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Compression ring end gap anomoly?

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Old May 1, 2020 | 07:44 PM
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Compression ring end gap anomoly?

What do you guys make of this? The compression ring end gap appears to have been eroded?
The chrome plating is also breaking down, which caused the cylinder wall wear you see.
Or was it the other way around???






 
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Old May 2, 2020 | 02:17 AM
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Does it matter chicken or the egg? New rings and a very light hone on the cylinder and I think you're good. Piston looks fine.
 
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Old May 2, 2020 | 07:19 AM
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Could someone point out the end gap in that pic? I can't see it.
 
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Old May 2, 2020 | 08:02 AM
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Originally Posted by Walleye Hunter
Could someone point out the end gap in that pic? I can't see it.

 
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Old May 2, 2020 | 09:21 AM
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Originally Posted by aawlberninf350
Does it matter chicken or the egg? New rings and a very light hone on the cylinder and I think you're good. Piston looks fine.
Cylinder 5 was gouged near TDC. See pic. FYI



 
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Old May 2, 2020 | 12:29 PM
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Originally Posted by bigb56
OH MY! Thanks for that. Is it possible that that end broke off?
 
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Old May 2, 2020 | 05:38 PM
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Compare to another.....

Unless your picture is deceiving and the ends of the ring aren't tapered, then I'd say it's normal.

I've got a few blocks that look like yours for no reason other than they're just worn out.

 
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Old May 2, 2020 | 06:01 PM
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Looks pretty typical of a high mileage engine. The top ring always wears out and allows the combustion blowby you see on the piston. These engines could have benefited if they were made with an additional ring set.
 
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Old May 2, 2020 | 06:24 PM
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Did you happen to remove the ring from the piston and push it down into a cylinder and measure the gap when it's compressed?
 
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Old May 2, 2020 | 08:32 PM
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Wow, these things have big ring gaps. But as the last guy said, gap is measured with the ring in the cylinder, where it sits at TDC.

Piston Ring End Gap On Ford/Navistar 7.3L T444E Diesel Engines
Top - .014"-.024
Second - .062"-.072"
Oil Ring - .012"-.024"
 
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Old May 3, 2020 | 03:52 PM
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I wonder why the big difference between the first and second ring? Seems odd to me. Seems like they should be the same.
 
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Old May 3, 2020 | 03:57 PM
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Do not take this as gospel because I am not an expert but I've torn apart many of these that are very worn and the piston-to-wall clearance is extremely loose. Ancient alien theorists speculate that this allows the piston to rock in the bore at top dead center when the thrust load changes direction - thus causing the piston ring to run off-perpendicular to the cylinder wall and the corner of the ring (rather than the flat face) to run on the bore surface.

The taper of the bores on highly worn cylinders has been nearly .020" on a couple I've had machined. That's like running standard pistons in a bored block when the piston is in the top third of the bore.





 
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