Which piston ring on top?

[ChicagoRob]

Howdy.

The boy holed a piston on his '80 550L because of a loose exhaust.

I ebay'd a new top end and just got it back from the machine shop. The machinist said that the bores were "mint" and he checked the valves and machined the decks, so I think that I'm ready to go.

My question is which of the OEM rings goes on top? There are two of the same thickness, both stamped 'T' (which I assume means top) but one is all black and the other is black with silver on the outside edge. Is one top, the other bottom or does it matter?

Thanks,

Rob

[tkent02]

"The Boy" holed a piston and "the Dad" is fixing it?
What's up with that?

[Suzuki_Don]

Top ring has the chrome surface, the middle ring has a dark (black) surface. The side rail rings that accompany the oil scraper can go either way. "T" goes to the top. It's all in the manual.

[Octain]

"The Boy" holed a piston and "the Dad" is fixing it?
What's up with that?

LOL, only you..

Im sure "the boy" is helping and visa versa. I kinda enjoy working on stuff with my boy.

[ChicagoRob]

Well he just got back from a 7 month all expenses paid tour of Afghanistan courtesy of the United States Marine Corps, so I thought that I'd cut him some slack. If you think holing a piston is bad, you should see the pics of the two MRAP's he blew up...

[ChicagoRob]

Top ring has the chrome surface, the middle ring has a dark (black) surface. The side rail rings that accompany the oil scraper can go either way. "T" goes to the top. It's all in the manual.

Thanks Don. Must a real Suzuki manual because the Clymer that I have is sparse on the subject. I'll go check out BassCliff's and see what he has.


I wish the boy were here to help. He's back at base in Cali. I was hoping to have "Emily" running as a surprise for Thanksgiving.

Thanks again,

Rob

[Graham]

Thanks Don. Must a real Suzuki manual because the Clymer that I have is sparse on the subject. I'll go check out BassCliff's and see what he has.


I wish the boy were here to help. He's back at base in Cali. I was hoping to have "Emily" running as a surprise for Thanksgiving.

Thanks again,

Rob

Rob is right. chrome ring is always top ring (less oiling) and be sure to check ring end gap.

[DimitriT]

If anyone needs the factory manual I have it hosted right here:

http://www.appledor.net/~jtsillas/sharedpics/Suzuki_GS550_Repair_Manual.pdf

[chef1366]

Shiny ring on top with dot facing up.
Dull ring second with dot facing up
Three oil rings/The two skinny on the outside and the wavy one on the middle and make sure the wavy one does not overlap at the ends.
All gaps should be offset from each other.
Set ring gap on the upper two. The spec will be in your manual.