Help!!!

I hope someone can help me. I just bought a 97 eclipse rs 2.0 non-turbo with a manual transmission. I've had it a little over a week and have changed the valve cover gasket 4 times! It always blows on the tranny side. The check engine light was on so I ran a diagnostic and it came up missfire on cylinder 4. When I first crank it up I noticed a little white smoke coming out of the exhaust with a little water. The funky thing is that white smoke comes out of the oil filler cap and dipstick if I take them off with the engine running. The oil is not milky like water is in it. I've already done the normal "new car" stuff (change plugs and wires, oil and filter, etc). I used RTV on the gasket and torqued it to specs using my Haynes manual. I'm scratching my head at this point. Any suggestions?

4 TIMES IN 1 WEEK!!!


Something is definitley wrong. Hows the compression look?

Cylinder 4 is next to the tranny, so that makes some sense with the CEL. Don't know though

4 TIMES IN 1 WEEK!!!


Something is definitley wrong. Hows the compression look?

Cylinder 4 is next to the tranny, so that makes some sense with the CEL. Don't know though


Here's the results of the compression test:

#1-130 psi
#2-130 psi
#3-185 psi
#4-105 psi

Funky, huh? I'm wondering if the raised compression in #3 is causing the valve cover gasket to blow, but what would cause it? #4 is probably the reason for the white smoke in the exhaust (head gasket) but would it cause white smoke to come out of the dip stick and filler cap? Oil is still not milky. Still scratching my head.
Oh yeah, this is a dry compression test. I had read somewhere in this forum about there being no point in doing a wet test because of the pistons (oil just sits in the dome).

Compression in 1 and 2 are a little low, and 4 is trouble. The compression in 3 is about normal.

Am I looking at rings, head gasket, both? Is my head warped and that is causing the valve cover gasket to blow all the time? Someone told me you can get a machine shop to repair an alluminum head. Is this true? Anyone know what it'll cost? Thanks!

well if you dig all the way into the block you may as well replace the HG b/c that saves you time later, but yeah you deffinantly need new rings!

well if you dig all the way into the block you may as well replace the HG b/c that saves you time later, but yeah you deffinantly need new rings!


Thanks,
That's what I was afraid of. I may as well just rebuild the whole engine. Is my head warped? Any good suggestions on pistons, connecting rods and the like?
I've seen people talk about crank walk. Is there a way to insure this doesn't happen?

Don't worry about crankwalk, you don't have a 4g63. You have a 420A.

Not saying that it could never happen, but I have never heard of it on the 420A.