End Gap Mistakes That Will RUIN Your Engine

Автокөліктер мен көлік құралдары

Lake Speed Jr visits Jimmy Barton’s Hot Rod Garage to ask the question "how big should the ring end gap be?”
Jimmy shares some some inside tips & tricks from his experience in NASCAR, Drag Racing and setting land speed records on how to set an end gap for the top, second and top oil rail rings without breaking things. Lake and Jimmy share the specifics from both Jimmy's engine and the Engine Performance Expo LS.
For the complete ring gap chart, visit: www.totalseal.com/support-and...
For more about Jimmy Barton, visit / wjesel
For more about the Engine Performance Expo, visit: engineperformanceexpo.com
#enginebuilding #enginefailure #engine

Пікірлер: 549

  • @masterspin7796
    @masterspin779611 ай бұрын

    A little loose and nobody knows...a little tight and everybody knows...

  • @TotalSeal

    @TotalSeal

    11 ай бұрын

    That’s right!

  • @dannobee

    @dannobee

    11 ай бұрын

    @@TotalSeal Big ring gap = big catch can. Small ring gap = big trash can.

  • @TotalSeal

    @TotalSeal

    11 ай бұрын

    @@dannobee LOL

  • @wannabecarguy

    @wannabecarguy

    11 ай бұрын

    I've built fixtures and know CTE. Too much end gap won't hurt. People over think this subject.

  • @MrTheHillfolk

    @MrTheHillfolk

    11 ай бұрын

    ​@@dannobee Hah there ya go that's something my ol hs shop teacher woulda said 30yrd ago ✌️ Loose is fast anyway, at least I thought 😁 Staying on the loose side of the spec for valve clearance is what I was told to do,a couple thou of lift lost isn't going to be noticable but your valves will probably be happier in the long run✌️

  • @jamesjacobs1909
    @jamesjacobs190911 ай бұрын

    It's the installing mechanic's job to verify the end-gap and not the machine shop's. I rebuilt this guy's engine block and ordered his parts, and he put the engine together himself. He overheated it because the ring gap was not set for a turbo application - he blamed me for not verifying the ring gap before I sold it to him. I told him that, "that's like blaming the gas station clerk for not checking the condoms for holes after you've used 'em." It's the installing mechanic's job to verify the ring gap. Olympia Engine Builders.

  • @jimthompson6424

    @jimthompson6424

    11 ай бұрын

    It’s the responsibility of the piston installer…always!

  • @gordowg1wg145

    @gordowg1wg145

    10 ай бұрын

    I like that analogy - I must remember it. 😄👍

  • @kevinkelley3657

    @kevinkelley3657

    10 ай бұрын

    I feel your pain. Unfortunately, many of us American men suffer from over confidence AND control issues. Your customer hired you to do the bare minimum, and he was confident enough to do the assembly, not on a street driven 351w, but on a Turbo application. I bet he set the top ring gap at .030 inch for "maximum compression". Roflmao. When I talked to one of theses clowns after a blown engine, I would say: "no warranty on race engines....ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY on machine work for race short blocks that I do not assemble to my specs". Tell him he got off for a few thousand dollars for your work, and tell him that assembled race engines start at around $20k.

  • @DieselRamcharger

    @DieselRamcharger

    9 ай бұрын

    lmao. uhhhh....

  • @dennisrobinson8008

    @dennisrobinson8008

    8 ай бұрын

    Could cooler burning e85 have made a difference in that situation?

  • @honkie247
    @honkie2476 ай бұрын

    45 years ago I called TRW and asked what ring gap to run for their forged pistons on gas. Their answer was .004 per inch of cylinder bore. Never broke a ring, never scratched a cylinder.

  • @rafaeltorres2886

    @rafaeltorres2886

    6 ай бұрын

    I agree TRW was a fantastic forged piston I ran tight gaps on those.

  • @honkie247

    @honkie247

    3 ай бұрын

    @@rafaeltorres2886 First and foremost, spend the money and use a ring end gap filer. I bought a set of 302 Chevy pistons from them, .030 over with unfinished domes. I managed to run 14.5:1 compression on pump premium gas on the street by using a cam with a lot of overlap. The one thing I had to do was install an ignition kill switch (Joe Hunt magneto) so the engine could spin up to speed before it could light off or I broke the nose off of the starter every time. That car was rough on tires.

  • @donniebaker5984

    @donniebaker5984

    8 күн бұрын

    That goes for everything since the beginning ,,it's what we would call a rule of thumb ....but today if you are running NOS double the gap on the top ring ..the boys of road kill demonstrated what NOS does to destroy your engine. Without knowing too much about it you can see that NOS would make a lot of heat real quick real fast. And doing so wouldn't make that top compression ring grow very fast and when it touches both ends it rips off the top of your piston ... if you got the air fuel mix exactly right that's the only thing that will go wrong to your engine it makes that top ring grow really quick ... It was proven there during the show with that stock block LS probably out of a pickup truck and they NOS it to death. They did manage to make over 700 horsepower out of a stock 350 horsepower so before.. I think it was the front right side cylinder the ring stuck in the piston no Gap and part of the top of the Piston was gone ..so a quick fix was to double the ring end gap ... But what if you use a total Seal ring set up . And then only on the 2nd ring like they do on diesels ...0.004" per inch of bore x 4" bore = 0.016" + NOS = 0.032" could burn some oil ..but with total Seal rings obviously would burn less ...so what I'm getting at ..who has done this and will you give up the magic numbers for the optimum performancel

  • @chazmister56
    @chazmister5611 ай бұрын

    Glad this video popped up in my feed! Always good to see Lake JR on a video. Great information and tons of good concepts to think about. Gonna be taking a lot of this into consideration when I get the rest of my parts to finish my 410 windsor blower motor and have to set gaps.

