PISTON MARKINGS - HOW TO IDENTIFY

[DaveH]

Currently getting near to engine assembly. Ford wants your wallet for replacement rings so I went to Summit and found the rings I need for WAAAAY less money. I'm 98% sure on these but to be 100% I'd like to identify specific ring sizes for groove clearance (not end gap). i have a bunch of markings on the piston under side and would like to identify the specific details on these. After searching I could not find a page that would decode these markings. Do you know of such a chart??? Thanks in advance.

 

[Angie]

hi, what engine are you building? what year is the block? did you do the hone on the walls? or were they done at a shop? was the block bored to over size? are you seeking cast rings or steel composites? are you building a track, race engine only? or a daily driver?

 

[DaveH]

Angie- This is a 2.3 head over a 2.5 Short block build. This engine is totally bone stock. The original engine core had 87K on it. The engine was well kept and mic'd only .001 to .002 variance in any direction with a bore gauge (digital). All bore measurements are within .003 of new spec. and the bores are really straight with maybe a .001 diff on the thrust angle. The block is a 2016 Vin code 7 out of a ford fusion. I ran a very light hone in it with a handheld honing bar. It still mic'd the same after honing. I am putting together a daily driver for economical parts runs and small jobs. Because this is a budget build I'm using aftermarket stuff in it. I'm obsessing over the build because i haven't built a ford motor in over 30 years. I am trying to learn anything and everything I can about these motors and often post for more information. I often get distracted on internet searches. I am a DIY'r and have assembled Chev, Plymouth, Chrysler and Toyota engines. One other note: I would have popped for a mild bore at a machine shop but all within 100 miles hear are 4 to 6 months backlogged.

 

[pjtoledo]

all I found in the manual was a reference to paint codes for different size pistons. maybe the Ford parts listing would have specs on them.
the spec sheets I posted have ring groove info.

 

[Angie]

I am not familiar with your engine, so i did a bit of "quick" seeking to see if i can find any information.

I will guess your engine is this one....

https://fordauthority.com/fmc/ford-motor-company-engines/ford-duratec-engine-family/ford-2-5l-duratec-engine/

and a fast parts search shows these rings with sizes. is this correct on your mic?

PACKAGE INFORMATION, metric
Part number: 2C5162
Contains: for 4cyl.
Bore: 89.00mm
Top ring: 1.20mm
2nd ring: 1.20mm
3rd ring: 2.50mm
PACKAGE INFORMATION, imperial
Part number: 2C5162
Contains: for 4cyl.
Bore: 3.504 in
Top ring: 1.20mm
2nd ring: 1.20mm
3rd ring: 2.50mm

and this is the composite of the rings in this Hastings box

PISTON RINGS DESIGN
Top ring:
Ring profile: BARREL FACE
Ring material: STEEL
Ring coating: CHROME

2nd ring:
Ring profile: REVERSE TORSIONAL
Ring material: GREY IRON
Ring coating: PHOSPHATE

3rd ring:
Ring profile: 3 PC. FLEX-VENT
Ring material: STEEL RAIL/ STAINLESS EX
Ring coating: CHROME RAIL

Information gleaned from here ... for fast references ....

Hastings 2C5162 piston rings x4 for Ford Escape Fusion 2.5L 16v Duratec 25 89.00 | eBay

Part number: 2C5162. PISTON RINGS DESIGN. Contains: for 4cyl. Ring coating: PHOSPHATE. Ring material: GREY IRON. Ring profile: REVERSE TORSIONAL. Ring material: STEEL. Ring profile: BARREL FACE.

www.ebay.com

As you are aware from doing engines years ago, the final hone surface needs to match what style of rings you are placing into the engine. a set of cast rings need a very coarse crosshatch as were a steel composite may need a finer cross hatch for getting the proper oiling to the glide surface of the rings. you may need to do a bit of reading to match your rings to the stone grade you intend on using.

Does any of this help? or you need further searching done?

cheers


ps, can't you re-measure the rings you took out of the engine? to see what size they were?

 

[DaveH]

Unfortunately the rings I took off of these pistons are gone. I was unaware that a specific crosshatch would be used to a specific ring. Since I haven't installed the pistons I'll check them out. The Hastings rings are almost identical to the dimensions of the piston that came out of this engine. I can cut them back to the correct gap as they are about .01 long. I used a medium stone with very few passes. Lost of room to adjust if need be. Thanks for your input.

 

[Angie]

sorry i couldn't give more info. you could also just call a "machine shop" that builds engines near you and just casually ask them the hone stone grade for a set of rings, cautiously veer a question as you heard a "rumour" and want to see what they say .... it is something i had read before on rings and "newer" engines versus older engines.

was this the same block you have? and what rings are you thinking of using now? i will go on a limb and guess they are the stock pistons you will be re-using as you didn't state anything different.

cheers

 

[DaveH]

I am using this block. The crosshatch I have is too shallow. I didn't make more than 10 passes so I think I have room to improve. I have a machine shop i've done business with for years so i'm going to call them tomorrow. The pistons that came out of this engine cleaned up really well. i'm re using them. I'm still going with the Hastings rings as I've already ordered them. Fords rings were 4x the cost. As you can see they cleaned up really well. This engine was in really good shape before the start of the rebuild.

 

[Angie]

Yes they do look in great shape for sure. I am sure you will work it all out fine . call them for a double check and you will be ok i am sure. I am guessing it was the ring width for the slots that you were most worried about. if so, that seems to be the only sizes that are shown for the stock style pistons. keep updating as you go.

cheers

 

[MISWFL]

Use an abrasive brush or bristle hone, with the correct oil to dress the bores. Cross hash angles and finish roughness is very important.

Deves brand rings are the best IMO, if you can get them.

Surgical cleaning of the honed cylinders and correct break in procedures are essential for long life. Use the recommended oils, RPMs and loads when breaking the rings in, along with frequent oil changes with quality filters.