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The heart of the car is the engine, the individual service life of which consists of many indicators. On the quality of its constituent parts, timely replacement of oil and filters, on whether the technical inspection, its production properties depend.

In an engine, the piston rings wear out first. As a result of ignoring the first signs of wear and tear, the pistons and then the crankshaft fail, which leads the car to expensive repairs. The question arises:

How to determine the degree of piston ring wear

The main action to be taken in in this case, look at the exhaust gases coming out of the muffler when the car is running, at idle speed.

• The appearance of black smoke means that some of the gases, instead of making pushing moments of the piston, have leaked through the worn compression rings into the engine crankcase. In this case, the pressure in the cylinders drops and a loss of engine power occurs.
• The possibility of over-enrichment of the incendiary mixture is also manifested by the presence of black smoke in the muffler, but is accompanied by popping sounds.
• Smoke white demonstrates moisture ingress or condensation, especially in cold weather. On a warm engine, the appearance of white clouds from the muffler indicates wear on the valve stem seals, valve guides, oil scraper rings PG engine.
• The appearance of blue smoke with a bluish tint is evidence of oil entering the combustion chambers, seeping through valve stem seals, valve bushings or through a worn piston group.

Next you need to pay attention to the spark plugs, or rather to their condition. Oil deposits and the presence of oil on the spark plug threads indicate a violation of the mixture formation cycle in the combustion chamber, which is wear piston rings or cylinders.

Then you need to check the condition of the air filter, carefully inspect for oil in its housing and the air outlet corrugation. The presence of signs of its presence indicates wear of the PG.

You should look at the installation locations of oil seals, gaskets, and seals of the unit. Are there any oil leaks? If such a phenomenon is detected, then this is a sign of unacceptable wear of the PG, as a result of which a strong pressure of crankcase gases is created in the engine and oil is released.

It is also necessary to listen to the engine running at idle. If the engine does not run smoothly, the gear shift lever shakes, then this indicates the presence of different pressures in the engine cylinders, due to obvious wear of the CPG. Extraneous noises and knocks in the working engine indicate obvious malfunctions of the device; driving such a machine is strictly prohibited.

The crankcase ventilation system should be checked. To do this, you need to remove the gas outlet hose (breather) from the system and see how the exhaust vapors and gases come out of the hose. If they come out in time with the operation of the cylinders, then there is a presence of rings in the piston.

All of the above features are signs of worn-out engine PG, due to improper use, engine overheating or prolonged operation without proper lubrication.

Obvious malfunctions of the piston rings are

• Loss of unit power (checked by measuring compression).
• Increased oil consumption (exhausts in the muffler, leaking seals).
• Increased fuel consumption.

By attaching a blank piece of paper to the outlet of the muffler, with the car running, and then looking at the print, you can get a picture of the serviceability of the engine and some of its components.

To ensure that engine repairs do not cost you a pretty penny, you need to pay timely attention to the first signs of engine trouble and/or its natural wear and tear. Only timely detection of an engine malfunction and carrying out a major engine repair will not only save money on the cost of repairing the engine itself, but will also save money on its spare parts, the cost of which often exceeds the cost of engine repair work.

Main signs of engine malfunction

Engine ring alignment
The cause of the occurrence is natural wear of the oil scraper rings, low-quality fuel and oil, especially its irregular replacement. Also, the reason for the occurrence of rings can be a long pause in engine operation, engine overheating, or low oil pressure.

You can try to “treat” the occurrence of rings by decoking. Helps in cases where the occurrence does not entail serious consequences associated with breakage of rings and destruction of the piston and (or) cylinder surface (the occurrence of scuffing, scratches and increased wear of the cylinder). An example of the occurrence of rings, which is “not cured” by de-bracing, see below.

Decarbonization helps 50/50. But in any case, before repairing the engine, it is worth trying to decarbonize it. The event is quite inexpensive (mere pennies compared to repairs), and it won’t hurt, that’s for sure. If you're lucky, compression will be restored (possibly even for a long time), it all depends on how badly the engine is worn. In case of severe overheating, decoking will not help.

Engine overheating
The consequences of engine overheating are unpredictable and often do not appear immediately, but after several thousand kilometers. Here you can get away with a slight fright, or you can “get” capital at full program- depending on your luck - after all, engine overheating is a lottery.

Engine overheating can cause all of the above problems. Do not allow the engine to overheat! Especially long-term!!!
If engine overheating does occur, do not delay, contact a specialist, it won’t get any worse.

In order to accurately determine which engine parts need to be replaced, it is necessary to disassemble the engine itself. To determine the cost of spare parts for the engine, use

A car drives by, and a cloud of bluish smoke emerges from its exhaust pipe. This is the burning of oil that has entered the combustion chamber. There is nothing wrong with this if the reason is the valve caps - replacing them is inexpensive, but worn piston rings are complete disassembly engine, financially comparable to its major repairs.

What are piston rings

The piston ring is an open ring made of cast iron with the addition of copper, nickel or molybdenum and coated with chrome for increased wear resistance.

Modern engines are equipped with a set of three rings - two compression rings and one oil scraper ring. Photo: tdautozapchasti.com.ua

Functions of piston rings:

• creating a seal between the piston and cylinder;
• ensuring there is enough oil to operate the piston and cylinder;
• heat removal from the pistons to the cylinder walls.

Reasons for stuck piston rings

Loss of piston ring mobility is called “sticking.” This happens due to the appearance of a large layer of carbon deposits in the piston grooves, which leads to sticking of the rings inside them.

