OEM 2002 Jeep Wrangler Piston Ring Set

2002 Jeep Wrangler Piston Ring Set Parts and Q&A

• Q: How to Service and Repair a Piston Ring Set on 2002 Jeep Wrangler?

  A: The first thing to do for piston ring service and repair is to clean out any carbon in the ring's grooves and ensure the oil drain openings are not blocked and are not obscuring the pin boss, even if doing so could alter the ring fit and damage the seating against the deck. Make sure there are no imperfections such as nicks and burrs, in the piston ring grooves. Use a feeler gauge and push it firmly between the land and the ring to ensure the ring rotates while in the groove. Set the ring into the cylinder bore and use the piston, with its widest side down, to push it halfway down the tube. Check the ring gap with a feeler gauge between its ends. Symmetry is used in the oil control rings, so you can set them either way; add the oil rail spacer and then place the side rails afterward. Since the two compression rings are not interchangeable, the top one can be installed upside down, but the second has a small chamfer and square dot on the top to ensure it faces the right way. Install the second compression ring so the dot is visible on top, before putting on the top compression ring. Place the gaps according to the diagram shown in the service manual: First, place the oil spacer gap on the middle of the piston skirt. Then, space the oil rails so that each gap is 180° apart on the piston pin bore. The No. 2 compression ring should be 180° from the top oil rail gap and No. 1 should be 180° from the No. 2 ring gap.