7afe burning oil - can i just replace the rings?

[The Witzl]

Yeah ok this might seem like a bit of a noob question, but i dont care.

is there any reason why i cant strip down my 7A-FE and replace ONLY the worn rings (and the obligatory seals/gaskets)?


Reason i ask is.... we only have one car in our household now, the trusty little AE102 rolla. It's done 200,000kms, and the engine has been burning oil for a while - smoke out the back suggests worn rings, as does a lack of oil leaks in the engine bay. It burns about 1L oil for every 2 thousand clicks, or thereabouts.

It's just sprung a front mail seal leak, so i was going to pull out the engine to replace the front main, and some of the other common gaskets (and do some other repairs with parts ive already bought).

So i thought - whilst the engine is out, could I just pull the engine down and replace the worn rings without getting honing done??
There is nothing else wrong with the engine, it runs REALLY well otherwise.

Money is pretty tight, so i really want to avoid costly machine work and bearing replacements. I am also VERY limited for time - i will have to do all repairs over a weekend, or maybe take a friday off work and start on a thursday night.... to ensure its done by monday so i can drive to work again. (remember, only 1 car!!)

I literally want to:
- take off the head
- pull out each piston via the top (just undo rod big ends)
- slap new rings on the pistons
- put pistons back in
- put the old bearings back in and re-assemble.


Is there any problems with doing this??

It would only cost me about $50-100 worth of rings, and about $150 for a full gasket set, plus a weekend's work.... as opposed to over $400 to get honing, new bearings, machining, etc etc.

I dont need it to last forever - i just want it to go for a couple more years without too much drama.

Witzl out.

[YLD-16L]

Main issue will be if the bores are badly glazed, new rings won't stop the oil use. Won't know until you look though.

[The Witzl]

talking to a couple of mechanicy type peoples... they suggested a light hone with one of those hand honing tools (or the one you put on a drill), will help take off the shine so that the rings bed properly.

I've used one before when rebuilding an 18RG.
That engine lasted a fair while... until i made it ping and destroy a ring land.

[YLD-16L]

talking to a couple of mechanicy type peoples... they suggested a light hone with one of those hand honing tools (or the one you put on a drill), will help take off the shine so that the rings bed properly.

I've used one before when rebuilding an 18RG.
That engine lasted a fair while... until i made it ping and destroy a ring land.

I literally want to:
- take off the head
- pull out each piston via the top (just undo rod big ends)
- hone
- slap new rings on the pistons
- put pistons back in
- put the old bearings back in and re-assemble.

Why didn't you note that in your rebuild steps then

[oldcorollas]

you could even do a hand hone with wet n dry

slightly dodgy but the only reason you hone is to put grooves in the walls to hold oil (well, other reasons too)
although power hone will be easier (but easier to be too aggressive)

if you were going to hone properly, you'd probably have to take the ridge off the top of the bore, so you may as well overbore and get OS pistons etc etc... adn then turbo and and...

just slap rings in with some sand

[toyoda]

You sure its from the Rings not the Valve seals ?

If you have a ring problem it ususally blows smoke under load i.e: a hill.
If you have a Valve seal problem it usually blows smoke after a hard Engine Decelleration on closed throttle.

I have used the Wet and Dry method a lot of times with good success !

Toyoda

[The Witzl]

wet and dry would be easier to control and not fuckup as much... cheaper too - good idea!

It burns oil under load like hard acceleration, so not valve stem seals.
I'll make sure to get a compression test done to be sure anyway. No point going to all that effort for nothing!

[cambelt]

Get a set of rings , big end shells, full set of gaskets , best to send the head for a quick machine and fit the new stem seals , new cambelt and waterpump and yr done .
Oh and at least a clutch plate if its manual.
Dave

[andrew_mx83]

tried just putting thicker oil in it? would help with front main leak as well. try a hpr50 or similar.

also synthetic oil (any weight) will stop it blowing visible smoke, altho its still burning it and will need to be topped up as regularly as it does now

[CraigD]

Hey Karl

if your still in castle hill let me know if you want a hand to do it + i'll bring a hone etc around for you.

cheers Craig

[Gavatron]

Give it a dunny brush hone, slap some new rings in it and load it up real good on run in

[legend]

a mate did it you can hire a honeing tool and we sprayed some brake fluid on the bores when we honed it worked a treat and the motor ran fine with good comp to

[The Witzl]

yep - its going to get the hand-hone and re-ring job.

I just need to find a weekend with the spare time to do it.... and need to buy the parts at a reasonable price.


Cheers for the offer CraigD. I actually live in baulko now.... if i need a hand, i'll let you know.
I should be OK. Just need to re-arrange the garage to make some space, and hope that it doesnt farking RAIN.

[Hiro]

Mine has been burning a bit for a while now, swapped to HPR30 and do oil + filter changes at 5000km and it doesn't get low enough to matter.

I've got an extra 125,000km on yours too

[The Witzl]

im burning too much to leave it to 5000km changes.
plus, the front main seal is leaking pretty bad, so its more like 1000km changes now.

So, if i have the engine out for the front main, i might as well do the whole lot!