Piston Ring: Removal
WARNING: This page is about a different car, the 2003 Acura 3.2TL, 2002 Acura 3.2TL, 2001 Acura 3.2TL, 2000 Acura 3.2TL, and 1999 Acura 3.2TL. However, it is still accessible from the selected car via links, so may be relevant.
- Remove the piston from the cylinder block. See CRANKSHAFT & PISTON .
- Using a ring expander (A), remove the old piston rings (B). See Fig 1.
- Clean all the ring grooves thoroughly with a squared-off broken ring or ring groove cleaner with a blade to fit the piston grooves. File down the blade if necessary. Top ring and second ring grooves are .05" (1.2 mm) wide, and the oil ring groove is .11" (2.8 mm) wide. DO NOT use a wire brush to clean the ring grooves, or cut the ring grooves deeper with the cleaning tool.
- Using a piston, push a new ring into the cylinder bore .6-.8" (15-20 mm) from the bottom. See Fig 2 and PISTON RING END-GAP table.
- Measure the piston ring end-gap with a feeler gauge;
- If the gap is too small, check to see if you have the proper rings for your engine.
- If the gap is too large, recheck the cylinder bore diameter against the wear limits. See step 4 under BLOCK & PISTON INSPECTION.
PISTON RING END-GAPApplication Specification - In. (mm) Top Ring Standard (New) .008-.014 (.20-.35) Service Limit .024 (.60) Second Ring Standard (New) .016-.022 (.40-.55) Service Limit .028 (.70) Oil Ring Standard (New) .008-.028 (.20-.70) Service Limit .031 (.80) - Install the rings. See Fig 3. The top ring (A) has a 1C mark (J32A1 engine) or 1D mark (J32A2 engine) and the second ring (B) has a 2C mark. The manufacturing marks (C) must be facing upward.
- Rotate the rings in their grooves to make sure they do not bind.
- Position the ring end gaps. See Fig 4.
- After installing a new set of rings, measure the ring-to-groove clearance. See Fig 5 and RING-TO-GROOVE CLEARANCE table.
NOTE:
If the piston is to be separated from the connecting rod, DO NOT install new rings yet.
RING-TO-GROOVE CLEARANCE
| Application | Specification - In. (mm) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Top Ring Clearance | |||
| J32A1 | |||
| Standard (New) | .0014-.0024 (.035-.060) | ||
| Service Limit | .005 (.13) | ||
| J32A2 | |||
| Standard (New) | .0022-.005 (.055-.080) | ||
| Service Limit | .005 (.13) | ||
| Second Ring Clearance | |||
| Standard (New) | .0012-.0022 (.030-.055) | ||
| Service Limit | .005 (.13) | ||