Piston
Ring
An
open-ended ring that fits around the side of a piston and against the cylinder wall to seal the combustion chamber. Typically three or four
piston rings are fitted below the piston head. The ones closest
to the piston are known as compression rings and serve to
prevent any of the contents of the cylinder from escaping
and thus reducing the pressure in the cylinder. The bottom
ring is known as the oil ring because its purpose is to remove
lubricating oil from the cylinder walls as the piston moves
up and down.
Worn compression rings result in loss of compression from
the cylinder and a consequent reduction in vehicle performance,
most obvious when trying to accelerate, ascend hills, or tow
heavy loads. A worn oil ring allows oil to seep into the cylinder
and be burned in the combustion chamber, resulting in dark
blue or black colored exhaust.
To remove or install piston rings a specially designed tool,
called piston ring pliers, are
commonly used.
If the grooves where the piston rings are designed to sit
in are dirty or full of carbon deposits, a tool called a piston ring groove
cleaner can be used to rejuvenate them.
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