BACKSTORY!...

In 2013 I bought a sweeeeeet '99 XJ8 with 86k miles for $2000.

I decided to be proactive and install a timing chain/tensioner kit preemptively.

Tore the perfectly good running 4.0 down. It was shockingly clean inside,and the original plastic tensioners weren't even cracked. After reassembling the engine, it never did start. Sounded like it had no compression. I tested cylinder one and got like 15-20 lbs.
After double checking all my work, which appeared to be fine, I pulled the passenger cylinder head off. I found no evidence of piston to valve contact.
Lost interest and abandoned the car at the back of my shop for two years.


Last week I got some ambition and started snooping around on the motor again.
I did find that my Cam phasers were turned all the way clockwise. I assumed that must be my problem, since I was finding sources claiming that they should be turned all the way counter-clockwise on assembly. I cranked them back to the left as far as they could go, and put the engine together again.

Now it has No compression at all.

HERE'S MY QUESTION-
Apparently I put the left cam on the right head and vise versa. Anybody else this stupid? How far up a creek am I?

 

I would have thought that if the pistons never met the valves, and you would know because it would probably be siezed up, the situation is rectifiable.

 

No compression... had that before - thanks to what appeared to be a bore wash. Unsure if that can happen with what you have done here, but wondering if the same 'fix' would do the trick, i.e. tp of engine oil in each cylinder then crank up with gas peddle to the floor, slowly releasing... just a thought.

 

I would have thought that the obvious first step, would be to put the correct cams on the correct heads.

 

With the left cam on the right head, and the right cam on the left?

 

I didn't realize I put them in wrong at first, and assumed it was cylinder wash. Did the oil in the spark plug hole deal. Didn't matter.

 

Well, the good news is that it's going to run a whole lot better with the right cam on the right head.

 

not if my leakdown test is accurate.

Time to pull the heads.