Thanks Ryk. I hadn't thought of rings. Unfortunately I am a self taught maintenance guy with no meaningful practical experience in engine breakdown and mechanics. Checking the valve clearances was my most significant challenge so far.. I guess I need to get someone experienced to test and hopefully eliminate the rings as a cause. I don't really want to be up for a top end rebuild so soon (34000kms). Thanks also for your PM with added detail but it sounded like a foreign language to me. 
Last edited by foglefar; 08/02/2014 11:21 PM.
Cheers, Richard
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09 America, Staintune Pipes, K&N, Breathe, Hagon Nitros, AI & O2 removed, tune 20184 (modified), MTX-L a/f gauge
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