Putting it all back together.

The newbie needs help once again. In an attempt to replace all gaskets, I have managed to get everything torn apart and most of it all put back together. The one thing that I must not be doing right has to do with the pistons. How in the world do I get those blasted things back down into the jugs? So far everything I have tried has been a waste of time. Is there some sort of tool, or trick to get the rings started back into the jugs to slide them on?

patience,there should be enough of a chamfer in bottem of stosk bore to allow you to squeeze em in carefully by hand.

Do I need to be trying this one at a time, or all at once???

You can cut you a piece of wood with four slots in it to place under the pistons to hold the pistons while you work the cylinder down.

Just setting the cylinder gently on the pistons with the two homemade wooden pieces Roy suggested. The weight of the cylinder and squeezing rings on one piston it will cock slightly and then do the other piston. Working one ring on at a time and then the other piston ring also. Just kind of stepping it down. I used a popsicle stick to help push one side while I held the other side of the ring. Fingernails help, but mine are too short. Patience and good luck to you.

A thin metal strip that you can bend easily works well. You can bend each end of the strip outwards for a place to grip, then push it in and around the studs, place it over the top ring on one piston and simply squeeze it together. That ring slips into the jug, then go to the next piston and repeat, repeat. you can try pop sticks but it's gonna be a mother to get the oil rings, not to mention you'll be chasing around the comp. rings constanly since they like to press in then pop back out as you work your way around it. I used a cheap chineese oil filter wrench after I took off the handle, it was easy to bend and get around the studs and was easy to straighten also. The best way is with two compressers at the same time, you turn a knob to tighten them and they lock, I borrowed these from a mechanic at a local bike shop, for a 100 deposite, pretty slick. Some people are still playing with popsickle sticks, I'm beyond that :blink: It helps to have someone hold up the jug, that way you don't have to play carpenter/mechanic with the wood deal. You can burn the wood and sticks in the stove to keep you warm though...:woohoo: Man I'm a smart .... But hey can u blame me, this forum is so slow from page to page and if the blink logo just says woohoo I,m gonna turn into even more of an lll llll. Cuz I aint got time for idiosynchro stuff.

I have no hair anywhere on my body.com

SBC, wonder of your oil rings had the tension mine did? I've got some killer nails but man... could nota get them in, stopped me dead in my tracks. LUCKILY I had a hammernearby

First off, insure all rings on all 4 pistons are rotated to specifications.... Facing Fwd or Bwd pending which ring....

Insure you have the cylinder base gasket in place!

Raise Pistons 1 & 4 to TDC (Highest level) and place cylinder GENTLY where the bottom of the sleeves are just barely resting on the top rings for 1 & 4 pistons.

Using fingers or a Popsicle stick (wood) or something similar that won't scar the piston, compress the top ring (keeping their rotation positioning) and gentley slide the cylinder over the ring...

Now do the other piston, little at a time back and forth... Accomplish the same back & forth between pistons 1 & 4 until all rings are positioned in the sleeves.

Now slowly, using the 17mm nut under the right side ignition cover, rotate the crank SLOWLY where pistons 1/4 will lower and pistons 2/3 will start to raise... Rotate to where the 2/3 pistons are just at the base of the cylinder sleeves.

Complete the before mentioned process a little bit at a time back & forth, raise a little, back and forth for 2/3 pistons & rings....

Whola! See, that wasn't that hard now.... :blink: Isn;t this crap fun!!!!

As mentioned, patience, a whole pack of smokes and no beer drinking and she'll drop into place... Just like the pro's.....

OMR

roy-b-boy-b wrote:

You can cut you a piece of wood with four slots in it to place under the pistons to hold the pistons while you work the cylinder down.

You can make some from paint stir sticks at Home Depot... they give them away for free and you can cut them to length and duct tape some to get the height you need.

Easy and simple. Put zipties around the rings

KLD wrote:

Easy and simple. Put zipties around the rings

not a bad idea......might belong in tools section.....