Hi everyone, I'm new around here and first off would like to thank everyone for the wealth of knowledge available on this great forum! I am having a problem with my new to me '73 2.0. I have a dead #3 pot. I have verified I have spark, a good fuel injector and about 130 psi compression. I have not yet checked the valve clearances. Could I have good compression and all other requirements and still have a dead hole? In searching old posts it seems like too tight a valve clearance could cause this problem, but would that not affect my compression test results negatively? I also think I read Jake say that if it is #3 it is more likely than the other cylinders to be adjusted wrong. Did I understand him correctly and if so why is that? Thanks for all responses!

If you know that the injector is firing gasoline, the spark is getting to the plug tip and sparking, you could have a bad rebuilt injector, an intake leak, or tight valves.

Injector is brand new and has been swapped to another cylinder to ensure proper function. Would an intake leak not be shown in a compression test if it was so bad so as to not allow the cylinder to ignite? How exactly does the tight valve affect compression and not allow the cylinder to ignite?

I would pull the rocker cover and make sure both valves are opening correctly (at that time you can also check the valve clearance).

I'm not sure about the intake leak.

How are you determining that the cylinder is dead?

I would also try using a known working spark plug. I recently just replaced an engine and along with it put new spark plugs in. all gaps correct and spark to the end of my wire so i assumed the plug was firing but the spark plug was dead from the factory. Its an easy test give it a try.