ring placement on piston?

[DUGZSHELBY]

WOOHOO my first post here! Im curious as to where people place the ring end gaps on their pistons for 2.5 turbo applications. Does it really matter as long as their staggered? On my last rebuild I lined them all up with the piston pin "180 degrees staggered from top ring to oil control rings" and I never experienced any oil control issues. Some say the rings will migrate during operation but I have not noticed this at all on the engines I have built and torn down "not to say it doesnt occur". BTW, Im using JEs with hasting rings. Thanks!

Doug

[shadow88]

Staggering ring gaps? I allways put them 180 away from the previous one. I've also had no oil control issues due to this gap configuration.
If they work themselves into lining up, the only time I've seen this is when the bore was too large for the piston.

[turbovanman²]

You install the oil ring spacer first, then stagger the oil rings 1 inch on either side and I face the center to the front of the bore, away from the thrust, which if looking at the car, is straight ahead-so oil ring is at 6 oclock and i put the comp rings at 10 ish and 2 ish.

[Ondonti]

The rings dont stay in the same spot anyways, so there is no point worrying about them lining up. Heck, sometimes you might do a leakdown and the rings gaps on one piston might be closer then other cylinders and that will make your leakdown test ............

[contraption22]

hmm
I just took my motor apart because I had low compression on one piston and and when I took it out, the 1st and 2nd ring were almost lined up.

[Ondonti]

hmm
I just took my motor apart because I had low compression on one piston and and when I took it out, the 1st and 2nd ring were almost lined up.
;)

Its not really something you can avoid. rings naturally move around all the time.

Total seal baby!!!

[turbovanman²]

They will move around a bit but if you put them in the right spot, they generally stay there, :nod:

[Ondonti]

They will move around a bit but if you put them in the right spot, they generally stay there, :nod:
Nope, sorry. You cant stop them from moving. they tend to spin around the piston. If your ring doesnt do that then you probably have worse problems on your hands.

[turbovanman²]

Nope, sorry. You cant stop them from moving. they tend to spin around the piston. If your ring doesnt do that then you probably have worse problems on your hands.


I am said yes, they move but not much. I guess it depends on the engine, I took mine apart at 20,000 km's and they had barely moved.

[contraption22]

Going by the research I have been doing, and some professional engine builder's experience, the rings will spin on the piston, and will line up from time to time.

[WVRampage]

Going by the research I have been doing, and some professional engine builder's experience, the rings will spin on the piston, and will line up from time to time.

My engine leaned out and the rings got to hot luckily I back off the gas real quick and the rings got loose in the cylinder and lined up and had lots of blow by. The sealed power rings and the top ring looked nothing like the perfect circle ones I put back in, so im not real sure if they were the right rings maby they were na rings or theres just a difference in the 2 brands.

[DUGZSHELBY]

Thanks for all the replys :thumb: This site is awesome!

[turbovanman²]

My engine leaned out and the rings got to hot luckily I back off the gas real quick and the rings got loose in the cylinder and lined up and had lots of blow by. The sealed power rings and the top ring looked nothing like the perfect circle ones I put back in, so im not real sure if they were the right rings maby they were na rings or theres just a difference in the 2 brands.


The N/A rings are generally cast rings, the turbo rings are moly to take the heat.