End Gap Mistakes That Will RUIN Your Engine

2024 ж. 8 Мам.
350 635 Рет қаралды

Lake Speed Jr visits Jimmy Barton’s Hot Rod Garage to ask the question "how big should the ring end gap be?”
Jimmy shares some some inside tips & tricks from his experience in NASCAR, Drag Racing and setting land speed records on how to set an end gap for the top, second and top oil rail rings without breaking things. Lake and Jimmy share the specifics from both Jimmy's engine and the Engine Performance Expo LS.
For the complete ring gap chart, visit: www.totalseal.com/support-and...
For more about Jimmy Barton, visit / wjesel
For more about the Engine Performance Expo, visit: engineperformanceexpo.com
#enginebuilding #enginefailure #engine

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  • A little loose and nobody knows...a little tight and everybody knows...

    @masterspin7796@masterspin779610 ай бұрын
    • That’s right!

      @TotalSeal@TotalSeal10 ай бұрын
    • @@TotalSeal Big ring gap = big catch can. Small ring gap = big trash can.

      @dannobee@dannobee10 ай бұрын
    • @@dannobee LOL

      @TotalSeal@TotalSeal10 ай бұрын
    • I've built fixtures and know CTE. Too much end gap won't hurt. People over think this subject.

      @wannabecarguy@wannabecarguy10 ай бұрын
    • ​@@dannobee Hah there ya go that's something my ol hs shop teacher woulda said 30yrd ago ✌️ Loose is fast anyway, at least I thought 😁 Staying on the loose side of the spec for valve clearance is what I was told to do,a couple thou of lift lost isn't going to be noticable but your valves will probably be happier in the long run✌️

      @MrTheHillfolk@MrTheHillfolk10 ай бұрын
  • 45 years ago I called TRW and asked what ring gap to run for their forged pistons on gas. Their answer was .004 per inch of cylinder bore. Never broke a ring, never scratched a cylinder.

    @honkie247@honkie2475 ай бұрын
    • I agree TRW was a fantastic forged piston I ran tight gaps on those.

      @rafaeltorres2886@rafaeltorres28865 ай бұрын
    • @@rafaeltorres2886 First and foremost, spend the money and use a ring end gap filer. I bought a set of 302 Chevy pistons from them, .030 over with unfinished domes. I managed to run 14.5:1 compression on pump premium gas on the street by using a cam with a lot of overlap. The one thing I had to do was install an ignition kill switch (Joe Hunt magneto) so the engine could spin up to speed before it could light off or I broke the nose off of the starter every time. That car was rough on tires.

      @honkie247@honkie2472 ай бұрын
  • It's the installing mechanic's job to verify the end-gap and not the machine shop's. I rebuilt this guy's engine block and ordered his parts, and he put the engine together himself. He overheated it because the ring gap was not set for a turbo application - he blamed me for not verifying the ring gap before I sold it to him. I told him that, "that's like blaming the gas station clerk for not checking the condoms for holes after you've used 'em." It's the installing mechanic's job to verify the ring gap. Olympia Engine Builders.

    @jamesjacobs1909@jamesjacobs190910 ай бұрын
    • It’s the responsibility of the piston installer…always!

      @jimthompson6424@jimthompson642410 ай бұрын
    • I like that analogy - I must remember it. 😄👍

      @gordowg1wg145@gordowg1wg14510 ай бұрын
    • I feel your pain. Unfortunately, many of us American men suffer from over confidence AND control issues. Your customer hired you to do the bare minimum, and he was confident enough to do the assembly, not on a street driven 351w, but on a Turbo application. I bet he set the top ring gap at .030 inch for "maximum compression". Roflmao. When I talked to one of theses clowns after a blown engine, I would say: "no warranty on race engines....ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY on machine work for race short blocks that I do not assemble to my specs". Tell him he got off for a few thousand dollars for your work, and tell him that assembled race engines start at around $20k.

      @kevinkelley3657@kevinkelley36579 ай бұрын
    • lmao. uhhhh....

      @DieselRamcharger@DieselRamcharger8 ай бұрын
    • Could cooler burning e85 have made a difference in that situation?

      @dennisrobinson8008@dennisrobinson80087 ай бұрын
  • I have the same beliefs on the three ring gaps, but I try to take into consideration two more things; How much will the rings close up at operating temp? The top closes up much more than the second. You have to anticipate that and adjust accordingly. Also, how much does the ring open up as it seats? A C-33 AP steel ring may not wear the face at all, so it’s gap stays consistent after break in. The second ring, being a tapered face, will open up the gap .00314” per .001” of face wear. per side, which means .00628” more gap, per .001” combined face wear around the ring. That second ring can open up .020” pretty easy. So keep that in mind. This is often the reason people see a power increase “after the rings seat”. It’s not that it’s sealing more compression, it’s that the ring pack starts working better because the second may have been too tight initially. Something else to consider about blow by and gap is, on our drag outboards, some pistons only have one ring, and others have both gaps aligned on a common pin, installed from the top. They still hold 2% leakdown, no problem.

    @ronflood5697@ronflood56975 ай бұрын
    • Very great points!

