of the engine and then I blew two other seals. I was losing a lot of oil. I would go from full oil to empty in about a week or two. I highly suggest finding a good indie shop to do the PCV job if you don't want to do it yourself. It'll be much cheaper.

[jamesspringer]

Does yours look anything like this?
I stabbed the adapter with long needle-nose pliers to get it in/out. The hose doesn't need to be super tight.

No, the one loaned me by autozone only had one SS adapter for the plug well; thankfully it was the one that fit. The adapter itself was only about as tall as a sparkplug and screwed into the well using an 18 mm socket. The hose is supposed to be finger tightened into the adapter (already screwed in the sparkplug hole) but it is impossible to get my fingers down there to screw it in.

When I do manage to check the compression, what should the pressure be (psi)?

[jblackburn]

Ohh, gotcha. Is it possible just to grab the entire hose and turn it in there?

If you're above 150 psi, your engine is still in good shape. NA engines should have about 170-180 psi ideally.

Remember to hold the throttle wide open.

[zhenya]

Yeah, the compression tester I got from Sears for I think $40 or so has a couple of adapters you attach to a long hose - similar to the one pictured above but not so fancy. Screwing it into deep well sockets is no problem though.

[thecheat]

[quote="
No way to change the timing without the marks on the cams. If you can pull off the top part of the cover, you can rotate the cams around until the marks line up to check them. One tooth off can cause it to run pretty bad, but it'll still run. Check out Lee's pinned thread '850 140k major maintenance' at the top of the forum [/quote]

I beg to differ, I just changed my belt and water pump and we're pretty sure the belt stretched a bit. The power gains with the new belt were too significant for it not to be the case. We unscientifically compared both belts and believe the old belt was a bit longer than the new one.

[jamesspringer]

Ohh, gotcha. Is it possible just to grab the entire hose and turn it in there?

If you're above 150 psi, your engine is still in good shape. NA engines should have about 170-180 psi ideally.

Remember to hold the throttle wide open.

Wait, I am not supposed to actually START the car, right? I unhooked the coil wire and just turned it over for 10 seconds. Am I supposed to floor the gas pedal too? Won't that flood the engine and possibly ruin my new spark plugs?

[zhenya]

The amount of fuel that will be injected in that time will be minimal, but if you are concerned, you should be able to disable the fuel pump by pulling the fuel pump relay.

[jblackburn]

Flooring the gas pedal keeps fuel from being introduced into the engine while cranking, allowing the compression to build up to the highest possible value so you get an accurate reading without gas washing away all the oil from the rings.

I beg to differ, I just changed my belt and water pump and we're pretty sure the belt stretched a bit. The power gains with the new belt were too significant for it not to be the case. We unscientifically compared both belts and believe the old belt was a bit longer than the new one.

Right. And now your timing is probably spot-on where it should be. But the timing can't be changed by moving the dist. cap like on some older cars.

[zhenya]

Flooring the gas pedal keeps fuel from being introduced into the engine while cranking, allowing the compression to build up to the highest possible value so you get an accurate reading without gas washing away all the oil from the rings.

How is that so? The throttle is to be open to prevent a vacuum effect that may prevent the cylinders from filling completely with air. Unless you disable the fuel pump, fuel is still going to be injected, no?