  • @TotalSeal

    @TotalSeal

    11 ай бұрын

    Glad you enjoyed it!

  • @edsmachine93
    @edsmachine9311 ай бұрын

    Good information. Thanks guys. I have been opening up my second gap for a few years now. Thanks for sharing. Take care, Ed.

  • @TotalSeal

    @TotalSeal

    11 ай бұрын

    👍👍

  • @Grooty79
    @Grooty7911 ай бұрын

    I've always run tighter second gaps and had many conversations with guys that did too, never put me wrong and never a blow up from it, BUT I'm building a serious tarmac race car ATM and think I'll pull the bottom end back down and try the larger second ring gap as the rpm is up around 8200 with this motor so it can't hurt to try a bigger second gap, thanks for the good explanation, never too old to learn a new trick 😊

  • @TotalSeal

    @TotalSeal

    11 ай бұрын

    Thanks for watching!

  • @piercer2

    @piercer2

    10 ай бұрын

    I made mine tighter on 2nd as I was told the piston isn’t as hot down there, but by a couple thou

  • @Grooty79

    @Grooty79

    10 ай бұрын

    @@piercer2 I always did the same, I had a conversation with a ring manufacturer years ago that backed up the claim that tighter second gap is better, what I'll do is run it tight on this engine and in 12 months time when it comes out for a freshen up I'll go bigger second gap and try the difference

  • @ronflood5697

    @ronflood5697

    6 ай бұрын

    Remember, your tapered face second ring opens up .00628” for every .001” the face wears, easy as Pi.

  • @billjenkins3699

    @billjenkins3699

    6 ай бұрын

    He's talking about a filled block.. I think the top takes most of the heat and agree with wide if the gap closes.. Never tried or noticed any issue with second or upper oil rail... Interesting discussion

  • @genemounce8302
    @genemounce830211 ай бұрын

    maaaaaaaaaaaan oh MAN! This is some of THE best ring information I've ever listened to. I have always wondered if there was a gap difference between n20/turbo/alcohol/n/a, etc... Thanks tons, and have a happy 4th !

  • @TotalSeal

    @TotalSeal

    11 ай бұрын

    Glad it was helpful!

  • @ronflood5697
    @ronflood56976 ай бұрын

    I have the same beliefs on the three ring gaps, but I try to take into consideration two more things; How much will the rings close up at operating temp? The top closes up much more than the second. You have to anticipate that and adjust accordingly. Also, how much does the ring open up as it seats? A C-33 AP steel ring may not wear the face at all, so it’s gap stays consistent after break in. The second ring, being a tapered face, will open up the gap .00314” per .001” of face wear. per side, which means .00628” more gap, per .001” combined face wear around the ring. That second ring can open up .020” pretty easy. So keep that in mind. This is often the reason people see a power increase “after the rings seat”. It’s not that it’s sealing more compression, it’s that the ring pack starts working better because the second may have been too tight initially. Something else to consider about blow by and gap is, on our drag outboards, some pistons only have one ring, and others have both gaps aligned on a common pin, installed from the top. They still hold 2% leakdown, no problem.

  • @TotalSeal

    @TotalSeal

    6 ай бұрын

    Very great points!

  • @syrthdr09sybr34
    @syrthdr09sybr3410 ай бұрын

    This video clears out so many doubts, wish it had been around when I was building my motor. Would be interested to see you guys discuss piston to wall clearance.

  • @TotalSeal

    @TotalSeal

    10 ай бұрын

    We are glad it was helpful!

  • @MrFantasylover1
    @MrFantasylover18 ай бұрын

    Thank you sir. Your expertise is ao great to hear. Ill follow this on my next build. I love that you are so humble for a man whose been 277mph at Bonneville!! God bless! you!!!

  • @TotalSeal

    @TotalSeal

    8 ай бұрын

    Jimmy is the man!

  • @luislam6259
    @luislam625910 ай бұрын

    Guy's, thank you so much! This was a huge help and it saved me time and money. God bless you both!

  • @TotalSeal

    @TotalSeal

    10 ай бұрын

    Glad it helped!

  • @HiTechDiver
    @HiTechDiver4 ай бұрын

    I really like Jimmy; what a personable and knowledgeable guy. He's the kind of guy I would enjoy sitting down and having a conversation with.

  • @TotalSeal

    @TotalSeal

    4 ай бұрын

    He’s awesome!

  • @motersickel
    @motersickel4 ай бұрын

    This is making me feel better..I'm building a Honda engine for a guy It's a d series... I tried to offer him a better engine but he wanted to stay factory and just build it... So, we had custom wiseco pistons made for this engine 75.5 mm bore, stroke is .163 mm longer than factory rods...when I was checking the ring gaps they were a little bigger than what was specified on the sheet from wiseco...there was three different end gaps... street ,street /strip, nitrous /boost... Well the gap is slightly larger than the nitrous boost gap setting but this engine is going from 9-1 compression all the way to 11: 00-1...The bore is exactly on par and the Pistons measure exactly on par with the correct clearance.. My machine shop guy says it'll be just fine... I think it was like 26ths... The biggest setting on the sheet was 24... I think it's about 2 to 3,000s More than the biggest measurement... This engine will never see a turbo but there's a possibility he might put a 50 shot on it at some point so I guess the slightly larger ring gap is okay....