      @TotalSeal@TotalSeal5 ай бұрын
  • Glad this video popped up in my feed! Always good to see Lake JR on a video. Great information and tons of good concepts to think about. Gonna be taking a lot of this into consideration when I get the rest of my parts to finish my 410 windsor blower motor and have to set gaps.

    @chazmister56@chazmister5610 ай бұрын
    • Glad you enjoyed it!

      @TotalSeal@TotalSeal10 ай бұрын
  • I've always run tighter second gaps and had many conversations with guys that did too, never put me wrong and never a blow up from it, BUT I'm building a serious tarmac race car ATM and think I'll pull the bottom end back down and try the larger second ring gap as the rpm is up around 8200 with this motor so it can't hurt to try a bigger second gap, thanks for the good explanation, never too old to learn a new trick 😊

    @Grooty79@Grooty7910 ай бұрын
    • Thanks for watching!

      @TotalSeal@TotalSeal10 ай бұрын
    • I made mine tighter on 2nd as I was told the piston isn’t as hot down there, but by a couple thou

      @piercer2@piercer29 ай бұрын
    • @@piercer2 I always did the same, I had a conversation with a ring manufacturer years ago that backed up the claim that tighter second gap is better, what I'll do is run it tight on this engine and in 12 months time when it comes out for a freshen up I'll go bigger second gap and try the difference

      @Grooty79@Grooty799 ай бұрын
    • Remember, your tapered face second ring opens up .00628” for every .001” the face wears, easy as Pi.

      @ronflood5697@ronflood56975 ай бұрын
    • He's talking about a filled block.. I think the top takes most of the heat and agree with wide if the gap closes.. Never tried or noticed any issue with second or upper oil rail... Interesting discussion

      @billjenkins3699@billjenkins36995 ай бұрын
  • great to hear from Lake Speed Jr again !

    @supersevenn@supersevenn10 ай бұрын
  • This video clears out so many doubts, wish it had been around when I was building my motor. Would be interested to see you guys discuss piston to wall clearance.

    @syrthdr09sybr34@syrthdr09sybr349 ай бұрын
    • We are glad it was helpful!

      @TotalSeal@TotalSeal9 ай бұрын
  • Guy's, thank you so much! This was a huge help and it saved me time and money. God bless you both!

    @luislam6259@luislam62599 ай бұрын
    • Glad it helped!

      @TotalSeal@TotalSeal9 ай бұрын
  • maaaaaaaaaaaan oh MAN! This is some of THE best ring information I've ever listened to. I have always wondered if there was a gap difference between n20/turbo/alcohol/n/a, etc... Thanks tons, and have a happy 4th !

    @genemounce8302@genemounce830210 ай бұрын
    • Glad it was helpful!

      @TotalSeal@TotalSeal10 ай бұрын
  • Good information. Thanks guys. I have been opening up my second gap for a few years now. Thanks for sharing. Take care, Ed.

    @edsmachine93@edsmachine9310 ай бұрын
    • 👍👍

      @TotalSeal@TotalSeal10 ай бұрын
  • Thank you sir. Your expertise is ao great to hear. Ill follow this on my next build. I love that you are so humble for a man whose been 277mph at Bonneville!! God bless! you!!!

    @MrFantasylover1@MrFantasylover17 ай бұрын
    • Jimmy is the man!

      @TotalSeal@TotalSeal7 ай бұрын
  • I bought a set of Keith black silvalite hypereutetic pistons shortly after they came out. Probly late 90s. Installed with the gap set per instruction sheet that came with pistons. Ran great till I made my first extended WOT pass in high gear. Broke at the ring land on 4 pistons. Turns out the instructions were not correct in the very first pistons they sold. I always go on the side of caution now. A little extra gap is not terrible.

    @donjohnston4215@donjohnston42157 ай бұрын
    • Thanks for sharing.

      @TotalSeal@TotalSeal7 ай бұрын
    • .004 per inch of bore, for a stock engine, .005 forlow boost,.006 for hugh boost. And those pistons are junk. Broke lands on 4 seperate occasions with the hyper.pistons , in one season. Put a set of forged in it, and ran for 3 seasons. No problem. The hyper. Pistons were made in Bangladesh.

      @ronniecox109@ronniecox1095 ай бұрын
    • I learnt that as well way back

      @PietStemmet@PietStemmet4 ай бұрын
  • I really like Jimmy; what a personable and knowledgeable guy. He's the kind of guy I would enjoy sitting down and having a conversation with.

    @HiTechDiver@HiTechDiver3 ай бұрын
    • He’s awesome!

      @TotalSeal@TotalSeal3 ай бұрын
  • I debated myself for weeks on what to do for end gap on a 225 V-6 Dauntless Jeep Engine. Cost of boring and line honing in my area is not cheap, plus the fact many machine shops have closed down over the years, also could not get .020 rings due to several factors , they weren't available. The Cylinders measured out just over 3.75 to 3.77 throughout each. So I honed them myself and ordered standard rings and installed with 28-32 gaps....Sure that's a lot....but these little Odd-Fire engines run pretty warm too.......still waiting for the heads to get finished 4 months at another machine shop. It's become impossible to rebuild motors fast anymore.

