is this a bad ring?
Thread Starter
TECH Junkie
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 3,029
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From: Chi-Town
is this a bad ring? well, ive been burning some oil....after checking the easy stuff i figured id check the next hardest thing- valve seals. i pulled 7 out of the 8 plugs and they were all relatively clean except for cylinder 7. coated in oil and pretty messy. pressurized one of the cylinders that looked ok via the spark plug. change the seals no problem. then went to cylinder 7. pressurized it up (with the rockers off to ensure the valves were 100% closed) and it was leaking air pretty good. it was leaking on the first one, but the compressor only kicked in once in the 5 or 10 mins that i changed the 2 seals. i figured it was the nature of the beast to leak a little. i didnt feal any coming out the oil filler either with the first one. when i pressurize the oily plug one though, it was obvious there was a bigger leak somewhere. put my face over the oil filler to feel for air, and sure enough, a good amount of air was blowin in my face 
. is it safe to assume that my oil burning problems were from that cylinder and its bad ring. now that i think back, when i checked the oil, it would puff some smoke out of the dip stick tube. prolly from the dang exhaust gasses trying to get out.
. is it safe to assume that my oil burning problems were from that cylinder and its bad ring. now that i think back, when i checked the oil, it would puff some smoke out of the dip stick tube. prolly from the dang exhaust gasses trying to get out. 
On The Tree
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 127
Likes: 0
From: Hatboro PA
I have not seen that as much on the ls1 as i have on the 4.6 ford engines but it is possibly.When the factory starts to use oil rings that are 3mm they need to put more drain back holes in the piston for oil to escape.As the engine heat cicles the oil will burn on the rings like coaking in a turbo it will get to the point were the ring will not function any more.
mike
mike
Originally Posted by DriveATransAm
well, ive been burning some oil....after checking the easy stuff i figured id check the next hardest thing- valve seals. i pulled 7 out of the 8 plugs and they were all relatively clean except for cylinder 7. coated in oil and pretty messy. pressurized one of the cylinders that looked ok via the spark plug. change the seals no problem. then went to cylinder 7. pressurized it up (with the rockers off to ensure the valves were 100% closed) and it was leaking air pretty good. it was leaking on the first one, but the compressor only kicked in once in the 5 or 10 mins that i changed the 2 seals. i figured it was the nature of the beast to leak a little. i didnt feal any coming out the oil filler either with the first one. when i pressurize the oily plug one though, it was obvious there was a bigger leak somewhere. put my face over the oil filler to feel for air, and sure enough, a good amount of air was blowin in my face . is it safe to assume that my oil burning problems were from that cylinder and its bad ring. now that i think back, when i checked the oil, it would puff some smoke out of the dip stick tube. prolly from the dang exhaust gasses trying to get out.
. is it safe to assume that my oil burning problems were from that cylinder and its bad ring. now that i think back, when i checked the oil, it would puff some smoke out of the dip stick tube. prolly from the dang exhaust gasses trying to get out. Thread Starter
TECH Junkie
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 3,029
Likes: 0
From: Chi-Town
Originally Posted by SStheBest
how much smoke...b/c im sure everybody gets a little smoke out of te dipstick hole when the car is warm....but i think i have the same problem i took out the first plug on the right hand side and it was covered....i didnt do a leak down test though....im prayin its retainers and valve locks...b/c the guy before me had the cam installed and he used 918 springs but didnt say anything to me about upgrading retainers and locks....its a custom comp cam 224/224 .581/.581 112lsa....(stock internals)...so i HOPE i dont have a ring problem b/c i too burn oil
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If you don't have a leakdown tester, try a "wet test." Do a standard compression test on that cylinder, then squirt an ounce or so of oil into the cylinder and repeat the test. If it's the rings, the compression numbers should come way up when oil is added.
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