  • @martinlang9615
    @martinlang961511 ай бұрын

    Thank you for including high performance diesels in this discussion. It makes a lot of sense

  • @TotalSeal

    @TotalSeal

    11 ай бұрын

    We are glad it was helpful.

  • @ronniewilliz153

    @ronniewilliz153

    11 ай бұрын

    I learned a lot.... it makes total sense. I'll stick to modding rc engines for now tho.

  • @supersevenn
    @supersevenn11 ай бұрын

    great to hear from Lake Speed Jr again !

  • @jt.124
    @jt.1246 ай бұрын

    Man such a wealth of knowledge. I messed up and did a gapless top ring on my turbo rb25 and until it gets hot at the track it smokes a decent amount. I’m not pulling any vacuum on my catch can and it seems like that could be my main issue w using these rings. That or I never seated them properly lol. Great vid!

  • @TotalSeal

    @TotalSeal

    6 ай бұрын

    Thanks!

  • @johnelliott7375
    @johnelliott73755 ай бұрын

    As long as you lead the race or being in second 🥈 will ingest less dirt than anywhere else on the track. Bravo 👌👏 on that one Lake and Mr. Barton. Thanks again for sharing this with us Mr. Speed Jr!

  • @TotalSeal

    @TotalSeal

    5 ай бұрын

    Thanks!

  • @TonysHotRodGarage
    @TonysHotRodGarage11 ай бұрын

    Great discussion guys! Thanks for this!

  • @TotalSeal

    @TotalSeal

    11 ай бұрын

    Glad you enjoyed it!

  • @dschefers9700
    @dschefers97005 ай бұрын

    One of the best short building videos I’ve watched!

  • @TotalSeal

    @TotalSeal

    5 ай бұрын

    Thanks!

  • @RonaldLewis-py6yt
    @RonaldLewis-py6yt4 ай бұрын

    Great information I had to watch a couple times ,built many engines and always went by the charts looks like it's time to widen the Gap, Thanks for sharing!

  • @TotalSeal

    @TotalSeal

    4 ай бұрын

    Glad it was helpful!

  • @scottcooper1173
    @scottcooper117311 ай бұрын

    I debated myself for weeks on what to do for end gap on a 225 V-6 Dauntless Jeep Engine. Cost of boring and line honing in my area is not cheap, plus the fact many machine shops have closed down over the years, also could not get .020 rings due to several factors , they weren't available. The Cylinders measured out just over 3.75 to 3.77 throughout each. So I honed them myself and ordered standard rings and installed with 28-32 gaps....Sure that's a lot....but these little Odd-Fire engines run pretty warm too.......still waiting for the heads to get finished 4 months at another machine shop. It's become impossible to rebuild motors fast anymore.

  • @broke_dongle

    @broke_dongle

    11 ай бұрын

    Done that and no problems using PCV or switching to pan evac system for oil control blowby.

  • @bassettraceengines
    @bassettraceengines11 ай бұрын

    Great job Jimmy !!!!

  • @darenwinckler7027
    @darenwinckler70276 ай бұрын

    I am glad i watched this. I just learned so much about the science behind rings & gaps.

  • @TotalSeal

    @TotalSeal

    6 ай бұрын

    Thanks!

  • @shoominati23
    @shoominati2311 ай бұрын

    It's amazing how if you take the oil scraper rings and bend the ends so they point back towards the piston skirt instead of having that /\ outwards, the pistons just glide in the bores instead of needing to be tugged on. And this was $0 mod was worth over 20hp on my friends car, LOVE things like that and thats what the name of the game is here!

  • @fastinradfordable

    @fastinradfordable

    11 ай бұрын

    I’ll do this next time!

  • @matthewuhrich6439

    @matthewuhrich6439

    11 ай бұрын

    Better run a good vacuum pump

  • @davidreed6070

    @davidreed6070

    11 ай бұрын

    I'm concerned about losing oil seal. I am thinking of trying it but I drive a lot on the street

  • @alro2434

    @alro2434

    10 ай бұрын

    Bend?? How'bout just radius the corner?

  • @63turbo

    @63turbo

    10 ай бұрын

    @@alro2434 I actually tried that on the top and second ring, even though this is supposed to be an absolute NO NO and there has been no huge problems with it. It was kind of remarkable as to how low the oil consumption was as compared to the previous engines that I've done. Boosted air cooled engine, daily driven.

  • @jerryfarmer5989
    @jerryfarmer59896 ай бұрын

    I have a mopar 360 I built. Only bored .020 and went back with stock cast iron jugs, not a hot rod. The rings I got are posi loc's. I tore the engine down with about 1k miles on it. The white coating on the bearings was still there and the cylinders set in perfect. In my opinion make sure the machine shop knows what your going to be doing.

  • @canadiantechprep
    @canadiantechprep4 ай бұрын

    Whelp, looks like I'm opening the engine up again on this bike. Thanks for the details on the "why?". "1/8 (.125) of an inch, or 125/1000s" clarified it for me...more is fine for that second ring.

