Well got about an hour to work on it today. Pulled a plug, borescope showed no damage to that individual cylinder, and plenty of broken up carbon buildup. Apparently these cars are notorious for carbon breaking and sticking to the valves, causing... wait for it... no compression! So i had a peek inside the timing cover, then immediately broke the timing cover, and the belt is still on, tight, and not missing any teeth. THEN I REALISED that the battery is below 12v, and these cars, or so I'm told, can act very strangely with a low battery. <--- that one is high hopes, but even carbon buildup will be easy to remedy!
Everyone cross their fingers for me!
Everyone cross their fingers for me!