    @scottcooper1173@scottcooper117310 ай бұрын
    • Done that and no problems using PCV or switching to pan evac system for oil control blowby.

      @broke_dongle@broke_dongle10 ай бұрын
  • Man such a wealth of knowledge. I messed up and did a gapless top ring on my turbo rb25 and until it gets hot at the track it smokes a decent amount. I’m not pulling any vacuum on my catch can and it seems like that could be my main issue w using these rings. That or I never seated them properly lol. Great vid!

    @jt.124@jt.1245 ай бұрын
    • Thanks!

      @TotalSeal@TotalSeal5 ай бұрын
  • Thank you for including high performance diesels in this discussion. It makes a lot of sense

    @martinlang9615@martinlang961510 ай бұрын
    • We are glad it was helpful.

      @TotalSeal@TotalSeal10 ай бұрын
    • I learned a lot.... it makes total sense. I'll stick to modding rc engines for now tho.

      @ronniewilliz153@ronniewilliz15310 ай бұрын
  • This is very interesting. I've never heard that a 2nd ring's gap should be greater than the top ring...very interesting explanation.

    @Fmandan77@Fmandan7714 күн бұрын
    • Glad it was helpful!

      @TotalSeal@TotalSeal13 күн бұрын
  • Great information I had to watch a couple times ,built many engines and always went by the charts looks like it's time to widen the Gap, Thanks for sharing!

    @RonaldLewis-py6yt@RonaldLewis-py6yt3 ай бұрын
    • Glad it was helpful!

      @TotalSeal@TotalSeal3 ай бұрын
  • As long as you lead the race or being in second 🥈 will ingest less dirt than anywhere else on the track. Bravo 👌👏 on that one Lake and Mr. Barton. Thanks again for sharing this with us Mr. Speed Jr!

    @johnelliott7375@johnelliott73754 ай бұрын
    • Thanks!

      @TotalSeal@TotalSeal4 ай бұрын
  • Great discussion guys! Thanks for this!

    @TonysHotRodGarage@TonysHotRodGarage10 ай бұрын
    • Glad you enjoyed it!

      @TotalSeal@TotalSeal10 ай бұрын
  • This is making me feel better..I'm building a Honda engine for a guy It's a d series... I tried to offer him a better engine but he wanted to stay factory and just build it... So, we had custom wiseco pistons made for this engine 75.5 mm bore, stroke is .163 mm longer than factory rods...when I was checking the ring gaps they were a little bigger than what was specified on the sheet from wiseco...there was three different end gaps... street ,street /strip, nitrous /boost... Well the gap is slightly larger than the nitrous boost gap setting but this engine is going from 9-1 compression all the way to 11: 00-1...The bore is exactly on par and the Pistons measure exactly on par with the correct clearance.. My machine shop guy says it'll be just fine... I think it was like 26ths... The biggest setting on the sheet was 24... I think it's about 2 to 3,000s More than the biggest measurement... This engine will never see a turbo but there's a possibility he might put a 50 shot on it at some point so I guess the slightly larger ring gap is okay....

    @motersickel@motersickel3 ай бұрын
  • One of the best short building videos I’ve watched!

    @dschefers9700@dschefers97004 ай бұрын
    • Thanks!

      @TotalSeal@TotalSeal4 ай бұрын
  • Been building normally aspirated gas race engines for 20 years, and ALWAYS go a little bigger than the Total seal chart. Never had an engine butt a ring, and i leakdown the cylinders after every race, the blowby is minimal. "A little loose and she"ll still go, a little tight, and it'll be a bad night..".

    @CS_247@CS_24710 ай бұрын
    • Absolutely!

      @TotalSeal@TotalSeal10 ай бұрын
  • Great job Jimmy !!!!

    @bassettraceengines@bassettraceengines10 ай бұрын
  • I am glad i watched this. I just learned so much about the science behind rings & gaps.

    @darenwinckler7027@darenwinckler70275 ай бұрын
    • Thanks!

      @TotalSeal@TotalSeal5 ай бұрын
  • Nothing like a honest man, I think 🤔 I will now investigate now if I can't or don't get a answer from now on.

    @johnelliott7375@johnelliott73754 ай бұрын
  • I have a mopar 360 I built. Only bored .020 and went back with stock cast iron jugs, not a hot rod. The rings I got are posi loc's. I tore the engine down with about 1k miles on it. The white coating on the bearings was still there and the cylinders set in perfect. In my opinion make sure the machine shop knows what your going to be doing.

    @jerryfarmer5989@jerryfarmer59895 ай бұрын
  • I know guys that run demolition derbys and they often open up an engine and file the rings a bunch. They're a little hard to start but they will run a derby with no coolant and use the engine for years

    @sweet65mustang@sweet65mustang14 күн бұрын
    • Thanks for sharing! That’s a great (yet extreme) example.

      @TotalSeal@TotalSeal14 күн бұрын
  • It's amazing how if you take the oil scraper rings and bend the ends so they point back towards the piston skirt instead of having that /\ outwards, the pistons just glide in the bores instead of needing to be tugged on. And this was $0 mod was worth over 20hp on my friends car, LOVE things like that and thats what the name of the game is here!

