| Fig. 1: Checking the piston ring end-gap with a feeler
gauge
|
The piston ring end-gap should be checked while the rings are removed from
the pistons. Incorrect end-gap indicates that the wrong size rings are being
used; ring breakage could result if not corrected.
- Compress the new piston ring into a cylinder (one at a time).
- Squirt some clean oil into the cylinder so that the ring and the top 2 inch
(51mm) of the cylinder wall are coated.
- Using an inverted piston, push the ring approximately 1 inch (25mm) below
the top of the cylinder.
- Using a feeler gauge, measure the ring gap and compare it to specification.
Carefully remove the ring from the cylinder.
- If the gap is smaller than specification, file the ring ends using an appropriate
piston ring file. If the gap is greater, the cylinder bore must be honed to
the next oversize or the piston rings are incorrect.
