Can a low compression PSI on one cylinder cause the computer to indicate "miss fire" on that cylinder?

Low compression on cylinder number 1 and cylinder number 2 on a 2000 Toyota Solara 2.2L engine could be caused by a few different issues. Here are a few possibilities:

1. Worn or damaged piston rings: The piston rings seal the combustion chamber and maintain compression. If the rings are worn or damaged, they may not be able to seal the combustion chamber properly, resulting in low compression.
2. Damaged or worn valves: The valves allow air and fuel to enter the combustion chamber, and allow exhaust gases to exit. If the valves are damaged or worn, they may not be able to seal the combustion chamber properly, resulting in low compression.
3. Damaged or worn cylinder walls: The cylinder walls are what the pistons move against. If the walls are damaged or worn, they may not be able to maintain proper compression.
4. Head gasket failure: The head gasket seals the combustion chamber and prevents compression from escaping. If the head gasket is damaged or blown, compression can escape, resulting in low compression.
5. Leak in the intake or exhaust system: a leak in the intake or exhaust system can cause low compression.

The dry compression test you did on cylinder 1 and 2, 80 PSI and 60 PSI respectively, are not within the normal range and indicate low compression. The wet compression test results are also not within the normal range, 95 PSI and 85

If your 96 E250 300ci was running perfectly and then started missing and the code is indicating a miss fire in cylinders 1 and 2, there could be a few potential causes. Here are a few steps you can try to troubleshoot and resolve the issue:

1. Check the ignition system: Make sure that the ignition system is functioning properly. Check the distributor cap, rotor, spark plug wires, and ignition coil for any signs of wear or damage.
2. Check the fuel system: Make sure that the fuel system is functioning properly. Check the fuel filter, fuel pressure, and fuel injectors for any signs of wear or damage.
3. Check the compression: A compression test can help to determine if the engine is getting enough compression to run properly. Low compression in cylinders 1 and 2 can cause the engine to miss fire.
4. Check the vacuum lines: Make sure that the vacuum lines are properly connected and not leaking. Any vacuum leaks can cause the engine to run poorly and miss fire.
5. Check the PCV valve: The PCV (positive crankcase ventilation) valve can become clogged or malfunctioning and cause the engine to run poorly and miss fire.
6. Check the EGR valve: The EGR (exhaust gas recirculation) valve can become clogged or malfunctioning and cause the engine to run poorly and miss fire.
7. Check the Engine Control Module: The Engine Control Module (ECM) controls the ignition and fuel systems and if it's malfunctioning it can cause the engine to miss fire.

It's important to note that some of these steps may require special tools and knowledge of the vehicle's engine system, so it's best to take it to a professional mechanic to avoid causing more damage.

100 PSI is way to low, I think you have a burnt valve. Check the cylinder compression on all cylinders, no cylinder should be 5% lower than the highest cylinder pressure measured or the engine will run rough or misfire.

Are you sure it's actually a plug?
Are you getting oil on the plug?
The plug may be firing but you may be losing compression which gives the symptoms of a misfire. As you've changed the plug, lead and coil this points to to a problem elsewhere.

Your first course of action should be to get a mobile mechanic carry out a diagnostic check for you.

To put your mind at rest, do a 2nd compression test using a light oil squirted into the bores:

Doing a Compression Test
Warm the engine. Remove all the spark plugs.
Get a pencil and piece of paper to note down the readings.
Put the compression tester into the No1 cylinder and crank the engine for 10 seconds.
Note down the compression reading.
Repeat process for all cylinders.

Here's an illustration of what you may expect on a 4 cylinder engine:
Cylinder 1 2 3 4
psi 125 122 120 124

125 is the uppermost figure for that engine. Here, this engine is fine. There's a slight variation in psi figures, but that's perfectly normal.

Here's the same engine:
Cylinder 1 2 3 4
psi 110 112 114 112

The psi reading is down. However, as all the figures are pretty much equal it doesn't indicate head /gasket problems. It may point towards worn pistons or burnt valves.

Now consider these psi readings:
Cylinder 1 2 3 4
psi 125 84 86 124

There's more than a 10% drop - a difference - between cylinder 1 and 2, and cylinders 3 and 4.
The compression readings for cylinders 2 and 3 is down; low. There's something clearly wrong.

It suggests that there is a defective head gasket between cylinders 2 and 3 or a crack in the cylinder head. The rising piston compresses the gases which escape into the adjoining cylinder via the defective gasket or cracked head.

However, it could also mean that there is a problem with the valves (burnt/not seating properly) or perhaps piston / ring problems.

A burnt valve - it's usually the exhaust valve as they bear the brunt of the combustion - can cause a reduction in engine power simply because the combustion process isn't occurring properly. Compressed air/fuel gets squeezed out of that cylinder because of the damaged valve . There even may be a misfire - a surge as the car runs.

Worn or broken piston rings allow compressed gases to leak past into the crankcase. A compressed crankcase can force oil out of the dipstick tube. The pressure in the crankcase will leak to atmosphere anywhere it can find an outlet.

The 2nd Compression Test
The second compression test is known as a 'wet test'. The first compression test was the dry test because no oil was added to the bores. The second 'wet' test can give an indication of whether it is the rings or valves at fault (though bear in mind rings and valves do not cause overheating or water in the coolant symptoms).

