I don't have the specification in front of me. The compression ratio is less than 5:1 which would be ~75 psi. Because the starter can only turn the engine over relatively slowly so reaching the optimum won't happen. Therefore the 55 psi is in the range of what would be expected for a used engine with wear on the cylinders and maybe not 100% valve sealing.

@chip 

I don't have the spec at hand either, but I agree fully with Chip.

Seventy five pounds would be the best you could hope for at considerable rpm's AND at sea level.

I think the even readings across all cylinders is the real tell here that you have nothing to worry about with regards compression.

If all else fails, change the condenser.  🙂

Posted by: @ole-olson

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If all else fails, change the condenser.  🙂

And be prepared to replace it more than once. There's growing track record of today's ignition condensers being defective out of the box.

I suggest checking your timing. When the starter motor is turning the engine over, you want the spark to happen right at top dead center (TDC). Otherwise, the explosion in the cylinder will attempt to push the crankshaft backwards, and the engine won't start easily (and might actually cause some damage to the starter or ring gear).

Here's my basic procedure for timing:

1. Get cylinder number one into the TDC position at the end of the compression stroke.  Reach into the spark plug hole with a wood dowel to physically feel that the piston is in its top position. On my truck, the previous owner put the flywheel on incorrectly so the timing marks were never in the correct place. Once I found true TDC for cylinder one, I painted a florescent line on the flywheel in the correct place for future timing exercises. 😉

2. Put the spark lever in the fully retarded position.

3. Take the distributor cap off and loosen the distributor clamp.

4. Turn the distributor every so slightly and see if the points are just about to open, which, when they do, will cause a spark. The rotor should be pointing to the distributor tower that has the spark plug wire going to cylinder number one. I usually hook up a multimeter to the points (checking for continuity) so I can easily see when the points are  open or closed.

5. After getting the distributor to the correct place, be careful not to turn it while you tighten up the distributor clamp.

After the above checks out okay, always FULLY retard the spark lever when starting, so that you get the spark at TDC. Then, after a few moments of running, advance the spark lever for driving.

I don't worry about or mess with trying to get the engine timed with the spark lever in the advanced position, like my shop manual suggests. That procedure has the potential for getting the spark retard setting out of whack, which affects the engine starting ability.

Hope this helps.  Dean

@rustoholc    Should the lever on the steering wheel be up or down for retard?

The short answer to your question is I don't know for a 1916 490.

The timing lever on my 1928 1/2 ton truck is on the right side of the steering column (not mounted in the middle of the steering wheel) and you pull it towards you (rotate it clockwise) to retard the spark. To advance the spark, you push the lever away from you (rotating the rod counter-clockwise).

I suspect that the procedure for timing the distributor is different for your 490 than it is for my '28.

The period correct repair manual should have the correct timing information. If you don't have one already, I highly suggest that you get a reprint of this manual, along with an owners manual and a parts manual. They show up on ebay a lot and are offered by a number of vendors also.

Attached are pics of my truck's lever setup and a photo from the 1928 Owners Manual showing a car's setup.

When you get the problem figured out, let us know what the solution was. That way, the info is captured here for future reference.

Cheers, Dean

@rustoholic The car now runs.   The lever that controls the distributor was not adjusted correctly. When the distributor was turned more than the lever would allow and was disconected from the lever, the engine started.   Then the distributor was reset to the distance of the lever.

Arthur, good sleuthing and congrats!

😉  Dean