Leaderboard

The MAF is a good thought, and an easy one to check if you've got a half-decent scanner. Could explain the hard starting, too. That said, I wouldn't expect it to only cause problems on one cylinder. The service manual offers a little troubleshooting for misfire codes. Might be worth a read. Looks like you've tried most of what they suggest, though. I would follow the compression test with a leakdown test. When the head gasket let go on my neighbor's Toyota, the compression still tested fine, but when I applied shop air to #4, it bubbled out of the radiator. (I didn't have a leakdown tester at the time, so I stripped the compression tester down to just the hose, and stuck the air nozzle in the end.) It's probably not the head gasket--I don't remember anyone else on here having a head gasket let go on a VQ, and I imagine you would've mentioned if it was losing coolant--but it's still worth ruling out. When you replaced the plugs, did #1 stand out from the others? Color, deposits? Might give a clue if it's a mixture issue. When you installed the injectors, did they all go back in the same holes they came from? And did you flow-test them after cleaning them? If #1 has its original injector, untested, I would not rule it completely out yet. Are you sure what you're seeing in the exhaust is fuel? My dad's '03 burned an alarming amount of oil, especially on warm starts, though I don't remember it throwing misfire codes. Have you checked your your power valve screws? Long shot, but if one of the butterfly plates fell in, I can imagine it getting stuck in front of an intake valve or something.