"stryped" wrote in message
...

Oh, I dont think mine had compression release and I left the valves as
is. (Other than cleaning the tops of them.). Also have a new head
gasket.

Pretty much all small engines have some sort of compression release. Some as
odd ball as a slight ramp machined in the exhaust lobe that always pops the
exhaust valve slightly, (seems not to bother at higher RPM), to a actual
mechanical release that drops out when the engine comes up to idle speed.
Greg