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Scary Brief Engine Misfire


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When the pistons go back in, do you know if its important how the ring gaps are aligned?

Don't do like I did on my first engine rebuild, back in about 1960.

I lined up all of the ring gaps.

It actually ran fairly well, but used oil like you wouldn't believe. :D:D:D

I had to tear it down again and do it "RIGHT"

My Dad sure did give me a hard time over that little incident. :D:D:D

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:lol:, I just found this in the manual, but I think I saw some place where the compression ring has to be placed in a correct orientation

Once the rings are installed, set the ring gaps at least 30 degrees apart from each other

I think I did the same thing on my 66, but it could have also been that I did not break the cylinder glaze, it burned oil badly also

Pre-1995 - DTC codes OBD1  >>

1996 and newer - DTC codes OBD2 >> https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gm/obd_codes.htm

How to check for codes Caddyinfo How To Technical Archive >> http://www.caddyinfo.com/wordpress/cadillac-how-to-faq/

Cadillac History & Specifications Year by Year  http://www.motorera.com/cadillac/index.htm

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:lol: , I just found this in the manual, but I think I saw some place where the compression ring has to be placed in a correct orientation

Once the rings are installed, set the ring gaps at least 30 degrees apart from each other

I think I did the same thing on my 66, but it could have also been that I did not break the cylinder glaze, it burned oil badly also

I had helped my Dad and my Grandfather rebuild several engines.

This time I wanted to do it all by myself.

It was an old '49 ford flathead V8.

I did everything ELSE just fine.

No one had ever told me that the ring gaps needed to be offset from each other. :D

I thought they looked really nice with all the gaps lined JUST EXACTLY TOGETHER. :D

I "STILL" remember the care I took to keep them all lined up perfectly when I put the pistons back in the block. :D

Thanks for the memories... I hadn't thought about "THAT" for years.

:D

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:lol:

You made me belly laugh with this

I thought they looked really nice with all the gaps lined JUST EXACTLY TOGETHER.

I "STILL" remember the care I took to keep them all lined up perfectly when I put the pistons back in the block

And it looks like you were SUCCESSFUL! :lol: Funny stuff, I have done stuff like that myself, we are headstrong aren't we, its one of those smack yourself in your head moments

Here is one for you, I had a 66 Caddy at college and it would not start, I called my friend who was the service manager at the Caddy dealer and he said, that year was known for the 4 foot long resonator's internal stucture to rust, collapse and block the exhaust. The engine got just to the point of starting but not quite... I checked EVERYTHING, points, condenser, spark, coil, grounds, float, fuel, filters, everything. He told me he was SURE it was the problem, SO, I go out and HACK SAW off the resonator.... NOPE it wasnt the problem, UGH.... It was the TIMING CHAIN, that I changed in the parking lot behind the dorm, turned the key and bam started right up, no teeth on the gear

If I recall, I eliminated the resonator with a pipe...as the cost of a new resonator was crazy

Pre-1995 - DTC codes OBD1  >>

1996 and newer - DTC codes OBD2 >> https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gm/obd_codes.htm

How to check for codes Caddyinfo How To Technical Archive >> http://www.caddyinfo.com/wordpress/cadillac-how-to-faq/

Cadillac History & Specifications Year by Year  http://www.motorera.com/cadillac/index.htm

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He told me he was SURE it was the problem, SO, I go out and HACK SAW off the resonator.... NOPE it wasnt the problem, UGH....

And this just made me laugh hysterically. Not that I find other peoples' misfortunes funny, but I can see myself doing something like that, lol.

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Thanks Kevin, I can see I need to look into this oil manifold a little closer, it would be nice if that was all that was wrong with my low oil pressure at idle.

You can be sure I will be methodical with marking parts and putting them back in the same place, but thanks for the reminder.

The last engine I rebuilt was a 66 Cadillac 429 and I needed to use a ridge reamer to get the pistons out. I doubt that any ridge has been built up, its my understanding that the cylinder walls in these engines still has the honing marks in them

When the pistons go back in, do you know if its important how the ring gaps are aligned?

I know you will appreciate this article about timing the engine, you have discussed the timing procedure quite a bit, I am not looking forward to timing this engine, LOL..

http://www.enginebuildermag.com/Article/14..._northstar.aspx

Mike,

There is a specification on how the piston ring gaps need to be positioned - it is in the shop manual. You must also use a ring expander to install the rings. If your engine is not burning oil, you probably don't have to worry about the rings. A set of rings for the Northstar is $200 and you want to use the factory rings to make sure they are the same material as the hone pattern is matched to the ring material. You will also need a ring compressor. It helps to have a helper tap the ring compressor down against the block and then tap the piston - they go right in.

Timing the engine is not bad - turn the crank until the marks line up on the intermediate shaft and the crank sprocket and lock the flywheel at #1 TDC. Then proceed with the cam timing. It really is not that difficult.

Kevin
'93 Fleetwood Brougham
'05 Deville
'04 Deville
2013 Silverado Z71

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I am not using oil, so I was thinking of using the same rings unless I see some damage or caking going on, I was concerned with R&Ring the pistons. I dont like the idea of breaking/seating new rings

Pre-1995 - DTC codes OBD1  >>

1996 and newer - DTC codes OBD2 >> https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gm/obd_codes.htm

How to check for codes Caddyinfo How To Technical Archive >> http://www.caddyinfo.com/wordpress/cadillac-how-to-faq/

Cadillac History & Specifications Year by Year  http://www.motorera.com/cadillac/index.htm

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I am not using oil, so I was thinking of using the same rings unless I see some damage or caking going on, I was concerned with R&Ring the pistons. I dont like the idea of breaking/seating new rings

In that case, don't touch the rings - just leave them on the pistons. If the oil control rings appear stuck (not likely since you're not burning oil), you could put GM Top Engine Cleaner in a shallow pan and put the piston with ring side down submersed in the TEC to clean out the rings/ring grooves.

Kevin
'93 Fleetwood Brougham
'05 Deville
'04 Deville
2013 Silverado Z71

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I am not using oil, so I was thinking of using the same rings unless I see some damage or caking going on, I was concerned with R&Ring the pistons. I dont like the idea of breaking/seating new rings

In that case, don't touch the rings - just leave them on the pistons. If the oil control rings appear stuck (not likely since you're not burning oil), you could put GM Top Engine Cleaner in a shallow pan and put the piston with ring side down submersed in the TEC to clean out the rings/ring grooves.

I might just do that anyway, to clean the tops off also, thanks for the suggestion

Pre-1995 - DTC codes OBD1  >>

1996 and newer - DTC codes OBD2 >> https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gm/obd_codes.htm

How to check for codes Caddyinfo How To Technical Archive >> http://www.caddyinfo.com/wordpress/cadillac-how-to-faq/

Cadillac History & Specifications Year by Year  http://www.motorera.com/cadillac/index.htm

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