  • @TotalSeal

    @TotalSeal

    4 ай бұрын

    Glad to help

  • @johnelliott7375
    @johnelliott73755 ай бұрын

    Nothing like a honest man, I think 🤔 I will now investigate now if I can't or don't get a answer from now on.

  • @zAvAvAz
    @zAvAvAz11 ай бұрын

    Hey youns! this was totally fun thanks a ton.

  • @TotalSeal

    @TotalSeal

    11 ай бұрын

    Glad you enjoyed it!

  • @kregchapman6981
    @kregchapman69816 ай бұрын

    Great video, thank you for sharing..

  • @TotalSeal

    @TotalSeal

    6 ай бұрын

    Thanks for watching!

  • @CS_247
    @CS_24711 ай бұрын

    Been building normally aspirated gas race engines for 20 years, and ALWAYS go a little bigger than the Total seal chart. Never had an engine butt a ring, and i leakdown the cylinders after every race, the blowby is minimal. "A little loose and she"ll still go, a little tight, and it'll be a bad night..".

  • @TotalSeal

    @TotalSeal

    11 ай бұрын

    Absolutely!

  • @bobirving6052
    @bobirving605211 ай бұрын

    Great stuff guys!

  • @TotalSeal

    @TotalSeal

    11 ай бұрын

    Thanks so much!

  • @truspirit1925
    @truspirit19255 ай бұрын

    Great info guys thanks

  • @TotalSeal

    @TotalSeal

    5 ай бұрын

    Any time!

  • @johnboomer8468
    @johnboomer84682 ай бұрын

    thanks for sharing your expertise

  • @TotalSeal

    @TotalSeal

    2 ай бұрын

    My pleasure!

  • @user-bg6fy2rn1c
    @user-bg6fy2rn1c11 ай бұрын

    Great video! If I may ask your thoughts on this setup? Maybe I will get lucky. Will be finishing up my gapping soon. 468bbc/13.5-1static compression/ Total seal Gapless rings/ wet sump/ internal balance/ Blown alcohol/ wet block/flatbottomdragboat/ 32 gears/ 11 1/8" x 16 -2 blade prop. Interesting about the top oil ring gap trick. Thanks.

  • @TotalSeal

    @TotalSeal

    11 ай бұрын

    Thanks for the watching and the comment, you don't need to do the oil ring trick with a Gapless ring package.

  • @user-Dr.
    @user-Dr.6 ай бұрын

    In all the instructions I have ever had that comes with the rings including Total Seal has me setting the top ring end gap wider than the second, just put a new engine together, wish I had seen this sooner, I guess things change as we learn more.

  • @TotalSeal

    @TotalSeal

    6 ай бұрын

    The instruction sheet recommendations are very safe. This is just cutting edge tech tips.

  • @donjohnston4215
    @donjohnston42158 ай бұрын

    I bought a set of Keith black silvalite hypereutetic pistons shortly after they came out. Probly late 90s. Installed with the gap set per instruction sheet that came with pistons. Ran great till I made my first extended WOT pass in high gear. Broke at the ring land on 4 pistons. Turns out the instructions were not correct in the very first pistons they sold. I always go on the side of caution now. A little extra gap is not terrible.

  • @TotalSeal

    @TotalSeal

    8 ай бұрын

    Thanks for sharing.

  • @ronniecox109

    @ronniecox109

    6 ай бұрын

    .004 per inch of bore, for a stock engine, .005 forlow boost,.006 for hugh boost. And those pistons are junk. Broke lands on 4 seperate occasions with the hyper.pistons , in one season. Put a set of forged in it, and ran for 3 seasons. No problem. The hyper. Pistons were made in Bangladesh.

  • @PietStemmet

    @PietStemmet

    5 ай бұрын

    I learnt that as well way back

  • @dennispage5333
    @dennispage533311 ай бұрын

    Lake Love the work you do. Damn I wish you were around 30 years ago.

  • @TotalSeal

    @TotalSeal

    11 ай бұрын

    Thanks!

  • @gsxrsquid
    @gsxrsquid8 ай бұрын

    Best explanation I have ever heard.

  • @TotalSeal

    @TotalSeal

    8 ай бұрын

    Thanks!

  • @devinalleman
    @devinalleman11 ай бұрын

    Keep this stuff coming!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • @TotalSeal

    @TotalSeal

    11 ай бұрын

    Thanks!

  • @wallebo
    @wallebo22 күн бұрын

    What a great video! Kudos, kind sirs.

  • @TotalSeal

    @TotalSeal

    21 күн бұрын

    Glad you liked it!

  • @wallebo

    @wallebo

    21 күн бұрын

    ​@@TotalSeal I loved the vast years of experience distilled into one succinct video that was all killer and no filler!

  • @mitchc3569
    @mitchc35696 ай бұрын

    I thought that a “little loose” was just common knowledge. Thanks for this guys.

  • @TotalSeal

    @TotalSeal

    6 ай бұрын

    Happy to help!

  • @PaulOffordRacing
    @PaulOffordRacing6 ай бұрын

    Excellent video!

  • @TotalSeal

    @TotalSeal

    6 ай бұрын

    Thank you very much!

