ORIGINAL: treehanger
Sorry about the extra line spaces, I pasted from WORD and it should not have displayed that way! Bob
You can go back & edit the last post. Just backspace the gaps out & re-post.
You should definately feel compression if it is an engine W/time on it. When they are brand spankin' new they don't have a lot of compresssion but after a very short time it will increase.
Could be that the valves aren't closing. Some varnish or carbon could be keeping the valves springs from seating the valves completely. Get the engine on TDC of the compression stroke & back off the valve adjustment. Spray some PB Blaster or some such penetrating oil into the ports & valve springs. Work the valves W/your fingers to see if they are sticking & perhaps that will loosen them up.
If you can't remedy the problem that way my suggestion would be to pull the cylinder & see what the ring/piston/bore looks like. You could then also have a closer look to see if the valves are seating