My 1973 Imperial with 151,000 miles has been running poorly. Symptoms have included lack of power, rough idle, excessively noisy and hot exhaust, and low engine vacuum (10 to 12 inches of vacuum on the worst of days). Compression tests show 120psi for cylinder 1, 90psi for cylinder 3, and inconsistent readings for cylinder 5 - which jumps anywhere from 60psi to 80psi. With these readings, I didn?t bother to test the remaining cylinders given how difficult it is to access the plugs on this car. I believe that the symptoms and the tests show that the Imperial has either sticky or burned valves. I am unsure what to do next. Would it be more economical to have a machine shop rebuild the cylinder head, buy a replacement head, or attempt the work myself? I have done a valve job on my 1950 DeSoto, but I suspect the Imperial 440 demands more skill and pricier parts than the DeSoto Six. I?m wondering, too, if I should just sell the car. That, however, is a very sad thought. Your advice would be greatly appreciated. Dave Duricy 1973 Imperial LeBaron (The Ailing Monarch) 1968 Imperial Crown convertible (The Usurper) 1950 DeSoto Custom (The Witness) ____________________________________________________ Yahoo! Sports Rekindle the Rivalries. Sign up for Fantasy Football http://football.fantasysports.yahoo.com ----------------- http://www.imperialclub.com ----------------- This message was sent to you by the Imperial Mailing List. Please reply to mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx and your response will be shared with everyone. Private messages (and attachments) for the Administrators should be sent to webmaster@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx To UN-SUBSCRIBE, go to http://imperialclub.com/unsubscribe.htm