piston rings: what's right?

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Oli Hulme
Posts: 17
Joined: 15 Apr 2021 11:46
Location: Burnham on Sea

piston rings: what's right?

Post by Oli Hulme »

I know there are many piston ring threads on here, but I can't find an answer to my particular question, so here goes.

I've got the old pistons out of a spare Strada engine I have to put into my re-furbed engine (eventually).
Both pistons have identical rings.
My old photocopied Harglo workshop manual shows that the front piston should have a spring on the oil control ring (bottom) and one of these (the rear one) is broken
Neither of the pistons have this spring on them.
Mdina Italia lists some rings, but they do appear to have springs on them, but of a different design to the Harglo image.

I'm getting the barrels honed, and measured, and, if all is good, I was going to just fit a new set of rings.

Does it need a spring? are the Mdina rings interchangeable?

Cheers!
Steve Brown
Posts: 1390
Joined: 12 Nov 2007 23:44
Location: Leicestershire

Re: piston rings: what's right?

Post by Steve Brown »

The old style oil rings as in the Harglo book were superceded sometime in the last century. So don't worry about it and fit new ring sets. The old original type that had the flat internal spring had to be fitted with an oil ring with a suitably reduced section. The new replacements are fine.
All donations to the rest home for old Camels, Leicestershire.
Oli Hulme
Posts: 17
Joined: 15 Apr 2021 11:46
Location: Burnham on Sea

Re: piston rings: what's right?

Post by Oli Hulme »

Steve Brown wrote: 24 May 2021 20:57 The old style oil rings as in the Harglo book were superceded sometime in the last century. So don't worry about it and fit new ring sets. The old original type that had the flat internal spring had to be fitted with an oil ring with a suitably reduced section. The new replacements are fine.
Thanks!

I'm now looking at the price of new rings, and the price of new Sport pistons, rings, gudgeon pins and circlips, and I'm beginning to consider going down that route. I do recall that back in the day fitting Sport pistons and a Strada cam was deemed a useful mod, after all. but maybe it was the other way round... I should have made notes.

hey ho
simonnorthroad
Posts: 388
Joined: 16 May 2017 10:57
Location: Bath, UK

Re: piston rings: what's right?

Post by simonnorthroad »

Cox and Turner are generally able to match rings (not Nikasil)
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