Piston Rings

[john 4d]

Well, my engine rebuild has started. Already though I've hit another hurdle.

Cleaning the pistons before replacing, that is removing the compression and backing rings and getting rid of the burnt oil and fuelresidue from the grooves, leaving the oil ring in place but giving them a good rinse with brush and lashings of solvent.

I have managed to replace all the rings, I thought most at risk of being damaged in the removal replacement operation, successfully.I managed however, I don't know how, to find one of the oil rings in two pieces. I think it was intact before I started, either that or the dirt was holding it together, anyway it's broke so now I have to replace it.

So now I come to my plea for help!

Has anyone out there previouslybought a set of +020" rings just to replace a single or short number of them, and wouldn't mind recouping some of that cost by parting with at least onespare piston oil ring?

Ringing around the suppliers, sets are in short supply at the moment at least, apart from the cost it seems such a waste to buy a set and put 23 of them on a shelf probably never to see the light of day again.

Help me out please, and let someone who needs an entire set have the benifit of those full sets that are left.

[Stagdad]

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Unless you know the condition of your rings areas new wouldn't it be prudent to fit a new set anyway.Looking at your avitar you are obviously doing a full rebuild if that is the case I'm surprised you would wantone odd ring in your engine.

Cheers Steve

[Kevin Garrod]

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Choice of two cliches

"Look after the pennies and the pounds look after themselves"

or

"Don't spoil the ship for a ha'penth of tar"

[john 4d]

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Thanks for your thoughts Steve. IfI'd broken any of the compression rings I would have most likely changed the lot, but I think I might get away with an odd oil ring. And I have as I said already refitted all the rings once, to tempt fate again. hmmm? I am serious about the potential waste though!

[GDPR]

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Don't refit a known broken ring, even if it is oil control - it could no longer be truly round when sprung back in the bore, and will have two edges at the break which will quite quickly gouge lovely grooves in your bore - that will give you huge near future expense which will mean new pistons as well as a rebore!

Just don't refit them, and buy some new rings...... remember to bust the glaze on the bores first though

Russ:dude:

[V Mad]

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Have you gapped therings and tested the bores? If the engine has not been rebuilt recently the rings and possiblythe boresmay haveworn to excess. You need to fit aring into each cylinder (use a piston to push it square), then measure the ring gap at the top, middle and bottom of the bore.If the gap exceeds the spec you need to try a new ring to see if the bore is OK.

I would not refit old rings into an engine. Hone the bores and fit a new set.You will find the starting much better, and crisper response from the engine (assuming the valves/seats are good?).

[Giles]

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I would have to agree with the other guys - if you cannot get any rings then I suppose we have to get by with what we can do but if the engine was in bits I would always take the opportunity to glaze bust the bores and fit a set of rings if I could.

I know it depends in the circumstances as having said that in the past I have been sobroke thaton my old Land Rover I had to put the old and fairly worn clutch back in when I had the engine out because I could not afford a new one at the time.

Hope you sort it ok

[V Mad]

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Giles wrote:

I know it depends in the circumstances as having said that in the past I have been sobroke thaton my old Land Rover I had to put the old and fairly worn clutch back in when I had the engine out because I could not afford a new one at the time.

When times are hard, you can always afford to fix the Stag properly if you cut back on less important things such as the weeklly food shop etc. Just make sure you don't cut out the hairdo forSWMBO.

[GDPR]

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I'm sure the family won't mind sitting around in the dark for a few months to save enough to buy your new rings......... just don't go to bed too early in case you end up with a new drain on your resources in 9 months time........

Russ:dude:

[DJT]

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Have to agree with the majority on this one. EJ ward are quoting £59-95 for a set. Add on 15% for Mr Darling plus postage and we get to around £75. Balance this against putting the engine back together with worn rings and finding it is burning oil. The cost of another strip down (Payen head gasket set alone is £60 + VAT & P+P) plus the time, labour and risk of damage to the body work removing/replacing the engine will be several times the cost of a set of new rings which you will have to buy anyway.

In modern idion this is a 'no-brainer' IMHO.

Dave

[john 4d]

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Ok, ok I get the message!

A little more back ground might have helped my cause though. I've had the car for the last 13 years and haven't driven it out of my drive way since the day it was dumped off a trailer. The next six years was spent stripping the car down, a remarkably quick process thinking back, and renovating the body shell not so quick, God what a rust bucket! Don't tell the wife. Next came a house extension and a change of job which meant I neither had the time nor the money to progress the project till the last few months.

The engine from documentational history dates a rebuild and re-bore to +020 in 1989 at that date the MOT's recorded mileage was 32616, it's now48518. So thats just under 16000 miles between then and my ownership about 6 years? How worn out could the engine be? I've been in an engineering environment since I left school a very long time ago now and on inspecting the engine I considered the wear in the bores to be negligible, however I decided to 'break the glaze' and re-honed the surface. If it wasn't for my silly mistakeI would havebeen quite happy to re-assemble the engine with existing pistons and rings.

EJ don't have +020" in stock, nor do Rimmers, SOC spare do however and because of the shortage are suppling everyone else it seems . Stuart at SOC offered an alternative oil ring he had spare, a wavey metal type? Instead of my cast iron and encased spring type, but I told him to hold on to it until I had exhausted this avenue of search. I guess I'll give him a ring on Monday and take it from there.

Thanks guys.

[Arbman Al]

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You could try Favershams. I had some +20 pistons and rings from them 2 weeks ago.

Rgds...Al.

[pennine]

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Shame they are +20s I have 16 standard size.

I'm sure you had all the right kit to check the bores, but just in case : I stripped mine down a few weeks ago due to exsessive oil consumption, bores looked great (could still see the honing marks). I took the block to a local engineering place who checked the bores with their kit, I was up to 5 thou wear on a couple of cylinders.

Looks like the previous owner had gone to all the trouble of a stripdown and not spent the £200 on the rebore.

P.S. pistons, chains, gaskets, bearingsect will come to about £500.

It's a lot of money but it's a lot more work to do it again in 6 months time as you obviously know.

Still waiting for my block to come back from the workshop :X, good luck

[NickA]

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John

I bought a half set of rings when I broke one of mine during a re-built a few years back. I'm sure they're +20

Let me know if you still need a set and I'll have a look

Nick