Piston and Connecting Rod Assemblies

The cast aluminum pistons use two compression rings and one oil control assembly. The piston is a low friction, lightweight design with a flat top and barrel shaped skirt. The piston pins are offset 0.9 mm (0.0354 in) toward the major thrust side, right side, to reduce piston slap as the connecting rod travels from one side of the piston to the other side after a stroke. The piston pins have a floating fit in the piston and are retained by a press fit in the connecting rod. Powdered metal connecting rods were introduced into production in late 2006. Powdered metal connecting rods and rod bearing caps are NOT interchangeable. They must be assembled with the mating surfaces properly oriented and aligned, and the piston, piston pin, and connecting rod are to be serviced as an assembly.