Head Gasket?

[Walsted]

I think my head gasket has a leak. I am low on power on hills, and it sounds like I have an exhaust leak coming from the rear of the engine, especially at low RPM or under heavy load, such as hills or accelleration. I am pretty sure I need new valve stem seals as well.

Before I take it to a shop, I am going to do a compression check. Is there anything else I should check before I drop it off?

[Walsted]

Did compression check - 190/190/140/10. It's at the shop.

[baker99miata]

Sorry

[Walsted]

The mechanic did a quick check to rule out easy fixes, we discussed possibilities, and decided upon a swap, as the known costs (used engine, parts, and labor) of just doing a swap were similar to the costs of best case scenario once the head was pulled, and if we decided to try a repair, I'd still have a very high mileage short block, and things could be more expensive depending on what the real issue turned out to be. So the decision was made to do a swap instead of a repair. The car is now out of the shop after swapping in a 97,XXX mile engine.

As the original engine was pulled at 416,XXX miles with very leaky valve seals, I figure I can get another 300,000 out of the car with the swapped engine. Maybe by the time I hit that mark, dependable used RWD vehicles with manual transmissions and decent gas mileage using regular gas will be available and within my budget.