  • @Hitman-ds1ei
    @Hitman-ds1ei11 ай бұрын

    Great info on a great topic 👍

  • @TotalSeal

    @TotalSeal

    11 ай бұрын

    Glad you think so!

  • @stevelee5724
    @stevelee57246 ай бұрын

    Lake is such a cool guy! Cheers from New Zealand 🇳🇿

  • @TotalSeal

    @TotalSeal

    6 ай бұрын

    Thanks!

  • @jeffsnider3588
    @jeffsnider358811 күн бұрын

    The famous philosopher John Locke - All knowledge comes from experience...........So true!

  • @T500cal
    @T500cal3 ай бұрын

    Such good information! Your view to subscription ratio is almost criminal!

  • @TotalSeal

    @TotalSeal

    3 ай бұрын

    Thanks!

  • @Fmandan77
    @Fmandan77Ай бұрын

    This is very interesting. I've never heard that a 2nd ring's gap should be greater than the top ring...very interesting explanation.

  • @TotalSeal

    @TotalSeal

    Ай бұрын

    Glad it was helpful!

  • @brettyh1
    @brettyh15 ай бұрын

    great information in these videos

  • @TotalSeal

    @TotalSeal

    5 ай бұрын

    Glad you like them!

  • @richardsmith-qy6vl
    @richardsmith-qy6vl11 ай бұрын

    Very good information I was told 5 thousands for every inch of bore on a n/a combo is safe . I'd love to build a turbo engine but I don't know anything at all about them.

  • @TotalSeal

    @TotalSeal

    11 ай бұрын

    Yes, that’s a safe bet for a NA engine.

  • @bobirving6052

    @bobirving6052

    11 ай бұрын

    George Bryce says .04 per inch for NA and .07 per inch blown.

  • @mavcar38
    @mavcar389 ай бұрын

    Awesome info!

  • @TotalSeal

    @TotalSeal

    9 ай бұрын

    Thanks!

  • @crawford323
    @crawford3237 ай бұрын

    Spartan Aviation in their aircraft and power-plant mechanics course built a Lycoming engine properly then disassembled the engine and rebuilt it several times increasing the ring gap each time. They measured the hp each time with lower and lower compression and found little difference other than oil consumption and blow by. I was certainly surprised by this test. It is easy on an air cooled aircraft engine to access the pistons without removing the rod bearings. The cylinders come away from the pistons. So they were curious and did it. On an engine stand of course.

  • @TotalSeal

    @TotalSeal

    7 ай бұрын

    Thanks for sharing!

  • @99bevo
    @99bevo10 күн бұрын

    A good explanation. I seen engine's with to little of end gaping suffer from cold engine seizure . Cold seizure....? End gapping being tight added with over revving of a cold engine before it has reached the optimal temperature for the cylinder bore to expand .... The end result is like he says an expensive day at the office .

  • @DesertRatFabrication
    @DesertRatFabricationАй бұрын

    Keep em coming Dennis 😀😀

  • @TotalSeal

    @TotalSeal

    Ай бұрын

    Will do!!

  • @christianwise4403
    @christianwise44033 ай бұрын

    All depends on combustion chamber temp which is affected by fuel used. Rich or lean mix, power added, etc. Old rule thumb was .004” gap per inch of bore on street car gasoline. Going slightly bigger doesn’t usually hurt. Remember to offset ring gap locations on your pistons upon install. Plus good ring quality or mfg for seal in cylinder along with a good cylinder finish hatch pattern to match the style or material of the rings. With a straight cylinder bore. Tapper or out of round cylinder also affects ring seal. Do a quick dinkle ball hone and new rings and bearings might be cheaper but at times won’t help ring seal once cylinder worn badly. Measure twice cut once remember lol

  • @Cobra427Veight
    @Cobra427Veight11 ай бұрын

    Hey guys good video , I bought a old Matchless G80 500 , there's a short video on my channel , anyway it was semi restored but didn't make to the road , I got it running ok, but big oil leaks , so removed the head and was astounded to see piston ½ down the bore at TDC ? Wrong piston , and I found all 3 cast rings with .125" ring gap, it ran ok and pulled ok , calculated comp 4.1:1 . Cheers .

  • @jiyushugi1085

    @jiyushugi1085

    11 ай бұрын

    Maybe wrong rod. When I was flipping bikes as a kid a Yamaha 2-twin I was working on had a bad rod. Bought one at a Yam shop, checked the small/big end sizes and slapped it together. turning the engine over on the bench with the heads off and.....oh F, the piston attached to the new rod didn't come up as far as the other one. Bike still ran okay, so out the door it went.

  • @eweunkettles8207

    @eweunkettles8207

    6 ай бұрын

    more likley a 500 top end on a 350 crank

  • @Cobra427Veight

    @Cobra427Veight

    6 ай бұрын

    @eweunkettles8207 definitely G80 on the crankcase , there were different pistons for different conrods , I bought a new piston, all good .

  • @eweunkettles8207

    @eweunkettles8207

    6 ай бұрын

    @@Cobra427Veight some had a wire wound piston have you seen one? my friend had a g80cs made a long stroke pressed up Ina needle roller crank and titanium rod with a vincent piston gave 700 cm3 the cs had a centre plug that fired thru a slot between the valves supposedly to stop wetting the plug when starting the motor it went very well but got a bit hot in city traffic the rickman bros raced a similar motor in mx in one of there metisse frames . more recently a big bore short stroke matchy g80won a race beating manx nortons and vincent twins at the goodwood festival of speed so the humble matchy can be a helluva performer the weak bit is the timing side bearing

  • @tracylewisperformance2270
    @tracylewisperformance227014 күн бұрын

    Always good info! Would you be willing to test a patented system that corrects the raw fuel oil dilution issue on GDI Engines?

