Hello everyone, I have the j37a4, that has the weak piston rings. Anyways, I’ve noticed the oil burning is getting really bad, and I want to replace the piston rings. I want to do this at home, I’m seeing if that’s a good idea. I’m no mechanic, but so far, I’ve replaced the bank 1 + 2 catalytic converters, injectors, timing belt, clutch, done every valve adjustment myself. I know this isn’t much, but I feel like I have a good understanding of the engine. I want to replace the piston rings with basic garage tools. I will have to borrow a crane, and torque wrench, but other than that I have everything. Does this seem crazy? I’ve seen all the videos, and it looks complex, but not impossible. Anyone have advice?

 

This is not a complicated procedure, the main thing is to do it carefully and put everything back with the correct orientation and in the right place. You need new gaskets, preferably bolts, reseal the oil pump along the way. What advice do you need? Do you know all the tightening torques?

 

When I had the repair done under warranty, they also replaced the piston crowns.

 

Yes, but this is not necessary, you need to clean the oil-carrying grooves on the old crowns and it is advisable to add one more on each side.

 

My pistons were replaced as part of the warranty job.

To the OP, I would not try this without having access to a factory service manual. YouTube -- while a great help -- is not a substitute, in my opinion.

I own and work on racing motorcycles, single cylinder motors. Even though I have replaced enough pistons and rings in those motors to almost do it in my sleep, I still have the FSM open right there, every time I do a top end job.

Good luck. The good news is that, when done right, the fix works. And you may even find the car runs a little smoother and gets 1-2 miles better mpg. Those were my results.

 

Were you still eligible for the warranty fix now? I thought that ended 8 years after the last production year, which was 2014.