Washer stuck in timing chain

[ColinB]

Further update: David is laid low with shingles so I went over yesterday to give him a bit of a boost by checking the basics on his engine to see if there was something amiss we had not spotted. Valve and ignition timing both checked out OK but I noticed that the valve springs were very weak in that I could push them down with my fingers and even when fully closed I could easily wiggle the spring cap on each one. I haven't checked my own Junior to see if they are the same but this seems like a potential source of poor suction if it leads to the valves not seating fully. Any thoughts? I will take my compression tester over on my next visit which should highlight any problems.