Don't understand how to position piston ring gaps.

[Jenya]

Hello,

There is a picture in the Clymer manual on how the piston ring gaps should be positioned:
http://picasaweb.google.com/taijinian/Cylinders?authkey=Gv1sRgCO6ZxaG2pP7SmwE#slideshow/5339036101026420066

I have to say that I don't understand neither the terminology used in the diagram nor the position points for the ring gaps. What ar those "Upper side rail", "Lower side rail", "Top ring spacer"?

Just a few pages before the diagram Clymer gives another diagram:
http://picasaweb.google.com/taijinian/Cylinders?authkey=Gv1sRgCO6ZxaG2pP7SmwE#slideshow/5339035352897040434

On it the rings are labeld entirely differently: "Top compression ring", "Second compression ring", "Oil rings", "Oil ring expander spacer"

I am also very unclear on where the gaps should be positioned. The "2nd ring" label hovers around 11 o'clock area. The "Top ring spacer" hoveris around 5 o'clock area. Is it more or less where the gaps should be positioned? Does it matter at all where the oil expander spacer seam is positioned?

Jenya

[utgunslinger13]

I agree, my cylmer was horrible explaining these procedures luckily I didn't require a rering.

[KIMI]

I did overhaul to the heart before. Replace the rings to .5 and rebore.
What i did is just make sure the rings gap will not align to each other.
Just do 1 to north the other to south/west/east and last gap is you choice.
My bike runs good until know. Don't forget to clean all the rubbish inside and make it clean and shiny...

[dgyver]

Read the text and look at a couple of the pictures above the ring position diagram. They have all of information regarding their terminology and how to determine which part is what.

Top Ring and Spacer are 2 different items.

Upper & Lower Side Rails are the pieces that fit in the same groove as the Spacer. The Spacer fits between them. Make sure the Spacer joint does not overlap itself.
Also, the Upper & Lower Side Rails are the same part.

From top of the piston down and EX at 12:00: 

Top Ring @ 6:00
Second Ring @ 10:00
Upper Side Rail @ 2:00
Spacer @ 6:00
Lower Side Rail @ 10:00

[Chanse]

Basically you just dont want them aligned in a way that would allow loss of compression or blow by (oil blowing past the rings into the cylinder durring compression, will fowl the plugs)

[Jenya]

Read the text and look at a couple of the pictures above the ring position diagram. They have all of information regarding their terminology and how to determine which part is what.

Indeed, there they do describe installation sequence using the terminology on the diagram. I missed that the first time I read it.

I have enother question. The manual states that the special care should be given to making sure that the markings on the rings face upwards. I see the N 0.5 markings on the compressions rings, but I don't see any markings on the upper and lower side rails that go over and under the oil spacer. Is that correct that the rails can be installed with either side facing upwards?

Jenya

[dgyver]

Correct. The Side Rails do not matter if up or down.

[Jenya]

Thanks!

Okay yet another question - is there a difference between the two compression rings? Visually there seem to be two different kinds of comrpession rings: one ring has a whitish edge and a smaller free end gap, another ring has a greyish edge and a wider free end gap. The marking on both rings say the same thing though: "N 0.5".

Here is the picture that shows the difference between the rings. I've installed them and noticed the difference only after I did that.
http://picasaweb.google.com/taijinian/Cylinders?authkey=Gv1sRgCO6ZxaG2pP7SmwE#slideshow/5340004011952752690
http://picasaweb.google.com/taijinian/Cylinders?authkey=Gv1sRgCO6ZxaG2pP7SmwE#slideshow/5340003835544770146

The pictues clearly show the difference in color of the edge between the two rings.

Is one ring designated as a top and another as a bottom or are they interchangable. I don't seem to remember reading anything about distinguishing the top from the bottom brand new rings in the Clymer manual.

Jenya

[dgyver]

Yes there is a difference, it is in the manual. The top ring has a rounded profile and the 2nd ring has an angled profile.

[Jenya]

I am so glad that there is a knowledgable person like you here to help out.

Again, you are absolutely correct that there is a picture that shows the difference between the top and the bottom compression rings.

Looking at the picture of my piston http://picasaweb.google.com/taijinian/Cylinders?authkey=Gv1sRgCO6ZxaG2pP7SmwE#slideshow/5340004011952752690
and live I would guess that I have the top and the bottom rings reversed. Wouldn't you say so? The top ring may have a slight slop, not as pronounced as in the book.

What confuses me now is that the slop seems to be going the wrong way: In the book the top face of the ring has a smaller diameter and on my ring the bottom face seems to have a smaller diameter when I position the ring with the N 0.5 marking facing upwards.

I would need to carefully examine everything tonight after work.

Jenya

[Jenya]

Here are some crappy pictures I tried to take of both rings side-by-side. Unfortunately, I don't have a macro lens. I can borrow one from a co-worker if that would be helpful to determine which ring should be a top and which a bottom one.

http://picasaweb.google.com/taijinian/Cylinders?authkey=Gv1sRgCO6ZxaG2pP7SmwE#slideshow/5340349740308846706

I certainly don't see anyhing as pronounced as the slop in the Clymer manual:
http://picasaweb.google.com/taijinian/Cylinders?authkey=Gv1sRgCO6ZxaG2pP7SmwE#slideshow/5340310944895856434

So which ring is the top compression ring and which one is the bottom?

Any help is tremendously appreciated. I am so itching to get the bike back together and start riding already,
Jenya

[utgunslinger13]

depending on the type of camera there should be a macro setting.  If its a point and shoot try the setting that looks like a flower.

[Jenya]

Darn it! Show how much I suck at photography. Can't take a single picture worth anything. However, from the blury pictures I took I tend to believe that the grey ring is the sloped one and the white ring is the round edge one.

does that look about right?

[dgyver]

The top ring has a chrome plated face.

[Jenya]

Okay! That is the conclusion I came to as well. Only took me five hundred picture shots to figure that out.