I was doing some reassembly on the H60 for the Trail Bike and had swapped the "new" piston onto the rod and I went to check the ring end gap before installing the piston. I followed the L-Head manual instructions and pushed the oiler down to the center of the bore with the piston and got an End Gap Reading of 0.043". The gap is supposed to be 0.20".
So, I had another set of rings that came on the "new' piston, so I inserted the oiler in and got a new reading of 0.038" !!!! WTH???? So, then I put one of the compression rings in and got a reading of 0.028". Alright, getting closer, let's try on of the "new" piston rings----0.025" Still not right.
As near as I could tell, the block was never cracked open and the "original" piston is stock. I did hone the bore but only enough to restore the crosshatch and it measured right around 2.625" like it's supposed to be. There was a modest amount of carbon buildup on the piston and head but the engine looked like it never smoked.
My question: Anyone ever see a ring gap this big on a big block? What are the chances of two different sets of used rings being so far out of spec? I know I need a new set of rings unless the L-head manual is wrong (not likely). I don't even know how the gap could open up that much.
Thoughts?????
So, I had another set of rings that came on the "new' piston, so I inserted the oiler in and got a new reading of 0.038" !!!! WTH???? So, then I put one of the compression rings in and got a reading of 0.028". Alright, getting closer, let's try on of the "new" piston rings----0.025" Still not right.
As near as I could tell, the block was never cracked open and the "original" piston is stock. I did hone the bore but only enough to restore the crosshatch and it measured right around 2.625" like it's supposed to be. There was a modest amount of carbon buildup on the piston and head but the engine looked like it never smoked.
My question: Anyone ever see a ring gap this big on a big block? What are the chances of two different sets of used rings being so far out of spec? I know I need a new set of rings unless the L-head manual is wrong (not likely). I don't even know how the gap could open up that much.
Thoughts?????