Piston, Connecting Rod, & Bearings Cleaning & Inspection

WARNING: This page does not describe the selected car, but rather 7 other vehicles, including the 2003 GMC Yukon XL, 2003 GMC Sierra, 2003 GMC Cab & Chassis Sierra, 2003 Chevrolet Suburban, and 2003 Chevrolet Silverado. However, it is still accessible from the selected car via links, so may be relevant.

Clean piston, connecting rod and connecting rod cap in solvent.
Dry components with compressed air.
Clean piston ring grooves with a suitable ring groove cleaning tool.
Clean piston oil lubrication holes and slots.
Inspect piston for eroded areas on the top of the piston, scuffed or damaged skirt, cracks in piston ring lands, piston skirt, or pin bosses. Inspect piston ring grooves for nicks, burrs, or other warpage which may cause piston ring to bind.
Inspect piston pin for scoring, wear or other damage.
Measure piston ring-to-piston ring groove side clearance. See PISTON RING COMPRESSION table. Insert edge of the piston ring into the piston ring groove. Roll the piston ring completely around the piston. If binding is caused by a distorted piston ring groove, MINOR imperfections may be removed with a fine file. If binding is caused by a distorted piston ring, replace the piston ring.
Measure piston ring side clearance with a feeler gauge.
If side clearance is too small, try another piston ring set.
If the proper piston ring-to-piston ring groove clearance cannot be achieved, replace the piston and pin assembly.
Inspect connecting rod for an out-of-round bearing bore.
Inspect connecting rod for twisting.
Inspect connecting rod for damage to the connecting rod bolt threads.
Measure the piston compression ring end gap. Place the compression ring into the cylinder bore. Push the compression ring into the cylinder bore to approximately 0.25" (6.5 mm) above the ring travel. The ring must be square to the cylinder wall. Use a feeler gauge in order to measure the end gap. Select another size ring set if the end gap exceeds specifications.