Hey everyone, it's been years since I’ve posted last on here. I've had my 96 Z24 since 2000, and used to be on this site a lot, for mods, repairs and general discussions. It's great that the org is still running strong.

Here is the situation. I bought a truck last November, so I decided to park my car for the winter. Well, the winter gremlins had their way with it. Not only did my rear brake cylinder blow out at some point, but my engine is starting to do mysterious things. Keep in mind that this is my second engine. On start up, I’m noticing a little blue/white smoke coming out of the tailpipe, as well as a slight bit of water dripping and collecting in the tailpipe, even when warmed up. There isn't a sweet a smell to the exhaust. Upon inspection in the engine bay, and the good ol ear to screwdriver test, it sounds like my injector (not sure the exact # of cylinder) all the way to the right (driver's side), sounds a lot doggier than the other three. I also noticed that I’m getting a tapping noise up in the top left (passenger side) area of my intake cam, almost like the lifter or a valve. I also smelled my oil, and it smells like gas, but does not have any discoloration to it, nor does it even look to black or overused.

Through my searches on here, and a few other websites, i safely assume that this is oil getting into the compression, as well as gas leaking through to my oil, which would point to aged rings. However, I have read a couple of times now that a faulty injector or poor valve seating would cause this problem too, or even aged spark plugs.

Now, i want to take this problem on from the easiest steps, and progress to the more detailed if need be. So, this weekend I plan to do a compression test this weekend. If that checks out, i may put in new plugs, and change the oil. I'm wondering if anyone else has any ideas on what to look for, or if you have seen this problem before. I'm hoping it's a easy and semi-cheap fix, as this car is kind of like my Christine (Stephen King movie), and is hard to part with since I’ve put so much time and money into it over the years.

Here are some specs and background:
96 Cavalier Z24
Probably a little over 100,000 on motor, as it was my second motor. First one had the good spun baring.
Car has a little over 200,000 on it
RK Header
2 ½ exhaust from header to free flow cat, back to 40 series flowmaster and out
Warm Air Intake
Did the Crank Case Vent filter add on as i didn't route it to my WAI

Well, just did a compression test, and they are all over 180 psi, more on the 190ish side of things. Any suggestions on my next move?