Topic: Reassembly of pistons/rings/cylinders

[Tim.]

Hey all - I anticipate tearing the top end of my engine off today, and reassembling it with any luck next weekend after sorting out my boring etc.

In my service manual, there is no mention of lubricating any of the bits when putting it all back together.  Logically I figured I should regardless, and my brain tells me motoroil would be as good as anything, but I figure perhaps there's a better way.

Just basic grease?

I'm on the hunt for a low-profile ring compressor too, as the ones sold locally are all quite tall.  Would one 2 inches tall be unweildy?  It's the only one I've found that will work with pistons this small.

[joeb]

wEll when I did my motor I used 90 weight on the parts like the cylinder walls and  assembly grease on the bearing parts. For a ring compressor I went cheap I used my fingers they work really well Honda put a camber on the bottom of the sleeves so the rings will slip in pretty easy. Hope this helps.   

[scondon]

Use only the oil type you will be running in your motor to lubricate your cylinders. I take a rag with oil on it and wipe the cylinder walls, that's it.

     Your fingers should be enough to compress the rings. Raise #2 and #3 pistons and fit each ring, one at a time, until all three are in. Then raise #1 and #4 and do the same.

[jsaab2748]

If not too cumbersome, try using hose clamps as ring compressors. Use motor oil on the cylinder walls.
Squirt or pour oil on the valve train/cam once it is assembled on the head after the head nuts are installed.
Some engine builders use "cam lube" or white lithium grease on the lobes, that can be had from any auto parts store. With the plugs out, crank the engine with the kill switch off till the oil light goes out, install the plugs, then fire it.
Light on/off accellerations the first minute or so, allowing the oil pressure to build and oil to get to where it;s supposed. 

[MRieck]

Use only the oil type you will be running in your motor to lubricate your cylinders. I take a rag with oil on it and wipe the cylinder walls, that's it.

     Your fingers should be enough to compress the rings. Raise #2 and #3 pistons and fit each ring, one at a time, until all three are in. Then raise #1 and #4 and do the same.

I always use as little oil as possible...basically just enough to keep the cylinder walls from rusting.

[Steve F]

You may find that your fingertips are the only way to get the rings to start into the chamfer.  I tried the hose clamps, standard ring compressors won't work, and I'm too cheap to buy the proper tool to use just once.  I even tried really thin strips of spring steel kinda like what the ring compressors are made of, and that didn't work either.  Use engine assembly lube on the cam lobes and bearings when you put it back together.  Before you start it for the first time, squirt some engine oil around the cam area through the intake valve adjuster caps.  Use antiseize on the bolts, nuts and studs when reassembling, and (don't ask me how I know) be really careful of the bolts that hold down the cam caps as they can strip out really easy.

[Tim.]

You may find that your fingertips are the only way to get the rings to start into the chamfer.  I tried the hose clamps, standard ring compressors won't work, and I'm too cheap to buy the proper tool to use just once.  I even tried really thin strips of spring steel kinda like what the ring compressors are made of, and that didn't work either.  Use engine assembly lube on the cam lobes and bearings when you put it back together.  Before you start it for the first time, squirt some engine oil around the cam area through the intake valve adjuster caps.  Use antiseize on the bolts, nuts and studs when reassembling, and (don't ask me how I know) be really careful of the bolts that hold down the cam caps as they can strip out really easy.

That's the nice thing about 500/550's - cam just sits there.  Rockers are all on shafts in the cover and cam just lays in the head.