How Three Tiny Rings On Your Piston Keep A Check On Your Car’s Health
If you have any idea about cars, you know that there are thousands of parts that go into making a car and keeping it running. If regular people like you and I sit down to dissect a car, it probably will not end well. However, it is also an amazing fact that each and every tiny part that comes out of the dissection is important. Especially if you dissect an engine or take it apart layer by layer. The engine block does not have anything that is not absolutely essential to run the car and keep it running in good health. Even the smallest parts have major uses.
One such set of tiny parts that keep the car in good health and keep your engine running smoothly are piston rings. Piston rings are three rings attached at the top of the piston which are encased within a cylinder. These rings ensure your car emits minimum emissions, gives the best performance, and increases the longevity of your car. So how is it that something so small has effects so big? Well, to understand that it is essential to understand what a piston does in the first place. It’s all related, trust me.
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The Pistons
Anyone who loves talking about cars generally loves to talk about their engine. Specifically, they love talking about the number of cylinders in their engine. “My Ferrari has a V12 engine”, “Oh! I love the V8 engines that the Ford Mustangs come with!”. Yeah, them. Well, they are talking about the number of cylinders the car’s engine has. These cylinders, to put it very bluntly, are small explosion chambers within the engine block. So where does the piston feature in all this? The answer is, that the pistons are the main parts causing the explosion. Let me explain
You see, the cylinder is the primary functioning area or the beating heart of a car if you will. The cylinder comes with two valves attached at the top, and inside it, there is a round metal block or piston that keeps moving up and down. At the top of the cylinder are two valves and a spark plug. One valve is the inlet which allows the fuel to come in. As the fuel comes in with a mixture of air (air is necessary for any combustion or fire or explosion), the piston comes up to create more pressure. At this time the spark plug, as its name suggests, lights a tiny spark that causes the fuel mixed with air and put under pressure to explode, sending the piston shooting back. This fills the cylinder chamber with smoke. The piston then comes up again and pushes the smoke out of the 2nd valve or the outlet valve. In a nutshell that is kind of how your engine works. So where do the piston rings come in? Well, Let’s find out.
The Piston Rings
Now, it is obvious that the pistons are constantly facing huge amounts of pressure and heat. Moreover, there is constant contact with two different types of oils, the fuel, and the engine oil. The engine oil that keeps the engine running smoothly and keeps the engine from overheating and blowing up, can also be dangerous if it falls into the wrong parts of your car’s engine. So, to ensure that does not happen, there are three tiny rings attached to the piston heads. In short, the piston rings seal the chamber so that there is no leakage from the cylinder to the chamber below which is known as the crankcase.
A Brief History
The modern design of the piston rings was the invention of a man named John Ramsbottom and it was done in the 1850s. His initial design was an absolutely circular ring going around the circumference of the piston head. Unfortunately, he noticed that the rings were wearing off quite unevenly. In 1854 Ramsbottom came up with a slight change in his design where he introduced a small split to the ring that went around the cylinder head. The tiny split would put an even amount of pressure on the cylinder walls, would last longer, and work more efficiently.
The Modern Piston Rings
A modern-day engine, whether it be a Lamborghini Huracan or a Ford F-150 pickup comes with the same technology. But wait, it’s more refined. You see, a modern engine has three piston rings around its cylinders, and believe it or not, these three rings have their own set of functions.
- Compression Ring: This is the rig that is closest to the piston head. This ring basically seals the combustion chamber thereby preventing any leakage of fuel or smoke out of the combustion chamber since liquids and gasses have a tendency of going through the smallest gaps available to them. If the air-mixed fuel or the gases do leak, they go into the crankcase which is not exactly ideal for your car’s engine
- Wiper Ring- Also known as the Napier Ring or 2nd Compression Ring, this metal ring sits second on the piston head. This ring is tapered at the bottom end. While this ring is also used to seal the chamber it has the extra function of wiping the cylinder walls off of the excess oil. Whatever gas or liquid does escape the Combustion Ring is also stopped by the Wiper Ring
- Oil Ring- This ring is the furthest from the piston head and closest to the crankcase. The oil ring is used for wiping excess oil from the cylinder wall during the process of its movement. The oil rings are also connected to small holes on the piston head from where the excess oil is directed back into the reservoir.
Piston rings keep the car’s performance at an optimum level, the engine in good check, and the emission levels at a minimum. However, given the high temperatures, pressures, and friction they are subjected to, they will also face wear and tear. Usually, the piston rings are good for around 100,000 miles if you take good care of your car. On the other hand, if your car faces rough use or lack of maintenance the piston rings will tend to wear out faster. Some simple symptoms you should look out for are excessive smoke while starting up your car, increased emission levels, constant engine backfires, and reduced performance or power. If you face any of these issues you should take your car in for a check-up to your nearest professional mechanic.
In Conclusion
Piston rings are tiny objects deep within the engine block. If you look at them alone they don’t seem like much. In fact, they just look like some regular old metal rings with a split on one side. However, these small rings have a massive responsibility that keep your big old car running. As you read above, every tiny part of the engine in your car has a use and there is nothing there that is extra or unnecessary to keep your car running and in good nick. These small rings keep the engine running smoothly without allowing the engine oil, the air-mixed fuel, or the exhaust smoke from entering the crankcase thereby keeping the car running in a way that you get the least emissions and the maximum amount of power and performance that your car’s engine is capable of providing.
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