Piston rings for your car

Guarantee compression with piston rings The piston rings are very small and delicate parts, which are of vital importance for smooth operation of the engine. They are installed in the engine, which makes their replacement very expensive. They are generally replaced when rebuilding an engine. Function and position of piston rings & piston ring set Piston rings & piston ring set are located at the piston and seal it against the cylinder wall or liner. Special grooves are provided on the piston to facilitate their installation. The piston ring is where the cylinder gets its compression from. Piston rings are disconnected in one place. That's what makes their installation possible and lets them react to the expansion of the pistons and cylinders with the necessary flexibility while the engine warms up.
The piston ring set usually consists of three rings. There are two compressor rings and one oil scraper ring. The compressor rings consist of a very hard and brittle carbon steel. This makes them very fragile, especially during installation. Consequently, a special tool, the piston ring pliers, are very helpful when installing piston rings. Even very high-quality piston ring pliers by the well-known brand HAZET cost no more than 25 euro. Considering the great effort involved in replacing piston rings & piston ring set, this investment is very much worthwhile.
Lots of friction occurs between the piston ring and the cylinder liner, thus requiring reliable lubrication. This is achieved by constantly tossing oil from the crankshaft against the inner wall of the cylinder liner. Thus, the wall is always lubricated with oil to prevent friction during the particularly critical lowering of the piston. Moreover, the combination of carbonic piston ring and bronze cylinder liner itself has self-lubricating properties. Yet, to prevent oil from reaching the combustion chamber, the oil scraper ring sits between the two piston rings. Piston rings & piston ring set defects Piston rings fail gradually or suddenly. If they no longer sufficiently seal against rising oil or the pressure arising from the combustion chamber, the engine malfunctions. This can lead to total failure with significant damage to ancillary components.
The heavy friction, which piston rings are permanently exposed to, will eventually have an erosive effect on these components, too. With modern piston rings, it can be expected that they will survive a mileage of 200,000 kilometers. However, this strongly depends on how well the car was treated, particularly whether regular and proper maintenance was performed. Piston rings are very sensitive to missing lubrication. They can wear particularly quick, if the car is often driven at full load during the cold-start phase. Thus, rescue and firefighting vehicles are usually not a good investment, even despite their otherwise good maintenance.
Gradually wearing piston rings usually become noticeable through a rise of oil content in the exhaust gases. Firstly, the exhaust smoke will be very blue in color. More and more oil accumulates in the turbocharger, until it eventually leaks from the intake pipe or the intercooler. Furthermore, the compression pressure can escape into the crankcase. Then, oil may leak from the dipstick.
When piston rings abruptly break, the engine usually fails altogether. This also occurs with piston jamming or piston seizure. The cause of this defect is usually an overheating of the engine due to leaked coolant. Replacement of piston rings & piston ring set Replacing the piston ring set requires the engine to be removed and completely dismantled. Replacement of these parts is usually such an extensive job, it is usually performed in the course of a complete rebuild. This, for example, also includes the replacement of:

- Water pump - Oil pump - Valve stem seals - Cylinder head and gasket - Timing belts with pulley

Replacing of the cylinder head gasket usually also involves grinding the head. The cylinder screws are also usually replaced and the cylinder's inner walls are usually at least rehoned prior to installing a new piston ring set. If the engine was damaged by a piston seizure, all liners are drilled and new pistons with a larger circumference are installed. However, this must be done on all cylinders at the same time. A piston ring set costs no less than 6 euro. ATHENA is a well-known brand for these parts. However, the repair of an engine with damaged piston rings & piston ring set is a task that will likely take a hobby mechanic at least one week. However, grinding of the cylinder head and rehoning of the liners must be performed by a certified specialist workshop.