OK, I am new to the forum and somewhat new to the standard Vega, although I do have a Cosworth, so my knowledge isn't zero on the vehicles. Anyway, I am the proud new owner of a 1974 woody wagon with 34k original miles on it. Before I bought it, I ran compression tests on all four cylinders and got 152 on cylinder 1, 153 on cylinder 2, 123 on cylinder 3, and 152 on cylinder 4. Hmmmm, so cylinder 3 plug did show a small amount of oil residue around the edge but it wasn't an oily mess per se....it was just blacker, but not wet black. I have been told that the 120 psi isn't abnormal for this engine, but it is less than the other three cylinders and ideally having all three the same is a good thing. The car does blow a little smoke on startup, but then stops after warmed up....it's blue, not black, so there is some oil burn in there, but it isn't bad like birds falling out of the sky or anything.
Is my puppy sick and need a tear down, or is 123 PSI satisfactory for this engine?