lost compression on cyl 2 only, the plug was fouled quite badly with baked on oil
we were driving it and it was going ok on the way there, but on the way back it started getting rough so we havent noticed a problem until this point.
all the other cyls look fine

i have tested the cyl by putting oil in and the compression came up to the same level as the other cyls, then went down again on the following test

what do you think is the problem?

First thoughts are that you have done a head gasket.

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No more Minis!......For now.

i certainly hope we have only blown a head gasket
we were doing 100kph when we noticed the problem arise

burned valve...

probably when you were doing over 3000 rpm

bahahahahaha

(sorry Ryan... can't help it at this time of night after a hectic weekend)

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did I tell you that I won a trophy?

What he said /\

Could be a head problem if theres oil on the spark plug.\

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No more Minis!......For now.

you cant laugh about it and then apologise in the same post

danielle and i spent about two months getting the engine out after the diff had blown up
rebuilding the gearbox and diff which took lots of money, repainting the engine, fitting a whole set of hi-los and replacing a ball joint without proper tools, then
it took me a long time to get it back in the car as the engine mounts just WOULDNT line up and the remote change extention is a bitch, and more time and money getting it tuned which it then died on the way home due to fouled plugs which we had to call the RAA, then having to PAY to get the exhaust redone TWICE as the first idiot we took it to stuffed it up and it wouldnt fit back on.
and for this to happen, which i am guessing is most likely a problem with the rings or the valves. Well we are absolutely gutted, and we have no other registered vehicle

i'm feelin it..

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I always thought that if you put oil in and the compression came up that it was probably the rings, as the oil makes a bit of seal around the worn ring. I could be wrong and i dont want to worry you but that is how I understood it to work.
Steve.

I can laugh and apologise... I do it all the time

you should be used to the joys of mini ownership by now!

you can either
1/ get over it and fix it
2/ get used to it and get another car so you have a backup
3/ get rid of it and buy a boring car that isn't 30 years old

replace that plug and try driving it again, if it's the rings on that piston then the plug would be crudded up because of the oil sticking to it - replacing the plug should make it run OK again. If that works, then Flying Brick is right, it's the rings - buy a hotter burning plug for that cylinder only - it'll keep the oil off it. Oil is cheap, rebuilding motors isn't

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did I tell you that I won a trophy?