broken piston ring question.

[minibikes4life]

weird question guys, but, i built a briggs intek 6.5hp, and ive ran it a little bit, and it just wasn't running quite right, seemed a bit sluggish, so, i started looking for problems and couldnt find anything obvious, so i ended up dissasembling it, and turns out one of my rings broke, not quite sure how, but it is.

any idea on how it may have happened? cause im kinda stumped.

 

[Modding_out]

Possible fracture during installation is the only thing I can think of.

 

[125ccCrazy]

did you check the end gap on the rings before installing them? the end gap may have been to tight and when the rings heated and expanded they broke..

or as stated above it may have been broken during installation...

 

[The Restore Kid]

Put in upside down? :shrug:

 

[minibikes4life]

yea, i figured it may have cracked during the installation, the rings had sat around for a while and perhaps got brittle.

have to sort it out, hone and new rings.

 

[DZLBIKE]

Also make sure you get all of the ridge out at the top of the cylinder.:wink:

 

[jreid50]

whick ring broke? was it your top compression ring or the second?

 

[minibikes4life]

second ring broke.

 

[jreid50]

Usually the only two things that cause a second ring to break is improper installation or incorrect ring end gap! When you reinstall a new set try not to stress the rings by stretching them around the piston, and double check your end gap!

 

[65ShelbyClone]

yea, i figured it may have cracked during the installation, the rings had sat around for a while and perhaps got brittle.

I assure you that nothing about the rings changed or degraded while on a shelf. Metal does not have an expiration date at any of the temperatures humans can survive.

It's a good idea to use a proper ring expander when installing them and mandatory to check the end gap.