"Viperdoc" wrote
After cleaning the injector overnight in solvent, the engine still didn't
fire on the one cylinder. My mechanic talked about the rope trick as well,
but I didn't catch the whole process.

Take a piece of rope, 1/4" diameter or so, very long, and stuff the
cylinder with it through the plug hole. Then move the prop carefully.
The rope will compress, push on the valve, unstick the valve, and get
it to close. Make sure you do this during the cycle where the exhaust
valve is supposed to be closing!

Do not do this until you are sure that this is the problem. Once you
pull the rocker arm cover gasket, it will be obvious - you will have a
valve that won't close, and you will be able to move the rocker arm
without any force.

It would be best if you could get someone to show you how it's done -
it's common enough, and lots of us who are not A&P's know how.

Any recommendations on stock (cork) versus silicone valve cover gaskets?

Cork gaskets are cheap, and generally you get them wil cylinder kits
and such. All of them leak eventually. If you're a neat freak, go
for silicone - they last forever and don't leak. If you're like me
and don't consider a couple drops of oil a big deal, well, cork is a
lot cheaper.

Michael