I'm doing the head gasket on my 85 pickup with a 22re. It turns out the head had cracks in it, so it wasn't worth repairing. I was losing coolant. I have an all new head to go in. I'm also doing the timing chain and dropping the oil pan.

My question is should I do the rings while I'm at it? The cylinder walls look good. I'm wondering if I should pop out the pistons, hone the cylinders, and replace the rings. The oil pan if off now, and access is easy on my 85 with the 4" springs on it. Also, I could check the rod bearings.

When I recently did a compression test, the results were: 170, 185, 170, 165. It was using some oil. Not sure if it was from worn rings or maybe valve guide seals. I have no idea about the mileage on the engine. It was rebuilt at some point though.

My concern is that a new tight head could cause the rings to go. That's what the guy at the head shop said was a possibility. The shop specializes in aluminum heads, so they weren't trying to sell me anything.

 

i would say go for it since it is half way torn apart... ted @ engine builder is just down the road in Sandy

 

Yeah, I got the timing chain kit and gasket set from engine bldr. Ted in Sandy? I went to the shop on Glisan. Tod is the guy who works there.

 

yeah you are right...night shift sucks
http://oregonengines.net/ are out in sandy

 

Pardon me for posting in the 86+ section. There's a lot more activity over there. I admit I purposefully posted my 85 22re question in the 86+ section. My bad.

I decided to go ahead and replace the piston rings and rod bearings. There doesn't appear to be much wear in the cylinders. There is no ridge to speak of at the top of the cylinders. The pistons are the original Asin's so it hasn't been bored. I'm not even sure if the engine has ever been rebuilt.

I know I should do a full rebuild, but I just want to have my truck going for the Summer. I'm planning on pulling the engine after the wheeling season.

 

Should/shouldn't? The bottom end is pretty tough. If the tolerances are still well within spec and the pistons are still in good shape, doing only what you're doing will keep you going well for a long while more. IOW's, why bother with a full rebuild?