Piston rings seal the combustion chamber, and they are set with precision to apply the correct pressure to the cylinder wall or liner, which ensures there is a consistent film of oil across the cylinder’s working surfaces. Poor engine performance is a common sign of bad piston rings.
An under performing car engine is easily noticeable and significantly impacts the driving experience. In the worst-case scenarios, the vehicle may stutter, shudder, or even stall suddenly. Well, in this reading, we’ll be exploring the four possible symptoms of bad piston rings.
Contents
Symptoms of Bad Piston Rings
Bad piston rings can cause a dramatic change in exhaust color and lead to a smell of burning oil. They can also allow oil to leak into the combustion chamber, resulting in increased emissions and higher fuel consumption. That is why you need to know the symptoms of bad piston rings.
1. Too Much Exhaust Smoke
If your car emits a lot of exhaust smoke, it might be an immediate sign that your piston rings are damaged. This smoke will seem quite thick and have a dark gray and blue color. There’s usually a smell of burning oil with it. If the piston rings on your engine break down, the engine oil will begin to seep into the combustion chamber. When it happens, the oil will burn and you will see the heavy exhaust smoke become blue-grey.
2. Severe Oil Consumption Or Oil leaks
Engines naturally use some oil, but only when the oil needs to be replaced. When an engine becomes unclean or overworked, it frequently begins to burn oil. However, during the typical 3,000 to 5,000 miles between oil change services, no oil should be burning. It’s a symptom that your engine is burning oil excessively or leaking oil somewhere when you check your oil levels and discover they are low well before the planned servicing.
3. Poor Acceleration
Your engine will lose power because there is less compression when piston rings wear out or are damaged. This means that the car will take a long time to accelerate when you press your foot on the gas pedal. To solve the issue in this situation, you will need to replace your piston rings.
4. Declining Engine Performance
The indications of piston ring failure that affect engine performance are most likely the worst. Because your car doesn’t run as it should, a loss in engine performance is obvious. It occasionally stumbles, trembles, or even stalls. Large loads won’t be transported with ease by an under performing engine. Avoid keeping the engine in this condition for too long.
Bottom Line
Engine piston rings are designed to last the whole life of a modern car. There is no specific schedule for when they should be replaced, and in most cars, the piston rings are never replaced over the vehicle’s lifetime. However, if you do not properly maintain your vehicle or if you are simply unlucky, it may fail.
That is all for this article, where the 4 possible symptoms or signs of bad piston rings are discussed. I hope it was helpful, if so, kindly share with others. Thanks for reading, see you around!
