[Vwdiesel] Should I Re-Ring?

[Mark Shepherd]

Reringing will improve things if the current rings are worn. Use the Grant ones. They will last for years. Over honing merely adds to the enlargement of the bore, as the 
mountains you have created wear down to plateaux. Deglazing, followed by correct fluctuating loading of the rings will bed them in. Be sure that the top groove is eased 
out with a grind wheel if significant. Grant rings have that convenient notch out that helps prevent.
Do not grind anything from the cylinder above the ring line to the top of the block, [unless reboring for oversized pistons], and you will maintain good compression. 
Look up some of my posts re my engine. I live and breathe what I say... 

If rings haven't worn [do Loren's check], then check that ring gaps aren't aligned. 

Today I'm sitting in my Quantum outside a furniture shop. I bend down to pick up a battery from my camera that my daughter dropped under the passenger seat, and I feel 
a small but significant thump. When I get back upright I see a BMW crawling away, thinking my car was empty when he'd reversed into it! That is the 5th time that that 
corner of my car has been hit. Weather good, sunny and almost no traffic around. I'm really thinking that my car may be invisible....

Mark


========================================
Message Received: Jan 23 2014, 08:46 PM
From: "ralph meyermann" 
To: "Will Taygan" 

Cc: vwdiesel at vwfans.com
Subject: Re: [Vwdiesel] Should I Re-Ring?

Excessive temps can cause the piston/cylinder wall clearance to tighten up
and possibly seize, if they are tight tolerances to begin with. The 1.6 na
in a Westy is very sluggish at best, many of the rolling hills here in Iowa
I was needing to run in third gear to make it up. The best thing I've done
was swapping in the 1.9AAZ turbo diesel, WOW what a difference and keeping
the same fuel economy and possibly gaining a touch while eliminating the
smoke too! I suggest saving up some $ and doing that swap.

Velma 82 1.9L AAZ td westy
On Jan 23, 2014 1:28 PM, "Will Taygan" 
wrote:

> I have factory install rings on Kobenschmidt pistons. What would
> measuring the end gap tell me other than whether the bore is shot? Will
> it tell me if the rings are worn-out?
>
> Factory rings in +1mm would set me back over $400, Hastings about $100
> and Grant $25. I was leaning towards the Hastings, but really have no
> idea..
>
> Is there a downside to honing and installing new rings? Will they only
> help or could it hurt? Not looking for long-longevity, not burning any
> oil, cold start is acceptable, but I am looking to increase power..
>
> I'm pushing a Westy with the 1.6NA, and can really notice the power drop
> as compression has gone from 450+ down to ~400.
>
> I don't have any piston tools, so I'm shying away from re-ringing,
> unless it'll help with power and not damage what's in there.
>
> Would the coolant loss and oil pressure loss burn out the rings, or
> mostly just hit the bearings (or valves??)
>
> Thanks,
>
> Will in Alaska.
>
>
> On Wed, 2014-01-22 at 11:23 -0500, lbaird119 at aol.com wrote:
> > Since you'll have the head and pan off, I'd pull a piston and measure
> the end gap. (pull top ring, put it in the cylinder then flip the piston,
> push down until second ring stops it, remove and measure the gap.) I only
> say this because I had a rebuild where the rings wore excessively due to
> the shop not honing the bore coarse enough. Otherwise I'd say you have no
> indications to need to look.
> >
> > Looks like you're leaking between #2 and #3 mostly with #2 possibly
> leaking a little into the water jacket but not enough to blow coolant.
> >
> > Never use oil on a hot compression test, especially on a diesel. I
> had a 302 Ford fire on me and peg my gauge, a diesel certainly could.
> > Loren
> >
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Will Taygan 

> > To: vwdiesel 
> > Sent: Tue, Jan 21, 2014 6:51 pm
> > Subject: [Vwdiesel] Should I Re-Ring?
> >
> >
> > (Crossposting from the Diesel-Vanagon group:)
> > Background: 82 Stock-ish 1.6NA - 2yrs+35k on bored +1mm rebuild. Lost
> > oolant at 10k, lost oil pressure at 34k. Still running. Was running
> > ot on hills under load, replaced thermostat and radiator, helped (like
> > erfect) for a couple weeks, now running hot and cold every couple
> > iles. Oil in coolant, replaced oil cooler, coolant tank stays full.
> > Plans: replace head gasket, swap oil pan for a turbo pan (a delayed
> > roject) and install new Peloquin trans coming this week from
> > ATransaxle.
> > ** Compression 400,345,370,400 (HOT), 450,390,440,450 with a spoonful of
> > -cycle oil. Is a +50psi with oil sealing like this expected on normal
> > ings, or would there be a benefit (or disadvantage) to putting new
> > ings in?
> > Probably should have replaced the headgasket a long time ago, but my
> > ompression tester was broken, and it HAS been driving daily (though
> > ust on local roads, not the highway).
> > SHOULD I RE-RING? I'll have head and pan off anyway, but it would be
> > n-rack with crank in. I have another engine to rebuild when this one
> > ies, but I would really like to get this one in shape for summer.
> > Thanks for you opinions! I have disassembled a bunch of parts engines,
> > ut have never done rings or put pistons back in.
> > Will in Alaska.
> >
> > ______________________________________________
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> > wdiesel at vwfans.com
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> >
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>
>
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