suggestions:
1) squirt a bit of oil in the cylinders and re-do the compression test ("wet").
2) if compression still low then do a leak-down test, or visually check the valves with a borescope.

 

Just wanted to say thanks for the help - I got the car running.

I am still not 100% certain on the original problem or the secondary problem but I am happy to have the car back!

Thanks again - if anyone cares and wants to hear more about it let me know and I can write what I think happened.

 

please let us know...this is the point of this forum

 

It's a longish explanation but here is a bit more information:

I am still not convinced that the original issue was the timing chain but the car acted like it was out of time. I checked everything else and the only thing that made sense to me is that the timing chain jumped a tooth. The top guide was intact but it did have some broken pieces on it. I had initially checked everything I could think of and I did a compression test (they were all around 30) - I did not do a wet compression test but I should have (I already convinced myself it was the timing chain).

With that, the car got a few new items: timing chain, front crank seal, water pump, turbo oil line, and the gaskets for the oil filter housing.

While I was doing the timing chain I went ahead and took off the intake and dumped some sea foam onto the intake valves. I had done this twice and I knew that the sea foam would end up on the pistons but I didn't think much about it. Once everything was reassembled I had turned the motor over (both by hand and later with the starter - mostly to check the timing but also to purge the sea foam out of the pistons).

Once it was completely back together I tried it and got nothing - that is when I posted the first post. I assumed it was a bent valve or a bad head gasket. With squawSkiBum's suggestion I did the wet test and had compression back. I put the plugs back in and the car started up. Once all the oil burned out of the cylinders the car was running fine - there was a tick from one of the intake valves but that cleared up fairly quickly.

Here is what I think happened: Initially it might have been the timing chain but I am still not certain on that. After it was back together I think the sea foam on the pistons washed away all the oil from the cylinder walls and that is where I was losing the compression the second time - once I dumped the oil on the pistons and turned the engine over a few times I got compression back and the rings were able to do what they are supposed to do. I know it's a bit of a long shot but I'm not really sure how else to explain it.

At this point, I have 150 miles on the car and it's been running good!

 

Thanks for the update! Glad you have it running again. What was the compression once it came back?

 

 

I bought a clubman not long ago and believe it or not, the timing was 180 deg off. The car started and ran. Of course CEL was on.

Even with a tooth off, it should've started.

Well...glad it worked out and keep an eye on the oil level.

 

How did you figure out the timing was 180 out?

Originally I thought the timing chain had broke (that's what the engine sounded like to me) and later just assumed it had jumped a tooth.

I am honestly still trying to figure out what happened to it when it wouldn't start the first time - I think it has something to do with the cold and the very short run time.

 

When i got the car from the auction, it didnt sound right and no matter how much gas i give it, it didnt rev too hight. So i decided to check the timing and the cams were off big time. Once i set it, it ran like butter and was amazed and thankfull the valves didnt hit.