I'm pretty sure my piston rings are shot, I seem to go through about a a quart of oil every tank of gas, and there is the tell tail blue smoke coming from my exhaust. I was wondering how hard a job it is to replace the rings? I was looking at my Helms manual and it looks like something I would be willing to attempt rather than paying 1000 bucks labor to have someone else do it. Is it particularly hard, has anyone had any experience with it? Thnx

 

Think of it this way - there's a reason the labor is so expensive. It's not like an oil change. I would definitely take it to a shop and not think twice about it.

 

Thanks for the reply, I'm kinda thinking about doing that anyways, but money is a serious issue. I'm not illiterate about cars, and think that this is a job within my abilities once I get the tools to do it right. I was wanting to hear from anybody who has done the job themselves to get there opinions on how it was? would they do it again if they had to or take it to a shop the second time around? stuff like that. thnx

 

Heh heh... don't try it unless you do it for a living. It's possible to do, don't get me wrong.... I just would not do it on my own motor... get a really reliable shop.

The tools you need to do the job right are not too cheep, plus you might want to get a micrometer to measure the tolerences. Gapping the rings properly is a PITA and I really doubt you'd be able to press the wrist pins back into place without the aid of some type of shop (they need to be heated) Thiink of it this way... you gap the rings wrong, or don't notice that your block is slightly warped and your whole engine will need to be re-done because you thought you'd save some $$. Engine assembly is fun, but I would really recommend you have a pro do it... it'll save some headaches in the future.

X2, who can tell you why not to do it from first hand experience...

 

Sorry to hear that. I'll heed your advice and get it done at a shop.

 

you know in thought the same thing about my teg (100K 91 teg). It would smoke at idle and when i revved it up and used a quart every 600-800 miles. turns out the valve stem seals were shot. it cost me about 50$ to change them. now i drive it 1200 miles and not one drop burned!
do a compression check and it will tell you if it is rings. Mine blew 185 all 4 cylinders.
valve stem seals remove the cam and rockers and springs and they pull off. to swap rings you need to pull the head, oil pan. remove the rod bolts and push the piston and rod through the top. hone the cylinders, gap the rings, put the rings on the pistons and reassemble everything.l not too hard maybe 1.5 days work. you dont need to separate the pistons and rods like i read earlier. Get an estimate but I 'd bet dealer is 1,000$ and independent shop is 800$ plus they will not take the time to see its done right. Hell the gasket set is almost 300$. If you cant fix it yourself youre better off buying a whole good engine. dont get upside down in an engine trying to fix it. just replace it if you dont swap rings yourself. BOL