I threw my pistons and rods into my motor and have the rings filled to about a .019 for top and .20 for bottom "compression" rings.
I am running 8.0:1 arias turbo pistons, I received an email from them saying the gaps should be .22ish for top and .18ish for bottom. I have searched honda-tech and found what most engine builders were/are doing is the complete opposite? please cure my confusion.

Also, upon completing my bottom end I had everything plastigauged and torqued to specs(rods hand tight) and the crank is immpossible to turn by hand.
I have yet to locate the crank bolt to check turning torque but it seems too tight?
all specs for oil clearances for crank journals were .0015-.0018.
could this be caused by the tight ring gaps?
its a Ls [b18a] block
ACL bearings
eagle rods
arias pistons
please do what you can to assist me, im kinda stuck being im not sure whats causing this.

 

Your ring gaps seem fine to me. I have always done a smaller gap on the top ring. Did you use assembly lube?
Im located in NW Indiana and am home over break, id be willing to lend a helping hand if need be with the motor.

 

did the crank spin freely after torquing the mains?? if so its just the arias rings. i've seen 20ft/lbs to turn a motor over with there rings. it freaks me out every time and is why im using cp's more often now. i don't see a need for such high friction rings, but thats just how they are. doesn't seem to hinder hp numbers.

 

wow ok, well yes once mains were torqued the crank did spin, with very little effort.
But, once the pistons were installed it would be fine at the end of the stroke but going up/down takes some pushin.
ill get the exact turning torque for you guys, maybe that will help.
again thanks a lot.

 

im over 20 ft/lbs and idk if i should take it apart and restart or what? this IS NOT my first motor build adn have not used these pistons/rings before sooo i am curious/cautious soo that i dont cause a failure.

 

i think i did mine 18 top and 20 bottom. The theory for running a larger gap on the second ring as opposed to tighter, is that if whatever gets past the top ring cant get past the bottom, pressure will build up between the two rings and make the top ring not seal.

When i built mine with arias pistons and rings, it was the same situation. crank tunred like butter before the pistons, but after, it def took a good amount of effort at the end of the stroke. Havent had any problems since

 

what type of break in method do you suggest, in the past ive varied idle. and that was it.
Im kinda scared the rings are gunna bust its really tight.
Thanks a lot guys, I couldnt thank you more.
Arias has been less than helpful in this situation but product quality i hear is at its peak.

 

i idled for 10-15 min, then took it out at 15 psi then changed the oil

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by adictionbass &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i idled for 10-15 min, then took it out at 15 psi then changed the oil</TD></TR></TABLE>

right on!! similar breakin method here. idle, check for leaks, take it for a drive running it up to 5000rpm and coasting down to 2000rpm a few times, drive for around 5-10miles, change oil and start dyno tuning.

if it was a proven tune then i would be a little more aggressive with the break-in.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by trickeng &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

right on!! similar breakin method here. idle, check for leaks, take it for a drive running it up to 5000rpm and coasting down to 2000rpm a few times, drive for around 5-10miles, change oil and start dyno tuning.

if it was a proven tune then i would be a little more aggressive with the break-in.</TD></TR></TABLE>

No need to be overly aggressive. Take it out with a wideband, a laptop, and a tuner. Take it for a gentle spin being progressive in RPMs. Make sure everything is where it needs to be. Change the oil, then throw it on the dyno.

 

Why does Arias pistons recommend the second ring gap be smaller and CP/Wiseco recommends just the opposite with the top ring smaller.