    @shoominati23@shoominati2310 ай бұрын
    • I’ll do this next time!

      @fastinradfordable@fastinradfordable10 ай бұрын
    • Better run a good vacuum pump

      @matthewuhrich6439@matthewuhrich643910 ай бұрын
    • I'm concerned about losing oil seal. I am thinking of trying it but I drive a lot on the street

      @davidreed6070@davidreed607010 ай бұрын
    • Bend?? How'bout just radius the corner?

      @alro2434@alro24349 ай бұрын
    • @@alro2434 I actually tried that on the top and second ring, even though this is supposed to be an absolute NO NO and there has been no huge problems with it. It was kind of remarkable as to how low the oil consumption was as compared to the previous engines that I've done. Boosted air cooled engine, daily driven.

      @63turbo@63turbo9 ай бұрын
  • In all the instructions I have ever had that comes with the rings including Total Seal has me setting the top ring end gap wider than the second, just put a new engine together, wish I had seen this sooner, I guess things change as we learn more.

    @user-Dr.@user-Dr.5 ай бұрын
    • The instruction sheet recommendations are very safe. This is just cutting edge tech tips.

      @TotalSeal@TotalSeal5 ай бұрын
  • Interested in the science behind opening the top oil gap to match the second ring.

    @OVTEC91@OVTEC91Күн бұрын
  • I learned the strength of a forged piston from a engine I bought and he said the pistons were forged. A while later I lost all compression in #7 cylinder. When I took it apart the piston ring lands were broken and it was a cast piston. All the other pistons were forged and were fine.

    @joe-hp4nk@joe-hp4nk4 ай бұрын
    • Thanks for sharing!

      @TotalSeal@TotalSeal4 ай бұрын
  • Hey youns! this was totally fun thanks a ton.

    @zAvAvAz@zAvAvAz10 ай бұрын
    • Glad you enjoyed it!

      @TotalSeal@TotalSeal10 ай бұрын
  • Whelp, looks like I'm opening the engine up again on this bike. Thanks for the details on the "why?". "1/8 (.125) of an inch, or 125/1000s" clarified it for me...more is fine for that second ring.

    @canadiantechprep@canadiantechprep3 ай бұрын
    • Glad to help

      @TotalSeal@TotalSeal3 ай бұрын
  • thanks for sharing your expertise

    @johnboomer8468@johnboomer8468Ай бұрын
    • My pleasure!

      @TotalSeal@TotalSealАй бұрын
  • Best explanation I have ever heard.

    @gsxrsquid@gsxrsquid7 ай бұрын
    • Thanks!

      @TotalSeal@TotalSeal7 ай бұрын
  • Good morning gentlemen. I have learned a lot of new things watching your videos and have put it to use on my engines with great success. Now I have a question about the piston ring to ring land clearance . I understand to tight will weld or lock piston ring to the piston but what happens if we make the clearance more. Book specs says .0005 to .0025. Would we notice anything if we set it to the higher clearance? Thank you for your time. You two are the best.

    @harleylif1929@harleylif19296 ай бұрын
    • Thanks! That is a great question. Too much vertical clearance is bad. It lets the rings flutter around. For no gas ported pistons, .0015 clearance is good. For gas ported rings or pistons, .001 (or tighter) is good.

      @TotalSeal@TotalSeal6 ай бұрын
  • My as well give you secrets away rather than die with them. Your Knowledge will always help someone save money from big mistakes. I always did. I drag raced so it we et the car so helping someone was no big deal. Years ago GM said up to .060 ring gap they seen no lose in power just a little more blowby. Past .060 they saw power lost.

    @arthurrodesiler3109@arthurrodesiler310916 күн бұрын
    • Thanks!

      @TotalSeal@TotalSeal16 күн бұрын
  • I build single cylinder air cooled race engines some have an cast iron blocks some are iron sleeved aluminum blocks and I have found that there is major power increase for the proper end gap for the top two rings. the second ring is not a compression ring, it is an oil control ring only. If the top ring doesn't seal none of the other rings are going to do that job, oil control is their job. The pressure differential between the combustion chamber and crank case is what seals the top ring to the cylinder and crankcase. If the second ring sealed combustion pressure the top ring would not function at all.

    @alanhawkins4841@alanhawkins484110 ай бұрын
    • Absolutely!

      @TotalSeal@TotalSeal10 ай бұрын
  • Great video, thank you for sharing..

    @kregchapman6981@kregchapman69815 ай бұрын
    • Thanks for watching!

      @TotalSeal@TotalSeal5 ай бұрын
  • Great info on a great topic 👍

    @Hitman-ds1ei@Hitman-ds1ei10 ай бұрын
    • Glad you think so!

      @TotalSeal@TotalSeal10 ай бұрын
  • Great video! If I may ask your thoughts on this setup? Maybe I will get lucky. Will be finishing up my gapping soon. 468bbc/13.5-1static compression/ Total seal Gapless rings/ wet sump/ internal balance/ Blown alcohol/ wet block/flatbottomdragboat/ 32 gears/ 11 1/8" x 16 -2 blade prop. Interesting about the top oil ring gap trick. Thanks.