  • @kdsowen2882
    @kdsowen28826 ай бұрын

    Very -informative , Thanks again . Dave nz

  • @TotalSeal

    @TotalSeal

    6 ай бұрын

    Glad you enjoyed it

  • @harleylif1929
    @harleylif19297 ай бұрын

    Good morning gentlemen. I have learned a lot of new things watching your videos and have put it to use on my engines with great success. Now I have a question about the piston ring to ring land clearance . I understand to tight will weld or lock piston ring to the piston but what happens if we make the clearance more. Book specs says .0005 to .0025. Would we notice anything if we set it to the higher clearance? Thank you for your time. You two are the best.

  • @TotalSeal

    @TotalSeal

    6 ай бұрын

    Thanks! That is a great question. Too much vertical clearance is bad. It lets the rings flutter around. For no gas ported pistons, .0015 clearance is good. For gas ported rings or pistons, .001 (or tighter) is good.

  • @chrisobrien9334
    @chrisobrien933411 ай бұрын

    Thanks this is great information.

  • @TotalSeal

    @TotalSeal

    11 ай бұрын

    Glad it was helpful!

  • @chrisobrien9334

    @chrisobrien9334

    11 ай бұрын

    @@TotalSeal I’m building my LS Turbo 6.0 and gathering as much information on everything before I start assembly.

  • @LoydChampion
    @LoydChampion5 ай бұрын

    In the way back machine I did a chart for ring end gaps based upon what the engine was doing and what its induction of it is. It is based on the multiplier in thousands of an inch of ring thickness X cylinder bore X projected torque peak RPM. Different numbers are used for different materials of the ring and the piston materials. As he said, some of the guys that worked for me over the years ended up going to other engine shops and used this formula guide. I had a couple of them call me to tell me how messed up I was that are very well known engine people of their time. Fast forward, I had one of their engines found there way to me and I had to laugh when I took it apart about found the ring gaps exactly where I would have set them based on my chart. About a year later I was at this persons shop in North Carolina and gave him some crap about it and he laughed... Pulled out my chart from his desk and asked if I had ever seen it before.... One of my guys moved back there and had gone to work for him and he gave it to him, they have used this guide ever since. Funny of what goes around and comes around in this business.

  • @alanhawkins4841
    @alanhawkins484111 ай бұрын

    I build single cylinder air cooled race engines some have an cast iron blocks some are iron sleeved aluminum blocks and I have found that there is major power increase for the proper end gap for the top two rings. the second ring is not a compression ring, it is an oil control ring only. If the top ring doesn't seal none of the other rings are going to do that job, oil control is their job. The pressure differential between the combustion chamber and crank case is what seals the top ring to the cylinder and crankcase. If the second ring sealed combustion pressure the top ring would not function at all.

  • @TotalSeal

    @TotalSeal

    11 ай бұрын

    Absolutely!

  • @confuse9
    @confuse911 ай бұрын

    In Jenkin's book (mostly talking about his old small block pro-stock engines) he talked about running a tighter end gap because he had a straighter bore (honed with torque plates). if you believe this, what do you do with newer honing machines like Rottler (sp?)

  • @TotalSeal

    @TotalSeal

    11 ай бұрын

    End gap is more about combustion temperature than honing technique.

  • @user-ld3om3on4t
    @user-ld3om3on4t5 ай бұрын

    I've got your advice to open the upper oil ring to match the 2nd ring on a 3 piece oil ring. What about on a 2 piece oil ring that has only one gap. Mahle just says .015 or bigger but the second ring is .023 in this Porsche turbo engine. Thanks very much for the great videos!

  • @TotalSeal

    @TotalSeal

    5 ай бұрын

    Thanks for the question. For a two piece oil ring, just go with the .015 minimum gap.

  • @joe-hp4nk
    @joe-hp4nk5 ай бұрын

    I learned the strength of a forged piston from a engine I bought and he said the pistons were forged. A while later I lost all compression in #7 cylinder. When I took it apart the piston ring lands were broken and it was a cast piston. All the other pistons were forged and were fine.

  • @TotalSeal

    @TotalSeal

    5 ай бұрын

    Thanks for sharing!

  • @vehdynam
    @vehdynam6 ай бұрын

    Very good video. can yo explain what to do with the expander . Gap , no gap ,etc. Thanks.

  • @TotalSeal

    @TotalSeal

    6 ай бұрын

    Leave the expander alone. You can adjust the end gap on the oil ring rails.

  • @automan1223
    @automan12232 ай бұрын

    Jimmy has forgotten more than most of us will ever know....

  • @TotalSeal

    @TotalSeal

    2 ай бұрын

    Absolutely

  • @MitzvosGolem1
    @MitzvosGolem1Ай бұрын

    Diesel a different story . Must be perfect to spec . Or hard cold start. A little loose on gas is ok. .004 to .006 per inch diameter of bore is normal. Also gaps rotate around cylinder in time randomly eventually. Excellent channel 👍

  • @TotalSeal

    @TotalSeal

    Ай бұрын

    Great point!

