Here’s Everything You Need to Know About Piston Rings

piston rings replacement

A piston ring is a metallic part ring that is appended to the external breadth of a cylinder in an inner combustion or steam engine. Piston rings are an important part of the engine that lets the engine work effectively. Most piston rings are produced using cast iron or steel. It can be found between the cylinder and the piston.

The piston ring another important part of the engine and is responsible for the following functions:

  • Maintains the pressure of the cylinder and combustion of your vehicle
  • It prevents oil from leaking into the combustion chamber by sealing it. Piston ring is meant to seal the gap between the piston and the cylinder wall.
  • Delivers better transmission of heat from your piston to the cylinder wall.
  • Keeps the right amount of oil among the piston and the cylinder wall
  • Manages the use of engine oil by scraping it from the cylinder walls back to the oil pan

Normally with automotive piston engines, per cylinder you’ll find 3 piston rings. The ring that’s mainly used for closing the gap in the combustion chamber are known as the compression rings, which is the 2 top rings. On the other hand, the ring that is used mainly for regulating the amount of oil between the piston and the cylinder wall to maintain lubrication in the piston skirt and oil control rings is known as the oil control ring.

Frequently, rings binding in the piston because of accumulation of combustion products or breakdown of lubricating oil is the usual cause of failure for diesel motors or engines. As we have said earlier in this article, piston rings are an important part of the engine that helps it run smoothly. When a piston goes bad, there are usually signs that would indicate it. Here are 5 of the symptoms you should watch out for.

  1. Poor to No Acceleration

If you observe that no matter how hard you step on the accelerator it doesn’t accelerate or after stepping on the gas pedal it takes a little while before it goes fast, this could indicate broken piston rings. Eventually, if you let this slide, piston rings will go so bad that your vehicle won’t run any longer.

 

  1. Too Much Smoke Coming From the Exhaust

When you see too much smoke coming out of your exhaust in greyish colour, this may mean that your piston rings require changing.

 

  1. Oil Leaks

Because your rings have gone bad, you’ll notice that oil is leaking and you’re suddenly consuming more oil than the normal.

 

  1. Engine Overheat

Failing to see oil leaking from your engine will cause it to overheat. It must be noted that oil is the one that lubricates and cools the engine and if this keeps on leaking, it will burn up the engine which will break your engine for good.

 

It is important to see understand what piston rings are , its functions, what causes it to fail as well as the warning signs.  Letting these signs slide will cost you lots of money and may permanently stop your car from working. If you notice these signs, bring it to your trusted mechanic to get your engine checked. If you want to know how much this would cost you, send us a message, today.

 

 

 

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