Piston ring install lube

[LSP]

Why is there a concern about putting too much assembly oil on rings?

Doesn't gravity take care of that concern before the motor is ever fired?

IMO any kind of assembly lube that has a lot of EP is not for breaking in rings. Just normal lube that they are going to see when engine is running, though I wouldn't use anything heavier than SAE 30 for initial lube. Also I think how its initially run is an issue with break in as well. Again IMO what everyone says is good for flat tappet cams is not good for rings.

I never mentioned lube

[LSP]

IMO any kind of assembly lube that has a lot of EP is not for breaking in rings. Just normal lube that they are going to see when engine is running, though I wouldn't use anything heavier than SAE 30 for initial lube. Also I think how its initially run is an issue with break in as well. Again IMO what everyone says is good for flat tappet cams is not good for rings.

I never mentioned lube

OIL = LUBricant ---LUBE is short for Lubricant.

You mentioned EP for some reason, and yes I don't use EP on rings either.

And thanks for dumbing down the meaning of the word lube for me, now I understand.

[grant6395]

Thank you for all replies. Seems like a lot of different views on the subject. I used quick seat this time, with a bit of marvel on the rings . We will see. The dyno has a blowby meter so time will tell . With the quick seat in the bores, when you rotate the engine over, you certainly can see where the rings don't touch the bores .

[Barry_R]

Seems like we have this come up every couple of years. I scrub the snot out of the bores using a variety of solvents WD40, paint thinner - then just use plain old oil. A real thin layer, and massage a little on rigs and skirts. Don't have the testing and verification technology some folks do - - but it seems to work...

[statsystems]

Knight engines and head guy are pretty close to how I do it.

I wipe the bores out until a with cloth comes out clean. I take a couple of drops of Torco engine assembly lube on my finger and run it around the top of the bore. I use just enough so I can feel and thin oil film at the top of the bore to maybe a half inch down.

Then I apply the same lube to the skirts. I rub it all across the skirt so it is covered in a thin layer of assembly lube.

Nothing on the rings.

I install the piston and rings per normal and hook the rod to the crank. As I spin the engine to assemble the rest of it you can feel a thin film of that assembly lube all over the bore from top to bottom. As you keep turning it over to assemble, the assembly lube migrates around the bores and up and down the bores until that thin coat is everywhere.

Now when you fire it off, there will be very little smoke on start up (if any) and the rings are seated. I've never found any sings of ring distress, micro welding or rings that have been run dry. And I was given this procedure in about 1985 by Total Seal.

Never had a single issue in all these years.

[MELWAY]

Torco MPz assly lube is awesome slippery stuff. But the last thing I would want near my rings or hone finish

[Cogburn]

I clean the bores then spray them with Pioneer dry graphite, wipe the overspray and excess out then apply 2 stroke oil or ATF by hand. I put nothing on the rings and I coat the piston skirts with graphite also. Everything looks new when it is time for a freshen.

[cjperformance]

Having nothing on the rings does not lube the ring grooves too well, just remember unless they are pinned rings like in some old 2 strokes the rings likely move or turn in the bore, no lube at least until they seat is not a good idea again IMO.

Lightly oil smear a bore and your ring compressor/sleeve whichever you use and put nothing on the piston and rings, install the piston, push to bottom of stroke then remove it and have a look at what the rings collect lube the ring grooves with from just an install and removal. Plenty.
I only bother oiling rings/grooves if i know the engine will sit for a few weeks or more before fire up.

[hoodeng]

Light oil or a ring install product on the rings [not assembly lube] is required to negate micro welding of the ring to the ring groove seat in the initial stages of run up ,, WD40 has a lot of uses, but as an engine assembly lube it has very limited application as it is more of a surface preservative than friction protectorant .
A test of WD40's lubricity can easily be checked , i have a situation that occurs every week here where a roller main bearing is pressed off a crankshaft ,i have always smeared a little engine oil over the shaft prior to removing the bearing , some years back i tried a squirt of WD40 in the same application , the bearing hung up and galled the shaft after moving an inch! Thinners and WD40 are fine for swabbing out the bores prior to assembly .
Still , everyone is going to keep doing what works for them .