    @user-bg6fy2rn1c@user-bg6fy2rn1c10 ай бұрын
    • Thanks for the watching and the comment, you don't need to do the oil ring trick with a Gapless ring package.

      @TotalSeal@TotalSeal10 ай бұрын
  • Keep this stuff coming!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    @devinalleman@devinalleman10 ай бұрын
    • Thanks!

      @TotalSeal@TotalSeal10 ай бұрын
  • I opened the hood. I checked the oil, and sprayed some belt dressing on the belt. That's as far as I got. The pistons, are underneath a bunch of stuff.

    @McadMcad@McadMcad23 күн бұрын
    • LOL, they are quite inconvenient to reach.

      @TotalSeal@TotalSeal22 күн бұрын
  • All depends on combustion chamber temp which is affected by fuel used. Rich or lean mix, power added, etc. Old rule thumb was .004” gap per inch of bore on street car gasoline. Going slightly bigger doesn’t usually hurt. Remember to offset ring gap locations on your pistons upon install. Plus good ring quality or mfg for seal in cylinder along with a good cylinder finish hatch pattern to match the style or material of the rings. With a straight cylinder bore. Tapper or out of round cylinder also affects ring seal. Do a quick dinkle ball hone and new rings and bearings might be cheaper but at times won’t help ring seal once cylinder worn badly. Measure twice cut once remember lol

    @christianwise4403@christianwise44032 ай бұрын
  • Such good information! Your view to subscription ratio is almost criminal!

    @T500cal@T500cal2 ай бұрын
    • Thanks!

      @TotalSeal@TotalSeal2 ай бұрын
  • Lake Love the work you do. Damn I wish you were around 30 years ago.

    @dennispage5333@dennispage533310 ай бұрын
    • Thanks!

      @TotalSeal@TotalSeal10 ай бұрын
  • Great stuff guys!

    @bobirving6052@bobirving605210 ай бұрын
    • Thanks so much!

      @TotalSeal@TotalSeal10 ай бұрын
  • It nice to hear someone say normally aspirated

    @1SixpenceFan@1SixpenceFan8 ай бұрын
  • i saw a test at GM tech center on a 700 HP NASCAR cup engine where they opened the ring end gap to .125 and the engine lost less than 5 HP. lots of blowby but little HP loss

    @clemzahrobsky2137@clemzahrobsky213710 ай бұрын
    • Yes. Keith black put out an article about 30 years ago where they increased gap all the way to ,060 before it changed hp and blowby. I can’t find the old article but I remember it so well. They also ran huge second gaps and made more power.

      @davidleary823@davidleary82310 ай бұрын
    • Thanks for all the high tech info.

      @keithtobin5369@keithtobin53698 ай бұрын
    • High rpm eng not enough time to leak at high rpm

      @bryang9158@bryang91585 ай бұрын
    • I've watched some of your videos and you use this great pistons, never revealing what kind or who makes them. What kind are they?? Went to total seal web site, no pistons!

      @Fordcertian@Fordcertian5 ай бұрын
  • Great info guys thanks

    @truspirit1925@truspirit19254 ай бұрын
    • Any time!

      @TotalSeal@TotalSeal4 ай бұрын
  • Keep em coming Dennis 😀😀

    @DesertRatFabrication@DesertRatFabrication3 күн бұрын
    • Will do!!

      @TotalSeal@TotalSeal3 күн бұрын
  • Awesome info!

    @mavcar38@mavcar388 ай бұрын
    • Thanks!

      @TotalSeal@TotalSeal8 ай бұрын
  • Excellent video!

    @PaulOffordRacing@PaulOffordRacing5 ай бұрын
    • Thank you very much!

      @TotalSeal@TotalSeal5 ай бұрын
  • I've got your advice to open the upper oil ring to match the 2nd ring on a 3 piece oil ring. What about on a 2 piece oil ring that has only one gap. Mahle just says .015 or bigger but the second ring is .023 in this Porsche turbo engine. Thanks very much for the great videos!

    @user-ld3om3on4t@user-ld3om3on4t4 ай бұрын
    • Thanks for the question. For a two piece oil ring, just go with the .015 minimum gap.

      @TotalSeal@TotalSeal4 ай бұрын
  • Spartan Aviation in their aircraft and power-plant mechanics course built a Lycoming engine properly then disassembled the engine and rebuilt it several times increasing the ring gap each time. They measured the hp each time with lower and lower compression and found little difference other than oil consumption and blow by. I was certainly surprised by this test. It is easy on an air cooled aircraft engine to access the pistons without removing the rod bearings. The cylinders come away from the pistons. So they were curious and did it. On an engine stand of course.

    @crawford323@crawford3236 ай бұрын
    • Thanks for sharing!

      @TotalSeal@TotalSeal6 ай бұрын
  • I think its funny that we have been doing that for a long time even though ring manufactures said we should be doing the opposite.

