Piston end ring gap
Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 302
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From: Rockland County NY
The piston manufacturer will give you all the specs for bore clearance and ring gaps. Your engine builder will want the pistons on hand when doing the final finish on the cylinders. Your application will determine the end gaps for top, second and oil rings.
For example:
http://www.kb-silvolite.com/speclear.htm#CHART
For example:
http://www.kb-silvolite.com/speclear.htm#CHART
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 1,514
Likes: 0
From: Auburn Wa
Herb
The example chart provided by Lightning Truck is just that, an example. That chart is for hypereutectic pistons and doesn't apply to your pistons.
With your JE's I would run .0055 per inch of bore on the top ring and .006 per inch of bore size for the second.
I assume that your vendor didn't bother to put the piston ring specs in the plastic bag with the rings
Dale
The example chart provided by Lightning Truck is just that, an example. That chart is for hypereutectic pistons and doesn't apply to your pistons.
With your JE's I would run .0055 per inch of bore on the top ring and .006 per inch of bore size for the second.
I assume that your vendor didn't bother to put the piston ring specs in the plastic bag with the rings
Dale
Senior Member
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,467
Likes: 0
From: La Habra, CA
Put in Total Seals, and forget about the high tolerance ring end gaps.
They are pricy, but work very well!
They are pricy, but work very well!
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Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 1,514
Likes: 0
From: Auburn Wa
Jay
Been there done that and I wont do it again. I ran the total seal top ring with a CP piston last year and when I pulled it apart after 4000 miles there was just too much wear, and the Total seals had as much to do with it as the soft piston.
This time around it is a tried and true combo, JE pistons and a really good quality file to fit ring set.
What I mean by wear in such a short period of time is that it appears the larger upper ring (total seal) was able to push the smaller lower rail into the ring land. It left a groove on the lower side of the ring land all around. On 2 pistons the damage was bad enough that it rolled the bottom edge of the ring land over .008 in places, this was no doubt caused by detonation but at any rate I have never seen this using a standard top ring.
Here's another one for ya.....when you look at my second rings under a scope you can see the wear pattern and how uneven it is. My engine had an oil consumption problem right out of the box and it was getting better over time. When you look at the second rings you can tell why it used oil, I have one ring that has a section probably and inch and half long that never touched the cylinder wall. There are light and dark spots all around the rings from some sections touching and some not. Since piston rings spin on the piston at a slow rate, it was a ring problem not a bore problem.
Dale
Been there done that and I wont do it again. I ran the total seal top ring with a CP piston last year and when I pulled it apart after 4000 miles there was just too much wear, and the Total seals had as much to do with it as the soft piston.
This time around it is a tried and true combo, JE pistons and a really good quality file to fit ring set.
What I mean by wear in such a short period of time is that it appears the larger upper ring (total seal) was able to push the smaller lower rail into the ring land. It left a groove on the lower side of the ring land all around. On 2 pistons the damage was bad enough that it rolled the bottom edge of the ring land over .008 in places, this was no doubt caused by detonation but at any rate I have never seen this using a standard top ring.
Here's another one for ya.....when you look at my second rings under a scope you can see the wear pattern and how uneven it is. My engine had an oil consumption problem right out of the box and it was getting better over time. When you look at the second rings you can tell why it used oil, I have one ring that has a section probably and inch and half long that never touched the cylinder wall. There are light and dark spots all around the rings from some sections touching and some not. Since piston rings spin on the piston at a slow rate, it was a ring problem not a bore problem.
Dale