Originally Posted by RSR

A little late to the party, and I haven't actually had to get this far into this on my own engine, so this is theory not personal experience on the 3vze...

That said, for piston rings, my understanding is as follows:

Chrome are really only for high RPM, high heat engines like turbos. Additionally, they require fresh, perfect spec bores and/or rebored engines prepared specifically for chrome rings -- I think this means cylinder walls might need specially prepared coatings due to chrome's hardness and smoothness, need to ensure adequate oil reaching rings since chrome doesn't carry. Probably not what you're looking for. I think turbo diesel type engines in dirty, high wear work/service environments are primarily where chrome rings are used these days... Not very common in American passenger vehicles as I understand it. Ultimately, chrome take forever to break in and require high heat to properly seat, so that's a major drawback unless you're going to pay a tuning shop to run a proper break in on their dyno machine or something along those lines with open, low traffic roadways allowing you to accelerate and decelerate with engine breaking etc, avoiding idling for a couple thousand miles...

I believe the OEM factory rings are ductile iron, moly coated. This is what I'd recommend you replace with, provided the machine shop actually re-bored and honed (essentially an overbore) all cylinders and didn't just remove the glaze with a brush or glaze breaker. If they did the latter, you want to to go with a cast iron ring. Ductile moly rings last longer than cast iron as the moly coating means the piston rings and engine cylinders aren't wearing as quickly -- cast iron essentially micro weld themselves to cylinder walls during operation leading to quicker wear of rings and engine walls. The moly coating prevents this micro weld and moly itself, being somewhat porous carries a lot of engine oil between the ring and the cylinder wall as well. The drawback of moly is that it can carry dirt and other contaminates too, hence the need for good air and oil filters -- preferably with the addition of magnetic drain plug, filter sleeve, etc, to remove ferrous particles smaller than your filter can grab from from your oil stream.

Hastings has a pretty good brief: http://www.hastingsmfg.com/ServiceTi...ecommendat.htm

Originally Posted by big bear

Not yet.

My 95 Grand Am blew it's LIM gasket, so it's the one getting my attention ATM.

The Runner is plugging along on 5 cylinders for now.
Only drive it to work (2 miles) and the grocery store (1.5) miles.

The smoke sure smells funky at start up, not just gas and oil burning, I know that smell, I think there's a little coolant burning too.

Originally Posted by big bear

Well I got the heads off the Runner now.

Exhaust valve in #6 has a 1/8 X 1/16 inch chip on the edge, if you were standing inside the cylinder with your back facing the center of the engine, looking up, the chip would be in the 5 to 6 o'clock position.

Throw your thoughts of the cause at me please.

By the way the bolts connecting the crossover the the Man and the pipe to the Man were not tightened enough.

Originally Posted by Logger707

You said the crossover pipe was loose?dont know how true it is but I've heard cold air can get sucked thru an exhaust leak on deceleration and play havoc on hot exhaust parts.sounds kinda legit cause the scavenging effect the exhaust has would deffinatly pull air.just a thought on the "why"

Originally Posted by Logger707

Oh and when I built my first engine at the age of 14(not that long ago really 16 years I guess)my dad told me if it ain't felpro it's junk still feel it's partially true so I would feel hosed on the gaskets