Fitting Piston Rings
- Clean ring grooves with ring groove cleaner or piece of broken ring. Ensure oil holes (or slots) in piston are clean. Measure piston ring side and end gap clearance for all pistons.
- Ring side clearance should be checked with feeler gauge between ring and piston lower ring land. Gauge should slide freely around entire circumference without binding. If step has formed around inner portion of lower ring land, piston must be replaced.
- Using piston to position ring in cylinder bore, check ring end gap at least .63" (16 mm) from bottom of bore. Ring end gap service limit is .019" (.50 mm). Install rings on pistons with end gaps staggered at proper intervals. Ensure ring gap is not in line with thrust face of pin bore.
- Ensure manufacturer's marks face up when rings are installed. Install oil ring expander first, followed by lower oil ring side rail and upper side rail. Do not use ring expander on side rails. When installing lower side rail, place one end between piston ring groove and expander.
- Hold end firmly and press down portion to be installed until side rail is in position. Install upper side rail. Using ring expander, install intermediate and upper rings. Verify that all components are within specifications.
- If new piston rings are to be installed and no visible cross-hatch marks remain on cylinder walls, remove cylinder wall glaze using spring-type honing tool. After honing, clean bore and block with soap and water solution and oil cylinder walls.