Alright today is the big day when the project starts. Lots of photos to follow and even more questions to be asked.
Having done this a lot... Remove the entire exhaust system first, it's very heavy and you won't be able to get it off later. By FAR the easiest way is to disconnect everything and pivot engine and box down on front GB mount. Then separate engine from box. This way all you need to remove is the plastic part of the oil filler. If you try it with GB firmly in place, you'll need to remove a stack of parts at the rear in order to pull it back far enough to get it free of the gearbox and it will be very tight. EG cannot be done on mine at all as my 74 is just 10mm more cramped than later models.
I’m very confused here, there still not definitive problem but you’re going to take the engine out? , have you set the valves ? Have you checked the cam followers, cam lift ? , you can do all this in an hour with the engine in place and run it to see if it’s fixed, valves not properly opening can cause high and low compression issues, this could be a simple hours worth of work fix.
Check the pushrods are all sitting in their happy places as well while you've got the rocker covers off...and double check they are the right ones for whatever engine you've got. Iirc and @zedders or @davidoft will confirm, pushrods for hydro engines are shorted than non hydro. Therefore if solid lifters have been fitted with hydro pushrods, you'll never get it set right. Like David says, easy to do firstwithout pulling everything out. Sorry if this has been suggested before..it's a long thread haha
Non hydro are fat aluminium, hydro are thin (steel I think). He's already had the lifters swapped and been shown one of the old hydro lifters. I would be fishing out the lifters and looking down t'holes though.
There is supposed to be oil in there so that's good. If you are on a cambered road, the down hill side of the engine won't drain back to the sump as completely as the up hill side. I usually just jack up the side I'm taking the cover off then have a cuppa before removing it. Keeps the drips off the HX.
A good book to read, for reference is the Tom Wilson book https://wordery.com/rebuild-aircool...MInMihu9G16AIVCPlRCh3IIQGgEAQYASABEgLlrfD_BwE
Or at least put the bits in the valve cover you just removed for now. Then something with a lid because sods law a gust of wind will contaminate the lot with dust and grit.
Finger in hole feels fine. **smirk** This is TLB, mind how you phrase things. What hole? Pull the tubes out through the head, start with the ones that weren't moving far. Then fish out the followers, inspect and look down THAT hole at the cam lobe.