Valve clearance adjust fixed "bad cylinder" diagnosed by shop--1992 Sidekick JX 8 Vlv

[Badger]

Just a cautionary note to anyone who gets a diagnosis of a "bad cylinder" from a shop.

My engine was stuttering a bit, the car shook while idling, and power seemed low, there was a noticeable shudder around 3krpm, so I took it into a very good and trusted shop to diagnose the problem. They did a compression test and found low compression in cylinder#3, and said they don't do "ring jobs" or any work in the cylinders, and even mentioned the possibility of getting a new engine.

Well, thanks to the sensible advice on this fixkick site, to never forget about valve clearance adjustment, I decided it couldn't hurt to try that. When I got in there the clearances were so far off that I wondered if I was reading the wrong info or the engine was nonstandard. anyway I set the clearances to the values in the specifications of my manual, and crossed my fingers, it started right up and ran smoother than it had in a couple years.

Thanks to fixkick advice, the old Zuki is up and running again, and the 8-valve procedure didn't even require any special tools.
I really appreciate all the advice. And the best part is the job only cost about 10$ for the new gasket on the valve cover.

[fixkick]

YOU ARE VERY WELCOME.
yes a 60k mile service point is lash
yes many shops never seen solid tappet before just HLA so don;t check it. sadly

yes 8v is very nice easy to work engine, just keep the cam belt good. (next fix is new head valve seals to keep it from smoking if does) rings may be super solid.

i made the pages in 2007, I am guilty was bored then worked 4-10s. 3days to kill time on bad weather then,
I retired in 2009 and still kicking(feet), but drive jeeps now. sold one 1996 for $3000 a random offer I could not refuse, had 3 at the time.
have 2008 Wrangler 6pseed m/t 4wd. , 3.6L push rod engine that has tricky head V gaskets that love to weak water.