Spray a liberal amount of light penetrating oil into each cylinder - aim for the cylinder walls, not the centre of the piston. You want the oil to run down the cylinder wall and around the piston to form a seal.

Place a rag over each spark plug hole and spin the engine to eject the surplus oil.

Then carry out a full compression test noting down the results.

Here's the previous results with the 2nd compression readings added:
Cylinder 1 2 3 4
psi 125 84 86 124
Wet 128 112 110 126

The readings have increased. This because the oil sprayed into the bores has formed a temporary seal around the piston, thereby enabling the compression to be raised. It also indicates that the bores/rings are worn on cylinder 2 and 3 - the 'oil seal' has increased the readings but is still low in comparison with cylinders 1 and 2.

This could also indicate that in addition to worn rings there is also burnt valves. Oil cannot form a seal around a valve. A worn or split valve will cause a low compression reading and misfiring symptoms.
Compressions readings should be taken in conjunction with other symptoms. It will help you identify the problem:

Low compression readings between two adjoining cylinders point towards a head gasket/head fault if your vehicle has shown signs of coolant loss, coolant in the oil system - mayonnaise, overheating, rough running and lack of power.

If those symptoms are not present it points towards burnt valves/piston rings. A worn engine may be difficult to start and pressurise the crankcase, but it doesn't cause overheating problems.

It could be a problem in the valve train. For a car that old, before putting new parts in, you could buy a compression tester for about $30, and do your own compression test. It should tell you if the engine is good enough internally to warrant proceeding. If compression is low on any cylinders, that problem must be addressed first. If a valve is not sealing and causing the popping, that cylinder will show low compression.
For the test, the engine should be at normal operating temperature. Then pull all the plugs out, connect tester to #1 spark plug hole. Have a helper hold the throttle wide open while cranking the engine over about 5 seconds. Watch the gauge-the first revolution or two will cause the gauge to jump high at first, and successive revolutions during the 5 second span will cause the needle on gauge to climb a little each time. Record or note the compression on #1, then do each cylinder. Try to do the same amount of cranking on each cylinder, and keep the throttle wide open. What you want are compression readings on each cylinder that is well above 100 psi, and all should be close. The lowest reading should be within 75-85% of the highest reading cylinder. Example: say your highest reading is 135 psi. 85% of 135 is 115-so your lowest reading should be at least 115 psi. Some general guidelines: any cylinder with compression below 100 psi is definitely a problem-that cylinder will not have hardly any power output, even if it is firing. Worn piston rings or poor valve sealing is causing compression loss. A newer engine should have compression readings above 150 psi. As the engine wears, compression will drop. In general, for high mileage engines, you would want to see compression in the range of 125-150 psi, the higher the better, but remember, it should be balanced-the lowest should be at least 75% of the highest reading cylinder.
Post back if you have questions-good luck.

replace the injector in no 2 cylinder

Time for a new car, unless you want to spend the big bucks to repair your engine. Low compression, below 100 psi, means the cylinder will not fire, will miss, have low power. The reason could be a blown head gasket, worn rings, valves not seating properly-at the very least, the cylinder head will have to come off. Before doing that, though, do a leak down test to pinpoint the cause of low compression in that cylinder. If just one cylinder is low, and you have good compression otherwise, it may be worth fixing. Tercels are low value beaters, but I owned a '94 tercel, and I loved it, till the engine went south, just like yours-body was too banged up to make it worth fixing, though.

If cylinder compression is too low, the car may not even start because of it. Have a shop do a compression test or a leak-down test to check the internal health of your engine. A good engine should have pressures of 150-200 psi in all cylinders and be close to each other. A worn or high mileage engine may have pressure as low as, say 125 psi, but if still balanced (close readings), would still run decent. Compression below that, especially below 100 psi, is serious trouble. ignition spark refuses to ignite the air/fuel mixture and you get a misfire-a non-working cylinder. Low compression can be caused by worn piiston rings or poor valve sealing. Low compression in 1 or 2 cylinders can be a valve problem, burned valves or valves not seating properly.
A leak-down test will check each cylinder and if there is a problem, the test will find the cause of the problem.

first do a cylinder compression test on engine to verify good engine compression this should be around 110psi to 175 psi check for vacuum leak, intake port for #6 cylindermay be leaking air, or also check coil for that cylinder, if wire and spark plug have already been changed, last replace fuel injector for that cylinder.

First check plug and make sure the right plug for this vehicle,make sure that the heat rating for this plug is correct. Your problem could be a wrong heat rating plug been installed. Also make sure that the misfire is due to a bad plug and NOT a bad injector or injector wiring or uneven compression or even bad coil. Check injector wiring and make sure it not shorting or broken. To check injector pulse use a NOID light can be bought at almost any auto parts store like Auto-zone etc. Also compression can be checked with compression guage. A rule of thumb to go by is if any cylinder has more than 10 PSI in difference in compression there is a problem like a burnt valv etc. Here is a n example cyl# 1 170psi cyl#2 176 psi cyl#172psi cyl# 4 150 psi, there is a problem with cylinder # 4 and will cause a miss from cylinder #4. Good luck and thank for using FIX YA