  • @matthewuhrich6439
    @matthewuhrich643911 ай бұрын

    I think its funny that we have been doing that for a long time even though ring manufactures said we should be doing the opposite.

  • @Op1zilla
    @Op1zilla8 ай бұрын

    Great info 👽👍

  • @TotalSeal

    @TotalSeal

    8 ай бұрын

    Glad you think so!

  • @michaelshay5594
    @michaelshay55946 ай бұрын

    Good info. 👍👍👍👍

  • @TotalSeal

    @TotalSeal

    6 ай бұрын

    Glad it was helpful!

  • @baims8367
    @baims836711 ай бұрын

    Let the man talk your interviewing there Mr SMARTY PANTS! 👖

  • @arthurrodesiler3109
    @arthurrodesiler3109Ай бұрын

    My as well give you secrets away rather than die with them. Your Knowledge will always help someone save money from big mistakes. I always did. I drag raced so it we et the car so helping someone was no big deal. Years ago GM said up to .060 ring gap they seen no lose in power just a little more blowby. Past .060 they saw power lost.

  • @TotalSeal

    @TotalSeal

    Ай бұрын

    Thanks!

  • @sweet65mustang
    @sweet65mustangАй бұрын

    I know guys that run demolition derbys and they often open up an engine and file the rings a bunch. They're a little hard to start but they will run a derby with no coolant and use the engine for years

  • @TotalSeal

    @TotalSeal

    Ай бұрын

    Thanks for sharing! That’s a great (yet extreme) example.

  • @clemzahrobsky2137
    @clemzahrobsky213711 ай бұрын

    i saw a test at GM tech center on a 700 HP NASCAR cup engine where they opened the ring end gap to .125 and the engine lost less than 5 HP. lots of blowby but little HP loss

  • @davidleary823

    @davidleary823

    11 ай бұрын

    Yes. Keith black put out an article about 30 years ago where they increased gap all the way to ,060 before it changed hp and blowby. I can’t find the old article but I remember it so well. They also ran huge second gaps and made more power.

  • @keithtobin5369

    @keithtobin5369

    9 ай бұрын

    Thanks for all the high tech info.

  • @bryang9158

    @bryang9158

    6 ай бұрын

    High rpm eng not enough time to leak at high rpm

  • @Fordcertian

    @Fordcertian

    6 ай бұрын

    I've watched some of your videos and you use this great pistons, never revealing what kind or who makes them. What kind are they?? Went to total seal web site, no pistons!

  • @jcnpresser
    @jcnpresser18 күн бұрын

    I’ve watched guys build engine and always j just throw the oil rings in and don’t even check them, ah they don’t matter. Nice to know exactly how important they are to be gapped, at least the top rail.

  • @TotalSeal

    @TotalSeal

    18 күн бұрын

    That’s why we make these videos!

  • @turbotrana
    @turbotrana11 күн бұрын

    I have an old set of total seal gapless ring set where the gapless ring was on the second ring and the ring gap recomendation is wider on the top than the bottom. I trust the latest tech but just goes to show it takes a while to work out what is best. I never used that ring set as I heard guys complaining of ring flutter and oil burning back then.

  • @andrekemp5059
    @andrekemp505910 ай бұрын

    Great advice

  • @TotalSeal

    @TotalSeal

    10 ай бұрын

    Thanks!

  • @jimmungai1938
    @jimmungai193810 ай бұрын

    This is six in a row jim again how about Charles and Albert zero gab second ring set that’s a real interesting piece

  • @notchback93
    @notchback934 ай бұрын

    Any suggestions on gap for A Cummins 12 valve running some high boost around 60 psi thru compound turbos, any advise would be appreciated thanks for the video

  • @cda28rboostingpower27
    @cda28rboostingpower27Ай бұрын

    Congratulations on the video, very good information. I have a doubt, it is always said that the oil ring must have a minimum of .015" but if we try to equate the gap of the oil top ring to the 2nd ring, this would be much further away than the minimum (.015"), so when or how much would be too much gap for the oil ring?

  • @TotalSeal

    @TotalSeal

    Ай бұрын

    Only the bottom oil rail needs to be .015 or larger (up to .025 for this set up), then add the extra gap to the top rail.

  • @Shattered_Instance
    @Shattered_Instance10 ай бұрын

    Lol, speaking of Turbo Diesels. My highly modified engine decided it was time to spit the Transfer case out, quite literally. Only thing that kept it somewhat in place was being connected to the driveshaft.... You could see daylight through it lmao. Good excuse to mode the drivetrain to match the engine I suppose.

  • @chrisjarvis4449
    @chrisjarvis444911 ай бұрын

    stock set up i go with pi per inch of bore or .004 per inch of bore

  • @OVTEC91
    @OVTEC91Ай бұрын

    Interested in the science behind opening the top oil gap to match the second ring.

  • @Brandon74Johnson
    @Brandon74JohnsonАй бұрын

    I’m building my own motor for the first time for a dirt modified just a 350 bored over 030 and I’m just curious what you think ring gaps should be on that?

  • @cfmechanic
    @cfmechanic2 ай бұрын

    Well this has me 2nd guessing our choice of a Napier gapless 2nd ring. Although I have almost no blowby out the valve covers I am seeing puffs of smoke out the pipes at full throttle, ring flutter? Sbc 440 dart. Started at 427 and grew as I learned. Daily driven sniper efi and handles road trips just fill gas and check and add oil and it will go anywhere fast.