    @matthewuhrich6439@matthewuhrich643910 ай бұрын
  • In the way back machine I did a chart for ring end gaps based upon what the engine was doing and what its induction of it is. It is based on the multiplier in thousands of an inch of ring thickness X cylinder bore X projected torque peak RPM. Different numbers are used for different materials of the ring and the piston materials. As he said, some of the guys that worked for me over the years ended up going to other engine shops and used this formula guide. I had a couple of them call me to tell me how messed up I was that are very well known engine people of their time. Fast forward, I had one of their engines found there way to me and I had to laugh when I took it apart about found the ring gaps exactly where I would have set them based on my chart. About a year later I was at this persons shop in North Carolina and gave him some crap about it and he laughed... Pulled out my chart from his desk and asked if I had ever seen it before.... One of my guys moved back there and had gone to work for him and he gave it to him, they have used this guide ever since. Funny of what goes around and comes around in this business.

    @LoydChampion@LoydChampion4 ай бұрын
  • Very good information I was told 5 thousands for every inch of bore on a n/a combo is safe . I'd love to build a turbo engine but I don't know anything at all about them.

    @richardsmith-qy6vl@richardsmith-qy6vl10 ай бұрын
    • Yes, that’s a safe bet for a NA engine.

      @TotalSeal@TotalSeal10 ай бұрын
    • George Bryce says .04 per inch for NA and .07 per inch blown.

      @bobirving6052@bobirving605210 ай бұрын
  • Lake is such a cool guy! Cheers from New Zealand 🇳🇿

    @stevelee5724@stevelee57245 ай бұрын
    • Thanks!

      @TotalSeal@TotalSeal5 ай бұрын
  • stock set up i go with pi per inch of bore or .004 per inch of bore

    @chrisjarvis4449@chrisjarvis444910 ай бұрын
  • Hey guys good video , I bought a old Matchless G80 500 , there's a short video on my channel , anyway it was semi restored but didn't make to the road , I got it running ok, but big oil leaks , so removed the head and was astounded to see piston ½ down the bore at TDC ? Wrong piston , and I found all 3 cast rings with .125" ring gap, it ran ok and pulled ok , calculated comp 4.1:1 . Cheers .

    @Cobra427Veight@Cobra427Veight10 ай бұрын
    • Maybe wrong rod. When I was flipping bikes as a kid a Yamaha 2-twin I was working on had a bad rod. Bought one at a Yam shop, checked the small/big end sizes and slapped it together. turning the engine over on the bench with the heads off and.....oh F, the piston attached to the new rod didn't come up as far as the other one. Bike still ran okay, so out the door it went.

      @jiyushugi1085@jiyushugi108510 ай бұрын
    • more likley a 500 top end on a 350 crank

      @eweunkettles8207@eweunkettles82075 ай бұрын
    • @eweunkettles8207 definitely G80 on the crankcase , there were different pistons for different conrods , I bought a new piston, all good .

      @Cobra427Veight@Cobra427Veight5 ай бұрын
    • @@Cobra427Veight some had a wire wound piston have you seen one? my friend had a g80cs made a long stroke pressed up Ina needle roller crank and titanium rod with a vincent piston gave 700 cm3 the cs had a centre plug that fired thru a slot between the valves supposedly to stop wetting the plug when starting the motor it went very well but got a bit hot in city traffic the rickman bros raced a similar motor in mx in one of there metisse frames . more recently a big bore short stroke matchy g80won a race beating manx nortons and vincent twins at the goodwood festival of speed so the humble matchy can be a helluva performer the weak bit is the timing side bearing

      @eweunkettles8207@eweunkettles82075 ай бұрын
  • I thought that a “little loose” was just common knowledge. Thanks for this guys.

    @mitchc3569@mitchc35695 ай бұрын
    • Happy to help!

      @TotalSeal@TotalSeal5 ай бұрын
  • Congratulations on the video, very good information. I have a doubt, it is always said that the oil ring must have a minimum of .015" but if we try to equate the gap of the oil top ring to the 2nd ring, this would be much further away than the minimum (.015"), so when or how much would be too much gap for the oil ring?

    @cda28rboostingpower27@cda28rboostingpower279 күн бұрын
    • Only the bottom oil rail needs to be .015 or larger (up to .025 for this set up), then add the extra gap to the top rail.

      @TotalSeal@TotalSeal9 күн бұрын
  • Well this has me 2nd guessing our choice of a Napier gapless 2nd ring. Although I have almost no blowby out the valve covers I am seeing puffs of smoke out the pipes at full throttle, ring flutter? Sbc 440 dart. Started at 427 and grew as I learned. Daily driven sniper efi and handles road trips just fill gas and check and add oil and it will go anywhere fast.

    @cfmechanic@cfmechanicАй бұрын
  • This is six in a row jim again how about Charles and Albert zero gab second ring set that’s a real interesting piece

    @jimmungai1938@jimmungai19389 ай бұрын
  • Thanks this is great information.

    @chrisobrien9334@chrisobrien933410 ай бұрын
    • Glad it was helpful!

      @TotalSeal@TotalSeal10 ай бұрын
    • @@TotalSeal I’m building my LS Turbo 6.0 and gathering as much information on everything before I start assembly.

      @chrisobrien9334@chrisobrien933410 ай бұрын
  • My question is about ceramic coating the piston tops .Does it help as far as piston cooling and life ?

    @edge2sword186@edge2sword1867 ай бұрын
    • That’s a question for the piston guys!

