Now that I have your attention, :P we're trying to get my pistons installed.
This is the last of the tricky stuff for us. Everything else we need to put together, we have taken apart at least twice, but these rings are VERY important (no shit) and I don't want to muck them up. Here's what I've got...

^I want to make sure we're trying to install this thing the right way...
which way is that? :P

^this is the layout of the rings. When we try to tap the first piston in , the ring compressor doesn't go into the cylinder at all and the expander ring or whatever (I'm a no0b, I know, I forgot the name of it - the wavy one) hangs up on the cylinder lip. Without those oil rings, I can manually (with my hands - no tools) compress the first 2 rings enough to insert it, but I found that when I compress the oil rings with my hands, while the piston's IN my hand, the wavy ring overlaps somewhat...

^this is approximately the amount of overlap I get.
Should this ring be flush with the outer diameter of the piston head?
Should it extend outward a little?
Do I need to cut any material off the ends of this ring?
What info can you give me on this one? I want to get my baby back on the road SOON!!!! :o

Enlighten me! TIA! :7

We didn't use a ring compressor. If you're good (and careful, and patient) a set of feeler gauges and steady hands will do the job just fine. it's been a while, but if i rememebr right, there is a single lobe of overlap in the oil baffle ring. Check your JE spec sheet for more info, or perhaps the FSM. I honestly don't remember if there was overlap or not.

That oil control ring looks odd. My rings didnt do that at all. Did you get a matched set of rings all in one, for your application, or did you get a universal oil ring? Not sure on that one..But they way you have your pic, is right for the ring compressor. The bottom of that goes into the cylinder. Well not INTO the cylinder! Once you have the rings properly installed(check one of the comprssion rings, i think its the second one, it has a small dot on it, face that UP!), be sure to stagger the ring gaps(you did file fit, and measure your ring gaps right?), 180 degrees apart. Put the second ring's gap directly accross from where the top one is, then put the top oil ring side rail's gap 180 degrees apart from the lower oil rettainer side rail ring. It should be like a "+" if you look at it that way. Then being VERY careful as not to disturb and mvoe the rings, install the ring compressor(keepit large enough so it wont touch the rings when you are sliding it over the piston), and then use the wrench to tighten it down, to compress the rings. You want about a 1/4" GAP of ring compressor at the bottom of the piston, meaning you want about a 1/4" overhand of the piston out of the ring compressor. Then carefully slide in the piston, and then firmly push down on the ring compressor, to tightly push the thin edge of the ring compressor's edge into the tip of the cylinder. You HAVE to push down on it, or else the rings will prob not go into the cylinder. Then, at the same time, slowly tap the piston down into the cylinder. I used the butt end of a rubber gripped hammer. Gently tap it! If the piston hangs ANY, take it back out! Once the piston is in the cylinder, just remove the ring compressor.

Oh, and the oil control ring should NOT overlap at ALL! Be sure you have the proper ring set.

Yes, no overlap, you can take a file and file it, but go slow or you can take too much off. For the rest Matt covered it better than I would have.

*edit* Did the other rings get any adjustments made to them? Perhaps it's for a .030" overbore... I would check the instructions with that ring to see what they say about install and overlap.



15.9 @ 86.7mph

Una Salus Victus.

Mods List:
http://highlander.dsmpower.com/sig.htm

Thanks guys!
I need to check with Motofool to see if those rings came matched to that set of pistons, or if they were just put in the box for conveninece.

We were on the right track as far as proceedure goes, but I'd like to know if that odd-ball ring is supposed to extend out from the piston. On the old kchar pistons we pulled from this motor, they seem to sit flush with the outer surface of the piston even after they were removed. In order for these to be flush, that ring has to overlap about as much as shown in the pic above with the blue circle. I know overlap is no good, but can I cut it or something? I just want to be sure!

I think that if I can get this goofy oil ring figured out I'll be in awesome shape. Like I said, this is the last of the difficult stuff. We've taken everything else at least twice, so...

Again, thanks!

Brian