The reasons for such a breakdown are:

• low engine oil level;
• the required level of pressure is not maintained in the lubrication system;
• poor quality oil;
• worn oil filter;
• dust and abrasive particles getting between the rings and the piston;
• scoring on the walls of the piston or cylinder;
• engine overheating;
• long-term lack of use of the car (oil turns into a sticky mass).

Also, the cause of stuck piston rings can be short trips when the engine does not have time to warm up. Photo: radikal.ru

Less possible, however, there are also problems with the supply and movement of fuel in the system: if gasoline entering the cylinders does not evaporate completely, then its residues wash away the oil film from the piston, increasing the friction force. This happens when the engine starts unsuccessfully, when the injectors do not work correctly, when they do not spray fuel, but pour it; when there are misfires in the cylinders or there is no spark.

Signs of stuck piston rings

The main symptom of piston ring wear is loss of compression in the engine (pressure in the cylinder drops at the end of the compression stroke). The car accelerates with difficulty and, as if it does not want to go, does not start on the first try, and the oil and fuel consumption noticeably increases.

Additional signals about possible problems with piston rings serve:

• blue exhaust smoke;
• oil deposits on spark plugs;
• at idle speed the engine runs intermittently, the gear lever vibrates;
• vapors exit the ventilation system in time with the strokes of the cylinders;
• noise and knocking in the engine;
• oil pressure drops.

To figure out whether the rings are to blame for the appearance of these signals, you can carry out diagnostics yourself.

This procedure is called decarbonization.

How to decoke stuck rings

To avoid extra costs, the decarbonization procedure can be carried out independently in 15 steps:

1. We make a mixture of acetone and kerosene (in a 2:1 ratio, count 150 ml for each valve), or take a store-bought one. Something used to decarbonize piston rings on an engine is sold at any auto store.
2. Warm up the engine a little. It should be warm, but not hot, so that the mixture does not evaporate.
3. We unscrew the spark plugs and remove the high-voltage wires.
4. We also disconnect the low-voltage wires from the coils.
5. Drain the oil.
6. Pour the mixture into the cylinders and tighten the spark plugs a little so that the acetone does not evaporate.
7. Leave for 12 hours (preferably overnight).
8. Let's take out the candles.
9. In theory, the entire mixture should end up in the crankcase, but to avoid splashing it throughout the engine compartment, we will cover the spark plug holes with a rag.
10. Drain the mixture through the oil plug.
11. Refill the old oil.
12. We crank the engine with the starter (without the ignition coil).
13. We tighten the spark plugs, return all the wires to their places, and start the engine.
14. We drive out onto a flat section of the highway and drive 15-20 km at high speeds (3500-4000). We are not afraid of the white cloud of exhaust. This burns out the decoking mixture.
15. Immediately after the trip, change the oil and oil filter.

If the engine thrust increases, then the procedure worked.

The occurrence of rings does not occur spontaneously. Even if you managed to get the engine in order on your own, it’s worth going to a computer diagnostics service station.

The carbon removal process did not help. It means:

1. The rings are physically worn out and it's time to change them.
2. The problem is not with the piston rings, or not only with them.

Replacing piston rings yourself

When decarbonization does not help, and the confidence remains that only the piston rings are to blame, it’s time to start replacing them. Photo: imglink.ru

To carry out repairs on your own you will need:

• sets of piston rings (one for each piston);
• special pliers for installing these rings;
• installation instructions (the packaging of a high-quality kit must indicate the procedure and location of the elements);
• new cylinder head gasket (if you reinstall the same one, the seal is lost).

Once you have everything you need at hand, you can begin:

1. Remove the cylinder head. We evaluate its condition (presence of cracks), the condition of the valves. If defects are found, we eliminate them or turn to professionals for help. If everything is good, then we continue.
2. Drain the oil and open the oil pan.
3. We remove the oil pump and examine its condition.
4. We clean the tops of the cylinders from carbon deposits and unscrew the connecting rod caps, pushing them up.
5. We remove the old rings.
6. We clean the carbon deposits from the piston (if there is any) and use pliers to install new sets of rings. We carefully follow the instructions and do not make sudden movements (the rings are quite fragile).
7. IN reverse order Let's assemble the engine, don't forget to install new gasket cylinder head.
8. It would be a good idea to change the oil and oil filter.

Find out how else you can decarbonize yourself in the video:

What do they offer at the service station?

Not everyone can handle repairs themselves. Turn to the services of a mechanic to save your time and effort. Computer diagnostics will reveal the reasons for incorrect engine operation. It is offered at any service station upon first contact.

The cost of diagnostics varies from the “Free” bonus (in case of car repair at the same service station) to 1,500 rubles. Replacing piston rings is one of the most expensive services - on average it will cost 20,000 rubles.

In this case, the car owner has little choice: either deal with the problem himself and try to save money, or trust the experts.

It is important to remember: the consequences of running an engine with worn piston rings can result in both failure of the cylinder head and major repairs of the internal combustion engine.

Bottom line

As you know, it is better to prevent a problem than to solve it later. Wear and sticking of piston rings is the result of irregularities in vehicle operation. The driver’s goal is to maximize engine life:

• use only high-quality motor oil;
• carry out maintenance on time;
• prevent the engine from overheating (monitor the readings of the sensors on the dashboard);
• refuel only with the fuel recommended by the manufacturer of the vehicle;
• Periodically “walk” your car, do not let the oil in the engine stagnate.

The rules are quite simple, but they will help you avoid complications and high costs.