Piston rings questions

[Fuzzlewump]

So yesterday I was cleaning up the rear cylinder and head, piston, valves and such. When removing the rings from the piston I accidentally broke a piston ring!  :(

I'm aware that piston rings are hard to find, and I don't see any standard size on Ebay. Thought I'd ask you guys if anyone happens to know of a place where they can be found right now?

Also, if I put standard rings in, does this mean I have to have the cylinder honed or bored at all? Can I just put the new rings in or is this stupid?

If I put in oversize rings and have the cylinder bored to match, then does this translate into an increase in power? Is it an increase that's worth getting excited over? Lol

[Jimustanguitar]

If you buy rings that are the factory size, you don't need to bore the cylinder, but you should still hone it. Honing the cylinder helps the new ring break in and seal properly, it also reduces the amount of oil that you burn, and does several other good things. If you replace one set of rings, in my opinion, you need to do both cylinders. A compression difference between cylinders isn't a good thing if you can avoid it.

Whether or not to bore it out and/or get oversized rings will depend on your bore measurements (and parts availability, unfortunately). You really should use a bore gauge and check the measurements. It's also important to make sure that your cylinder is still round. Specs and tolerances for this are all in the manual and should be considered.

When you need a head gasket to put it all back together, check out the parts section of the forum and get a set of the copper Cometic gaskets. They're a great company to deal with, and their better than OEM part is cheaper than the remaining OEM parts :)

[PwrManDan]

When you need a head gasket to put it all back together, check out the parts section of the forum and get a set of the copper Cometic gaskets. They're a great company to deal with, and their better than OEM part is cheaper than the remaining OEM parts :)

+1 on Cometic gaskets

[Rick G]

Talk to Sunburnedaz, I sold him a bunch of rings and pistons . Some were quite reusable , especially since you can't find any . I used the same set of rings three times over 6 years, with good success/

[Fuzzlewump]

Thank you for the help, guys.

Rick, you mention that old rings can be reused. Do you think it would be OK to get just one ring from Sunburned and use it to replace the one that broke? Or is it a mistake to mix and match used sets of rings?

Also, if I'm going to continue using old rings, is it still necessary to hone the cylinder? I'm having difficulty finding someone nearby who offers this service.

[PwrManDan]

You can do that yourself....below is about what I used to do mine.  The one available at auto zone broke within 30 seconds.

http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_x_22988235-P_x_x?cm_mmc=ACQ-_-Google-_-enhancedRM-_-22988235&ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=22988235&ci_gpa=pla&ci_kw=&gclid=CJf6rZ7wt7kCFctAMgoddHoAgw#utm_source=acq&utm_medium=google&utm_campaign=enhancedrm&utm_content=22988235

https://www.google.com/search?q=cylinder%20deglaze%20tool&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&channel=np&source=hp#channel=np&q=cylinder+deglazing+&rls=org.mozilla:en-US%3Aofficial&tbm=vid

[motoracer8]

 Std rings are still available at various Yamaha dealers around the country. They have been discontinued from Yamaha.

They are expensive, I found two sets of std rings for a friend, they were $72.27 per set, that's for one piston.

You might try total seal, I've used ring sets from them for some of my oddball projects.

[Rick G]

I have a genuine Yamaha hone I bought in 1967 , still worked fine I also have a hone I bought a very nice automotive hone , at a yard sale  . it was nearly new ! cost me 5.00 .

[Fuzzlewump]

I contacted Sunburned here in the Valley and he saved my butt by giving me an extra ring he had lying around. My conversations with him and Rick gave me a clear picture of what should be done from here....thank you guys!