A piston ring failure on your diesel engine can lead to major headaches for you. Especially if it’s not immediately clear what caused the failure in the first place.
Several issues can lead to failed piston rings, so proper diagnosis is vital to fixing the issue correctly the first time.
To that end, here at Highway & Heavy Parts, we’re dedicated to bringing you the best diesel engine information to help you shop for parts with confidence. In this failure analysis, we’re taking a look at some of the possible issues that might be behind your piston ring failure. Common Causes of Piston Ring Failure Assembly Error Leading to a Broken Oil Control Ring Sometimes, the piston ring can fail because of poor assembly. In particular, assembly errors can lead to issues with your oil control ring. We’ve seen failed rings that, when placed on a flat surface, have a noticeable upward bend on the broken side of the ring. This type of failure would likely be from the ring not being sufficiently compressed, and it was probably damaged during installation. Improper Installation Techniques Causing High Crankcase Pressure Poor installation practices can cause other issues for your engine. Rings that weren’t installed correctly can allow a combustion path to the crankcase, which leads to high crankcase pressure (blow-by) and power loss. High Oil Consumption From a Broken Oil Control Ring Have you noticed higher than normal oil consumption in your diesel engine? Your oil control ring might be to blame. In some cases, the oil control ring might be broken in several places. A likely cause of failure would again be damage during installation. Abrasive Contamination Leading to Ring Failure Other issues with your rings might cause higher than normal oil consumption as well. We’ve seen rings where the ring faces had noticeable vertical scratching. This scratching will not allow a complete seal of the power cylinder, therefore leading to excessive oil consumption. This can be caused by leaks in the air intake system, abrasives in the engine oil, or poor cleanliness during assembly. Highway & Heavy Parts Is Here to Help It’s important to have your piston rings operating correctly for the overall health of your diesel engine. If you’ve had a piston ring failure, we can help! We have ASE Certified Technicians on staff who can help you diagnose your failure and make sure you get the parts you need to get the repair done right. We want to take the risk out of buying diesel engine parts. From diagnosis through delivery, we’re Highway & Heavy Parts!Related Articles: GUIDELINES FOR INSTALLING A DIESEL ENGINE CYLINDER HEAD & COMMON MISTAKES
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