      @TotalSeal@TotalSeal7 ай бұрын
  • What about a regular street engine? The biggest thing a machine shop customer complains about is oil burning. Most ring sets, ex. Sealed power, Hastings, are engineered sets. And gaps are pre set. Usually 3.5 to .004 per inch of bore. Never had a problem. Chrome top rings are hard to break in because most people drive their "new" engines too gently. They need hard acceleration to "scrub" them in. Don't let new engines idle! Worst thing! Just drive it!

    @victoramato4692@victoramato46923 ай бұрын
  • Let the man talk your interviewing there Mr SMARTY PANTS! 👖

    @baims8367@baims836710 ай бұрын
  • In Jenkin's book (mostly talking about his old small block pro-stock engines) he talked about running a tighter end gap because he had a straighter bore (honed with torque plates). if you believe this, what do you do with newer honing machines like Rottler (sp?)

    @confuse9@confuse910 ай бұрын
    • End gap is more about combustion temperature than honing technique.

      @TotalSeal@TotalSeal10 ай бұрын
  • great information in these videos

    @brettyh1@brettyh14 ай бұрын
    • Glad you like them!

      @TotalSeal@TotalSeal4 ай бұрын
  • Lol, speaking of Turbo Diesels. My highly modified engine decided it was time to spit the Transfer case out, quite literally. Only thing that kept it somewhat in place was being connected to the driveshaft.... You could see daylight through it lmao. Good excuse to mode the drivetrain to match the engine I suppose.

    @Shattered_Instance@Shattered_Instance9 ай бұрын
  • Diesel a different story . Must be perfect to spec . Or hard cold start. A little loose on gas is ok. .004 to .006 per inch diameter of bore is normal. Also gaps rotate around cylinder in time randomly eventually. Excellent channel 👍

    @MitzvosGolem1@MitzvosGolem129 күн бұрын
    • Great point!

      @TotalSeal@TotalSeal29 күн бұрын
  • Rebuilt a 2 stroke mx bike engine for about the 5th time. It kept seizing the piston in the bore. This time i ran the ring gaps at factory max. So far no blow up...

    @malbirrell@malbirrell9 ай бұрын
  • Very -informative , Thanks again . Dave nz

    @kdsowen2882@kdsowen28825 ай бұрын
    • Glad you enjoyed it

      @TotalSeal@TotalSeal5 ай бұрын
  • Always do the bore per the piston makers specs I have never got a set of rings for the correct bore that were near factory specs . Threw trial and error I just run the rings that come in the box . haven't had a motor blow up yet .Any imput on ring gap on a air cooled motor ?

    @albertkinney8021@albertkinney80217 ай бұрын
    • The air cooled engines can run a tighter gap because the cylinders expand more.

      @TotalSeal@TotalSeal7 ай бұрын
  • It funny that in 70s we rebuilt a lot of motors every car we bought six brothers and we never checked the endcap and always ran beautiful

    @RWM56@RWM565 ай бұрын
  • Thanks some nice info. Ring flutter and @ high RPM the layover hump . could say it makes sense.

    @lancemenke2728@lancemenke272810 ай бұрын
    • Glad it helped

      @TotalSeal@TotalSeal10 ай бұрын
  • Great info 👽👍

    @Op1zilla@Op1zilla7 ай бұрын
    • Glad you think so!

      @TotalSeal@TotalSeal7 ай бұрын
  • is static gap (set on a stand) very representative of ring gap at operating temp? the top ring surely sees more heat, and the the top and second ring are almost always different martials and different coatings. These differences surely affect the amount of (growth) the ring has which changes the gap during load. I could see some scenarios where gapping the top and 2nd rings the same on a stand, would result in the the top gap being tighter during operation.

    @ForceEngineering@ForceEngineering10 ай бұрын
    • As you mentioned, static gap is not what the operating gaps will be. The top ring gap will close up more than the 2nd ring due to the heat.

      @TotalSeal@TotalSeal10 ай бұрын
  • Any suggestions on gap for A Cummins 12 valve running some high boost around 60 psi thru compound turbos, any advise would be appreciated thanks for the video

    @notchback93@notchback933 ай бұрын
  • Very good video. can yo explain what to do with the expander . Gap , no gap ,etc. Thanks.

    @vehdynam@vehdynam5 ай бұрын
    • Leave the expander alone. You can adjust the end gap on the oil ring rails.

      @TotalSeal@TotalSeal5 ай бұрын
  • Good info. 👍👍👍👍

    @michaelshay5594@michaelshay55945 ай бұрын
    • Glad it was helpful!

      @TotalSeal@TotalSeal5 ай бұрын
  • Great advice

    @andrekemp5059@andrekemp50599 ай бұрын
    • Thanks!

      @TotalSeal@TotalSeal9 ай бұрын
  • I’m building my own motor for the first time for a dirt modified just a 350 bored over 030 and I’m just curious what you think ring gaps should be on that?

    @Brandon74Johnson@Brandon74Johnson14 күн бұрын
  • How about a video on narrow ring sets to install in stock ring width with your spacers think A series i seen in catalog ?

