Date: Mon, 14 May 2007 08:04:35 -0700
Reply-To: Zoran Mladen <zmaninco@YAHOO.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Zoran Mladen <zmaninco@YAHOO.COM>
Subject: Re: Piston Ring Replacement
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ascii
Rather than using honing stones (typically three armed with a stone on each arm), use a deglazer. The honer takes off too much too quickly. You only need to deglaze it. The deglazer looks like a bunch of balls attached to the middle by steel strands. These deglazers take very little off. They can be purchased at any good auto parts shop like a NAPA.
Z
----- Original Message ----
From: Kenneth Wilford <kenwilfy@COMCAST.NET>
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Sent: Monday, May 14, 2007 5:40:17 AM
Subject: Re: Piston Ring Replacement
You definately want to hone the cylinders if you are putting in new rings. I would remove the piston heads and fully clean them. Lots of crap gets baked into the ring lands and you need to scrape it out with a broken piece of an old ring and plenty of brake cleaner.
When you go to put everything back together you want to soak the piston head and rings lands with oil. You don't want the engine to start up with this stuff dry. You can buy a hone at Sears for not that much money. I use either Marvel Mystery Oil or Automatic Transmission fluid as my cutting oil for honing. Pour it into the cylinder every so often as you are honing over a pan (to catch it when it drips down) and you should be fine. You want to make a cross hatching pattern so you need a variable speed drill that you can slow down. As the drill is turning match its speed of rotation with an "in and out" movement in the cylinder bore. That way you get the cross hatching pattern. If you just put a hone in there and spin it like there is no tomorrow you will get lines in the cylinder wall and the rings won't seal properly.
Hope this helps.
Ken Wilford
John 3:16
www.vanagain.com
-------------- Original message --------------
From: "Giasson, Pascal (DNR/MRN)" <Pascal.Giasson@GNB.CA>
> I need a few opinions on this one. I checked my piston rigns yesterday and the
> top rings were past their wear limits, even though the compression and leakdown
> test were pretty good. The engine has 150 000 miles and seems to run strong.
> The crankshaft endplay is just a little shy of .006" which is the wear limit.
> I'm thinking of just putting in new rings. I dont have the tools to check the
> cylinders and pistons but the cylinders have a very slight ridge at the top. Am
> I asking for trouble by just replacing the rings? Do I need to get the cylinder
> ridge honed out? Thanks.
>
> Pascal
> '84 Westy
____________________________________________________________________________________
Get your own web address.
Have a HUGE year through Yahoo! Small Business.
http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/domains/?p=BESTDEAL