  • @lancemenke2728
    @lancemenke272811 ай бұрын

    Thanks some nice info. Ring flutter and @ high RPM the layover hump . could say it makes sense.

  • @TotalSeal

    @TotalSeal

    11 ай бұрын

    Glad it helped

  • @boomersuperbike3787
    @boomersuperbike378711 ай бұрын

    wow if JR would just let these guys talk instead of interrupting his interviews

  • @bobirving6052

    @bobirving6052

    11 ай бұрын

    I thought it was not a bad back and forth. Both men are very worth listening to.

  • @justinpakarno4346
    @justinpakarno43466 ай бұрын

    Jimmy is a treasure.

  • @TotalSeal

    @TotalSeal

    6 ай бұрын

    Absolutely!

  • @marksmith2726
    @marksmith272611 ай бұрын

    That's a real good video with great tips.

  • @TotalSeal

    @TotalSeal

    11 ай бұрын

    Glad you think so!

  • @harrisonclark4382
    @harrisonclark4382Ай бұрын

    Question, I have a built, sleeved Coyote with a blower, and I mistakenly ran some 5W-30 oil. I noticed that my car smelled like fuel and so did my oil. Ran the piss out of the car too. The smell of E85 went away went I but the proper oil 5w50 in. I’m wondering how much damage if any I did to the motor? Seems to run fine though.

  • @McadMcad
    @McadMcadАй бұрын

    I opened the hood. I checked the oil, and sprayed some belt dressing on the belt. That's as far as I got. The pistons, are underneath a bunch of stuff.

  • @TotalSeal

    @TotalSeal

    Ай бұрын

    LOL, they are quite inconvenient to reach.

  • @JG-kv4oi

    @JG-kv4oi

    8 күн бұрын

    Just screw out the spark plugs, you can get right to them. This is a secret professional mechanics don't want you to know!

  • @albertkinney8021
    @albertkinney80218 ай бұрын

    Always do the bore per the piston makers specs I have never got a set of rings for the correct bore that were near factory specs . Threw trial and error I just run the rings that come in the box . haven't had a motor blow up yet .Any imput on ring gap on a air cooled motor ?

  • @TotalSeal

    @TotalSeal

    8 ай бұрын

    The air cooled engines can run a tighter gap because the cylinders expand more.

  • @HotRodDave
    @HotRodDave11 ай бұрын

    Good Info

  • @TotalSeal

    @TotalSeal

    11 ай бұрын

    Glad it was helpful!

  • @AK-DIRECT907
    @AK-DIRECT90715 күн бұрын

    I'm more of a road/rallye guy. I'm always looking to build for endurance. I racked up 40.000miles on my POV. What kind of ring gaps do you run on a vehicle running 18 to 20 hrs for 7 days (gas) ?

  • @RWM56
    @RWM566 ай бұрын

    It funny that in 70s we rebuilt a lot of motors every car we bought six brothers and we never checked the endcap and always ran beautiful

  • @ForceEngineering
    @ForceEngineering11 ай бұрын

    is static gap (set on a stand) very representative of ring gap at operating temp? the top ring surely sees more heat, and the the top and second ring are almost always different martials and different coatings. These differences surely affect the amount of (growth) the ring has which changes the gap during load. I could see some scenarios where gapping the top and 2nd rings the same on a stand, would result in the the top gap being tighter during operation.

  • @TotalSeal

    @TotalSeal

    11 ай бұрын

    As you mentioned, static gap is not what the operating gaps will be. The top ring gap will close up more than the 2nd ring due to the heat.

  • @edge2sword186
    @edge2sword1868 ай бұрын

    My question is about ceramic coating the piston tops .Does it help as far as piston cooling and life ?

  • @TotalSeal

    @TotalSeal

    8 ай бұрын

    That’s a question for the piston guys!

  • @jarheaded9278
    @jarheaded927812 күн бұрын

    If I were to run an older forged piston that has 12 thousands loose in bore on a sbc..what would I need for rings, std or 5 thousands larger than std. also, what would be the ring gap size. Thanks.

  • @victoramato4692
    @victoramato46924 ай бұрын

    What about a regular street engine? The biggest thing a machine shop customer complains about is oil burning. Most ring sets, ex. Sealed power, Hastings, are engineered sets. And gaps are pre set. Usually 3.5 to .004 per inch of bore. Never had a problem. Chrome top rings are hard to break in because most people drive their "new" engines too gently. They need hard acceleration to "scrub" them in. Don't let new engines idle! Worst thing! Just drive it!

  • @pcbondart
    @pcbondart10 ай бұрын

    ok, your video very informative, gotta question . . . i'm helping a friend with an MG engine, the bore is 69 1/2mm or 2.74 inches, the compression ratio is 8.5 to one, and he is running a supercharcher making 7 pounds boost . . . what do you think the gaps should be on the top two compression rings?

  • @TotalSeal

    @TotalSeal

    10 ай бұрын

    Go with .006 per inch on the top ring and then add .008 to that for the 2nd. Follow the procedure in the video for the oil rings.

  • @pcbondart

    @pcbondart

    10 ай бұрын

    @@TotalSeal thank you much!

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