    @larryburns4605@larryburns46057 ай бұрын
    • We have one of the spacers: kzhead.info/sun/m7KGo8-diWKspJ8/bejne.html

      @TotalSeal@TotalSeal7 ай бұрын
  • Question, I have a built, sleeved Coyote with a blower, and I mistakenly ran some 5W-30 oil. I noticed that my car smelled like fuel and so did my oil. Ran the piss out of the car too. The smell of E85 went away went I but the proper oil 5w50 in. I’m wondering how much damage if any I did to the motor? Seems to run fine though.

    @harrisonclark4382@harrisonclark438225 күн бұрын
  • Is there a difference on end gap required in a turbo engine running 16 psi on 93 octane versus e85?

    @dennisrobinson8008@dennisrobinson80087 ай бұрын
    • Not much if the timing is the same. If you increase timing with the E85, then add a few thou to the gap.

      @TotalSeal@TotalSeal7 ай бұрын
  • One must always check the ring gap when building a motor it's just one of the many things you must check . Total seal rings for me every time. End Gap is application specific . A drag race motor will have a different gap than a NASCAR motor and so on and so forth. A beautiful cross hatch in the bore always helps with sitting the rings in the bore.

    @SteveoGregg@SteveoGregg7 ай бұрын
    • 👍👍

      @TotalSeal@TotalSeal7 ай бұрын
    • @TotalSeal 💪✌️ Total seal. People might as well by the best , I do.

      @SteveoGregg@SteveoGregg7 ай бұрын
  • ok, your video very informative, gotta question . . . i'm helping a friend with an MG engine, the bore is 69 1/2mm or 2.74 inches, the compression ratio is 8.5 to one, and he is running a supercharcher making 7 pounds boost . . . what do you think the gaps should be on the top two compression rings?

    @pcbondart@pcbondart9 ай бұрын
    • Go with .006 per inch on the top ring and then add .008 to that for the 2nd. Follow the procedure in the video for the oil rings.

      @TotalSeal@TotalSeal9 ай бұрын
    • @@TotalSeal thank you much!

      @pcbondart@pcbondart9 ай бұрын
  • Changes my methods for sure!!!!

    @murphystreeter@murphystreeter9 ай бұрын
    • We are glad it helped.

      @TotalSeal@TotalSeal8 ай бұрын
    • Tell me if I'm crazy.....my 427W with forged pistons is gapped between .006 and .009. I'm definitely going to set the 2nd ring between .015 and .020. Running on purple. Think it'll be good? My rotary engine was gapped at .004 on everything (ductile iron). I thought that my rings came with a chart. Pretty sure that's what I used for a reference and added .002.

      @murphystreeter@murphystreeter8 ай бұрын
    • @@murphystreeter .007 total end gap is way too tight!

      @TotalSeal@TotalSeal8 ай бұрын
  • Got a chuckle from hearing Jimmy say at 7:11 that nothing seals 100% (of course), while the logo on his shirt defiantly proclaims otherwise! :-)

    @chrisolson1936@chrisolson19362 ай бұрын
  • Jimmy is a treasure.

    @justinpakarno4346@justinpakarno43465 ай бұрын
    • Absolutely!

      @TotalSeal@TotalSeal5 ай бұрын
  • I just toss the 2nd ring, don't need it, just adds more drag!

    @patrickm.8425@patrickm.84258 ай бұрын
  • Whats your guys opinions of running a gapless 2nd rings? I used some Keith Black hyperutectic pistons on a 454 chevy and needed open the tap ring gap to .032 and used total seal gapless 2nd rings, I am having trouble with the engine using oil and also no power. What could be the trouble?

    @jessesyfie7244@jessesyfie7244Ай бұрын
    • That might be too much top ring gap for a Gapless 2nd ring. Call the tech department for assistance. 623-587-7400

      @TotalSeal@TotalSealАй бұрын
    • I didnt gap the 2nd rings I used total seal gapless rings for the 2nd. @@TotalSeal

      @jessesyfie7244@jessesyfie7244Ай бұрын
  • Good Info

    @HotRodDave@HotRodDave10 ай бұрын
    • Glad it was helpful!

      @TotalSeal@TotalSeal10 ай бұрын
  • pulled down a engine we build probably had 3 hrs max on it 302 windsor. anyways it leaned out and killed pistons big time when removing pistons and inspecting 4 out of 8 pistons top ring and second ring gaps have aligned. i know there would be some rotation of the ring but 4 of them is very strange .everything was set to KB piston specs u get with the piston so is the something you can to do help that or is it just life of the combustion engine and have to live with the fact

    @jacksonbermingham2168@jacksonbermingham216810 ай бұрын
    • Detonation can cause the gaps to line up

      @TotalSeal@TotalSeal10 ай бұрын
    • @@TotalSealSource or background on this?

      @GNX157@GNX15710 ай бұрын
    • Wow! Aligned rings caused by detonation 🤯

      @bobirving6052@bobirving605210 ай бұрын
  • All my engines i have always added 2 or 3 thousandth over the recommended gap and i have never had ring failure

    @wh0sjeff@wh0sjeff7 ай бұрын
    • 👍👍

      @TotalSeal@TotalSeal7 ай бұрын
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