Dodge 2001 Ram 1500 Owner's Manual page 1358

BR/BE
PISTON RINGS
STANDARD PROCEDURE—FITTING PISTON
RINGS
(1) Measurement of end gaps:
(a) Measure piston ring gap 2 inches from bot-
tom of cylinder bore. An inverted piston can be
used to push the rings down to ensure positioning
rings squarely in the cylinder bore before measur-
ing.
(b) Insert feeler stock in the gap. Gap for com-
pression rings should be between 0.254-0.508 mm
(0.010-0.020 inch). The oil ring gap should be
0.381- 1.397 mm (0.015-0.055 inch).
(c) Rings with insufficient end gap may be prop-
erly filed to the correct dimension. Ends should be
stoned smooth after filing with Arkansas White
Stone. Rings with excess gaps should not be used.
(2) Install rings and confirm ring side clearance:
(a) Install oil rings being careful not to nick or
scratch the piston. Install the oil control rings
according to instructions in the package. It is not
necessary to use a tool to install the upper and
lower rails. Insert oil rail spacer first, then side
rails.
(b) Install the second compression rings using
Installation Tool C-4184. The compression rings
must be installed with the identification mark face
up (toward top of piston) and chamfer facing down.
An identification mark on the ring is a drill point,
a stamped letter O, an oval depression or the word
TOP (Fig. 42) (Fig. 44).
(c) Using a ring installer, install the top com-
pression ring with the chamfer facing up (Fig. 44).
An identification mark on the ring is a drill point,
Fig. 43 Top Compression Ring Identification—
1 - TOP COMPRESSION RING (GRAY IN COLOR)
2 - CHAMFER
3 - ONE DOT
Typical
a stamped letter O, an oval depression or the word
TOP facing up (Fig. 43).
(d) Measure side clearance between piston ring
and ring land. Clearance should be 0.074-0.097 mm
(0.0029-0.0038 inch) for the compression rings. The
steel rail oil ring should be free in groove, but
should not exceed 0.246 mm (0.0097 inch) side
clearance.
(e) Pistons with insufficient or excessive side
clearance should be replaced.
Fig. 42 Second Compression Ring Identification—
1 - SECOND COMPRESSION RING (BLACK CAST IRON)
2 - CHAMFER
3 - TWO DOTS
Fig. 44 Compression Ring Chamfer Location—Typical
1 - CHAMFER
2 - TOP COMPRESSION RING
3 - SECOND COMPRESSION RING
4 - PISTON
5 - CHAMFER
ENGINE 8.0L
Typical
9 - 211