[spencer87]

this is a turbo block that was designed to be a really high compression n/a 2.3 circle track motor. it blows ring faster than i can put them in it. The cylinders were checked for trueness, they turned out good. I know the compression isn't too high because people are out there running 30 lbs. of boost on this same block.
Does anyone have any idea what it could be? Because this thing is starting to run in to more money than it's worth.

[artistang]

Please explain what you mean by "blowing its rings". Are they breaking, melting, galling....????

[74stang2togo]

Are you using cast or moly rings? Moly rings take longer to seat, and will even lose their seal against the cylinder wall if the engine is running too rich (known as washing down the cylinders). What procedure are you using to seat the rings when they're put in?

[spencer87]

By blowing i mean they are shattering, and within the first few thousand revolutions. I beleive that they are cast rings, but as far as break in goes i never get the chance to. The odd thing is though, that for the first 3000 miles, when it would be breaking in, i never reved it past 4000 (as this was my only car at the time). If it helps, the block is bored .30 over.

[b_chandler]

Whose rings and which pistons are you running?

[artistang]

Originally Posted by spencer87

By blowing i mean they are shattering, and within the first few thousand revolutions. I beleive that they are cast rings, but as far as break in goes i never get the chance to. The odd thing is though, that for the first 3000 miles, when it would be breaking in, i never reved it past 4000 (as this was my only car at the time). If it helps, the block is bored .30 over.

Are you checking the end gap before installing? Are the rings free to move after installing on the pistons? Are all piston/cylinder wall clearances within specs?

If so, sounds like harmonics may be causing the problem......the rings go before anything else goes. Check your harmonic balancer.

[b_chandler]

2.3s don't have a harmonic balancer. Even if they did, it's to compensate for crankshaft vibration, not piston/rod balance issues.

[spencer87]

I think that i'm going to give up on this engine and just get an aluminum engine from Esslinger. Then i'll have a solid engine and save a hundred pounds. I'm not sure, because i threw away the boxes, but i think the pistons and rings were Federal Mogal. Everything was to spec. Thanks for the help guys.

[b_chandler]

I hate to say this, but that's like buying a new bar because the ash tray is dirty.

Something's wrong with that combination. Either the rings are wrong, installed wrong, or prepped wrong. Same with the pistons.

What about ring thickness? You're not trying to run thin race rings in factory replacement pistons are you?

If you're still convinced it's the engine and not the assembly, let me know when trash day is at your place

In no way am I trying to insult your intelligence. The majority of the folks posting here don't know much and are looking for help with the basics. If I ask questions that have seemingly obvious answers, forgive me.

I'm just trying to help and since I can't see things, I gotta ask dumb questions

[spencer87]

No offence taken. If i do decide to rebuild this thing again it would be the fifth time! I just want to do it to remove me from the equation. I think that that is the only constant there and it seems to be !@#$% it up every time. The old block would make one hell of a coffe table though

[b_chandler]

Cool!

As you already know, something's bad wrong. I hate to ask a really REALLY stupid question, but since the cylinders are .030 over, the pistons and rings are .030 over too right?

I wouldn't ask if I hadn't seen it done once. 16yr old kid, '78 Camaro with a small block. It was funny, but I felt bad for the kid. I may have answered my own question though, because I don't remember that engine having enough compression to even run.

[spencer87]

Yeah they are. Beleive me this thig has more than enough compression just to run, but as i recall i was running it with allot of Lucas to compensate for the lack of rings. When i decided to drain the oil the first time it had to be hot to get the oil to flow out fast enough for me not to get bored. Natrally, when i ran a high power magnet through the spent oil it looked like a chia-pet made of ring fragments. the only ring that was close to usable was #4, and when i took the pistons out i got sick to my stomach.The next three times i just got blasse' about it as if it were common place. this is before i thought of looking online.