As the engine rebuild continues a small niggling thought came to mind after a visitor to the workshop put their fingers where they shouldn't when I had 2 pistons left to fit. My question is as follows. There is a guide wire fitted to the expander ring and when I removed the original oil rings this wire threaded through the expander ring was in place. When I fitted the oil control rings after the "sticky fingers" I noticed that the guide wire did not fit through their holes all the way around the front of the ring but went behind the ring itself by about 30%. Although they fitted the cylinders fine but I decided to pull them out again until i get an answer. I have not come across this type of ring before although I am aware of them. What are the wires for, how do you ensure the wire fits correctly, is the wire needed at all, what is it's function, is it needed and why?
I assume the expander part of the oil ring set looks like a coil spring and the wire you are talking about is welded or attached firmly to one end / side of the coil spring When you assemble the expander - the wire should fit neatly inside the hollow end of the coil spring and none of it should be exposed though the coils and once inside the oil ring the ends of the coil should but up against each other The join of the expander should be opposite the oil ring gap when you finally put it in the cylinder bore The coil is cut to a special length - the wire holds it in place and alignment so that it pushes the oil ring against the bore with the correct tension to scrap the excess oil off the bore Hope this helps
The expander is more castleated in profile than a coil. The wire does not fit neatly through the receptors in the o.e. ring. Compared to the OEM ring the wires are not attached or fixed at one end of the o.e. They are in effect floating, and much shorter than the OEM wire. Problem is that when trying to fit the o.e wire it does not go back through the ring properly. When when you slip the ring down the piston with care the wires do not bed back in the correct manner as described above. So do I buy a new set of OEM rings?
are you using integrated wire support for the expansion ring itself? Or using oil rail supports like most other common ring packs include with expansion rings?
Standard expander with a separate top and bottom ring. Looks the same as the OEM ring (make Kings) The wires are not anchored at one end of the oil expansion ring as were the ones removed from the pistons.
Will do tomorrow. Both rings, those taken out, and those replaced are of the same style. Upper and lower oil rings, locating expander ring and the wire threaded through the expander ring. Confirmed today that they are the same as OEM fitted rings.
Hope this works, not that computer literate, but I tried. This is the expander ring from the old engine new one is the same.
Removed all pistons and fixed the problem. Straightened the wires out a little and they fitted perfectly. Short block NOW finished.