Cheers.

[engineguyBill]

WD-40 has no lubricating (high pressure/extreme pressure) features whatsoever and should not be used as such. The product name refers to "Water Displacing formula #40" which is the name given to it by the NASA engineers who developed it. It works quite well as a surface protector/rust inhibitor, but not as a lubricant. It also works very well as a cleaner and can be uses to clean components such as cylinder walls, but not to lubricate. The primary ingredient in WD-40 is fish oil, that is where the unusual smell comes from.

[cjperformance]

WD-40 has no lubricating (high pressure/extreme pressure) features whatsoever and should not be used as such. The product name refers to "Water Displacing formula #40" which is the name given to it by the NASA engineers who developed it. It works quite well as a surface protector/rust inhibitor, but not as a lubricant. It also works very well as a cleaner and can be uses to clean components such as cylinder walls, but not to lubricate. The primary ingredient in WD-40 is fish oil, that is where the unusual smell comes from.

However it does kill european wasps almost instantly! Very handy for that. These wasps like to invade bbq's and out door dining here in australia and one quick squirt of wd40 or crc knocks them right off!

[steve cowan]

WD-40 has no lubricating (high pressure/extreme pressure) features whatsoever and should not be used as such. The product name refers to "Water Displacing formula #40" which is the name given to it by the NASA engineers who developed it. It works quite well as a surface protector/rust inhibitor, but not as a lubricant. It also works very well as a cleaner and can be uses to clean components such as cylinder walls, but not to lubricate. The primary ingredient in WD-40 is fish oil, that is where the unusual smell comes from.

However it does kill european wasps almost instantly! Very handy for that. These wasps like to invade bbq's and out door dining here in australia and one quick squirt of wd40 or crc knocks them right off!

Craig,
TRU that mate helerious

[dirtracr5]

WD-40 has no lubricating (high pressure/extreme pressure) features whatsoever and should not be used as such. The product name refers to "Water Displacing formula #40" which is the name given to it by the NASA engineers who developed it. It works quite well as a surface protector/rust inhibitor, but not as a lubricant. It also works very well as a cleaner and can be uses to clean components such as cylinder walls, but not to lubricate. The primary ingredient in WD-40 is fish oil, that is where the unusual smell comes from.

However it does kill european wasps almost instantly! Very handy for that. These wasps like to invade bbq's and out door dining here in australia and one quick squirt of wd40 or crc knocks them right off!

Brake cleaner is my weapon of choice...LOL!

[user-30257]

Ok, guys we get it. WD40 is not a lubricant.. but nobody said they use that as lube. Some use it immediately after a block is washed to prevent it from rusting. It also works fairly well at getting some grit out of the crosshatch.

So what's wrong with that?

[pplusent]

I have been using ATF since the 70's and oil before that back to the mud 60's with no issues.
recently I did a build with total seal rings 2nd ring gap less and used their QS product to assure a good seal.
After 5000 miles and multiple conversations with Total Seal, I believe I have done everything possible to get my rings to seal and number two cylinder is dumpling oil like its going out of style when ever I am at a stop for more than 30 seconds at idle. There is also some seepage into three other cylinders but very minor.
At $250 I expected a little more out of these rings and Total seal won't even discount a second set.
So next, that engine is coming out for analysis and a new block is going in with standard Hastings moly rings. Sadly there was a reason for the gapless rings. The engine is a low powered v6 that desperately needs all the compression it can get. There are no high compression pistons available so I need all the tricks I can get on this one. The engine coming out was a very strong engine and it is sad downgrading to stock again.
The way I figure the lube on the rings will mostly drain off before the engine starts so dip or lightly coat with a thin oil and it should be fine. I generally make sure there is a thin film on the skirts and lands just for good measure The rings will libe with whatever oil film is on the cylinder bores..If the engine is going to sit for awhile I inject a little Atf before start up. I have never even had smoke come out on start up. Anyway that's my two cents.