Piston and Connecting Rod Assembly Procedure

WARNING: This page is about a different variant/trim than selected.

Courtesy of GENERAL MOTORS COMPANY

Liberally lubricate the cylinder walls, piston rings and piston skirts with engine oil.

NOTE:

The piston is directional and must be installed in the engine block in the proper direction. The dot on the top of the piston must face the front of the engine.
Ensure the bowl of the piston faces the intake.

Select the correctly numbered piston/connecting rod assembly for the cylinder. A dot (1) showing proper piston orientation is located on the top of the piston. Piston is model dependent.
Courtesy of GENERAL MOTORS COMPANY

NOTE:
If the connecting rod bearings have been used in a running engine, you must replace them with NEW connecting rod bearings for reassembly.

Install a NEW connecting rod bearing (1) into the connecting rod (2).
Install the EN-46121 Connecting Rod Guide Pin Set (3) into the connecting rod bolt holes.
Compress the piston rings using the a ring compressor sleeve or equivalent.
NOTE:
When installing a piston into a cylinder, use a ring compressor sleeve or equivalent for best results. The following features should be looked for when selecting a ring compressor sleeve.
1. Hard anodized and Teflon coated for low friction and prolonged wear resistance.
2. Smooth radius that tapers down to the specific bore size.
3. Sleeve should compress the piston rings smoothly and evenly.
4. Using a ring compressor sleeve greatly reduces the difficulty with installing thin high-performance oil rings.
If a ring compressor sleeve is unavailable, a universal ring compressor will work but is more difficult to use.
Courtesy of GENERAL MOTORS COMPANY

NOTE:
Extreme care must be used when installing the piston and connecting rod to ensure the rod does not scrape or nick the cylinder bore, the oil jets, or the crankshaft surfaces.

Using both hands, slowly guide the piston and connecting rod assembly (1) into the cylinder from the top and bottom of the cylinder. DO NOT allow the connecting rod to contact the cylinder wall.
Tap the piston into its bore with a hammer handle. Guide the connecting rod to the connecting rod journal using the EN-46121 Connecting Rod Guide Pin Set while gently tapping the piston into place. Hold the ring compressor sleeve or equivalent against the engine block until all the rings have entered the cylinder bore.
Courtesy of GENERAL MOTORS COMPANY

Remove the EN-46121 Connecting Rod Guide Pin Set (1) from the connecting rod bolt holes.