In a message dated 13/05/2007 10:04:23 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,
LISTSERV@GERRY.VANAGON.COM writes:

I need a  few opinions on this one.  I checked my piston rigns yesterday =
and  the top rings were past their wear limits, even though the =
compression  and leakdown test were pretty good.  The engine has 150 000 =
miles  and seems to run strong.  The crankshaft endplay is just a little  =
shy of .006" which is the wear limit.  I'm thinking of just putting  in =
new rings.  I dont have the tools to check the cylinders and  pistons but =
the cylinders have a very slight ridge at the top.  Am I  asking for =
trouble by just replacing the rings?  Do I need to get  the cylinder =
ridge honed out? Thanks.

Pascal, you cannot replace  the rings without honeing the cylinders.  They
will not seat properly and  cause you undue oil consumption.  Buy, borrow, rent
a cylinder hone that  can be run with your electric drill or take the
cylinders to a machine shop that  will hone them for you.  Honeing is needed to break
the glaze on the  cylinder walls and to make new oil holding scratches.  After
honeing then  you need to check the ring end gap to be sure the cylinders are
not  oversized.  One other problem is that these cylinders tend to go oval
and  honeing them will NOT make them round.  Have a machine shop measure them if
 you do not have a set of cylinder inside measuring tools.   Only  reboring
on a machine that can keep the cylinders from moving while being bored  will
get them round and oversized.  Then you will need oversized rings  which are
available  BUT hard to find.  I have some here !

Cheers,

Frank  Condelli
Almonte, Ontario, Canada
'87 Westy, '90 Carat, '87 Wolfsburg  (Forsale) & Lionel Trains (_Collection
for sale_ (http://members.aol.com/Fkc43/trainsal.htm) )_ Frank Condelli &
Associates_ (http://members.aol.com/Fkc43/busindex.html)  - Vanagon/Vanagon
Westfalia Service in the Ottawa Valley_ Vanagon Stainless Steel Exhaust  Systems_
(http://members.aol.com/Fkc43/stebro.htm)  _  BusFusion_
(http://members.aol.com/BusFusion/bfhome.htm)  a VW Camper camping event, Almonte, ON, June 07 ~ 10,
2007