The timing belt may have failed.
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local yards want 400 or so for those motors. seems pretty cheap. i assume car was cheap also? you paid retail for it since it was running. now it might be worth <500 as is. putting in a used motor might get you going but you or a shop has to do it. vs walking away
air compressor . . . ?!
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OP said his compression is 90psi. I said 90 psi sounds good for a compressor. Not a car. Hard to understand?
op’s was initially talking about the apparently junky car his grandfather bought
Then I asked him about compression
And he answered by posting some numbers
Why would he now post numbers for some mysterious air compressor . . . ?
I understand you alright, but I guess I don’t understand your sense of humour . . . 
Did an AZ tech tell you that 90 psi indicates healthy compression for your Spectra? Might they have been giving the compression numbers measured in units other than psi? B/c 90 psi isn’t a healthy compression measurement. I would guess however that the engine would start with 90 psi, just not have as much power. 50 psi probably would be very difficult to start, but you only have 50 psi on one cylinder I guess. When I read your description of a knocking sound and smoke I was wondering if you had a starter motor problem of some kind, like maybe the starter gear isn’t properly meshing with the flywheel teeth, causing the starter to bind up or something.
The engine dies while the car is on the road. A faint knocking sound is heard while turning the engine over. Low cylinder pressures. These are good clues and have to concur with @Nevada_545, this issue has all the signs of a slipped timing belt and possible valve damage. I assume this an interference engine and that would be bad news if this is what happened.
Hey @Cougar. He purchased the car from his ex wifes sister. The timing is tight on the top but unsure on the bottom. I’m afraid to keep starting it because of the white smoke when I try to start it. It will not run so i cant take it to the mechanic. I do have a mechanic that’ll look at it for free but i have to get it there first. If i can just start it and get it 1 mile up the road, that’s all I want lol
I have a suspicion that this story isn’t going to end very well from what you stated about the symptoms of the trouble. I do believe that the timing belt has slipped and if the engine is an interference engine that would mean damaged valves. If this is the case, even putting in a used engine as a replacement would be pretty expensive.
Well that’s not good news Haha. I’m going to have a mechanic come to my house and take a look at it. Everyone has good suggestions. Thanks a lot everyone.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but db4690 is correct. Those compression numbers flat out suck.
Just some food for thought. Maybe the reason the engine died on the road is because it was severely overheating and this was ignored or overlooked. That could cause a permanent or even temporary engine seizure.
The knock could be a rod bearing knocked out due to coolant diluted motor oil OR by engine coolant entering a combustion chamber. Both could be caused by a failed head gasket due to overheating.
The engine is toast.
The best and cheapest scenario . . .
the timing belt skipped a tooth . . . as mentioned earlier . . . and no valves were damaged
If op were that lucky, then the car good be “resurrected” for a modest price
But I’m assuming op is paying a shop for the cost of the repair(s) . . . or at least the diagnosis
as for the used engine . . . I wouldn’t even consider it unless somebody showed me that the donor engine was running. And even then, I’d want to see an oil pressure gauge hooked up, as well as see them perform a compression test. And that’s not even the end of it. I’d want to have the timing belt on the donor engine replaced before calling it good. What if you install a running used engine, only to have the timing belt go bad the next month . . . then you’re right back where you started
I would have assumed that’s a given. Are there really people who would install a used engine and not replace the timing belt and tensioner? It is practically no effort to change these parts on an engine that’s sitting on the ground.
I know plenty of people who’ve done just that 
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Just so everyone knows, the car is mine now for $100. So honestly, price isn’t much of an issue lol.
See if a salvage yard will come and haul it away for a couple of hundred dollars and call that a great investment return.
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Would everyone recommend calling a salvage yard for junking it or parting the car out?
How did this come to be . . . ?
Did you buy it from your grandfather for $100 . . . or is that how much your grandfather payed for the car last weekend
Salvage or parting is the last resort. $100 is what I paid for the car from my grandpa. I will try and fix it in every way I can in my budget. But if I cant, then I’ll either sell it as is, part or salvage.
A salvage yard will probably pay you more than that for it on the spot, so unlikely you’ll be losing any cash on the purchase price, even in the worst case scenario. Checking for slipped timing belt seems worth a shot, and likely wouldn’t take a mechanic more than an hour or so, $100-$200 fee. Fixing the problems, whatever they turn out to be, will likely be more involved. But if you can get it back on the road and reliable even if you spend $1000 in repairs for a 2008 Kia, still a pretty good deal.
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