What Are The Symptoms Of Bad Piston Rings?

Piston rings are a small yet main component of the engine of a vehicle. These rings are responsible for regulating oil pressure and the amount of oil consumption in a vehicle. They seal the cylinder to prevent the leakage of gas in the space between the piston and cylinder at the time of ignition. They are also responsible to transfer the heat from the piston head to the cylinder during excessive heat production due to combustion. But over time, due to excessive heat or incorrect tolerances, they wear out. The worn-out piston rings, though are a small and inexpensive fix, can be very problematic. Fixing them needs a thorough inspection. They can be replaced by a professional mechanic.

An engine rebuilder also scrutinizes issues in piston rings beforehand. Many engine rebuilding services like BMW 316d engine rebuild services fix all of the such minor and major issues in the engine. Some of the symptoms of worn-out piston rings are:

Exhaust Smoke

Bad piston rings can cause the expulsion of grey or white-colored exhaust smoke. When the piston rings wear out, the oil starts leaking into the combustion chamber. As a result, fuel burns in the combustion chamber, causing the production of white or grey-colored gas that you can see emitting from the tailpipe.

Increase in Fuel Consumption

Bad pistons can also lead to more fuel consumption. As the fuel leaks in the combustion, which goes in vain, the engine will consume extra fuel for its regular practice. It will require you to stop by a fuel pump frequently to fill up the tank. Therefore, it will cost you more than average. Keep checking the fuel level regularly to see if it signals any bad piston rings in the engine and get them replaced as soon as possible.

Decreased Acceleration

One another important symptom of bad piston rings is low power for acceleration. The role of piston rings is the regulation of compression and lubrication, but bad piston rings will no longer be unable to do that. They will ultimately manifest the loss of power acceleration. The acceleration with worn-out piston rings will become so difficult that eventually, the car will be unable to accelerate at all.

Engine Overheating

One of the roles of piston rings is also maintaining the temperature of the overall engine. But when it is unable to transfer the heat from the piston head to cylinders, all the components around will get heated up. Oil in the engine is responsible to keep the moving parts in the engine cool, but if these components get heated up, they can cause an engine overheating. Overheating an engine can cause further damages, which can turn out as the most expensive repair you will have to do.

Poor Engine Performance

At times, bad piston rings also cause poor engine performance. As mentioned above, less compression causes slow acceleration. The low power of acceleration is driven by inefficient engine rotation that causes an engine stall.

Bottom Line

One of the main causes of bad piston rings is dirt contamination that you can easily counter with precautions. You must change your engine fuel regularly and take your car for regular inspections, and in this way, you will be able to remove the threat of the bad piston rings before their normal life span limit.

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