Engine re-assembly: reinstalling cylinder block

[Karstan]

Hey, so I'm trying to drop the cylinder block back on after cleaning up my pistons and installing new piston rings. The manual calls for using a special "piston ring holders" that appear to cost an arm and a leg. My attempts to just wing it by doing it by hand are just an exercise in frustration. Any suggestions? Or should I just bit the bullet and buy the $60+ tool? I'd rather not, as I don't really plan on doing this again in the near future.

PS I've done my due diligence but haven't found anything in the forums about this issue.

[NeyborDayfid]

My manual shows the use of hose clamps.
Now, I'm not telling you to use them, I'm just pointing out that
mechanics somewhere thought it was a good idea.

[Mekanix]

4 hands help.

But you could set the crank for the middle pistons up higher than the outer two. Put the bike in gear or put a wrench on the crank to keep those pistons up. You could put them all the way up or just above the others so that the middle set of rings are in the cylinders when the outer piston's rings just start to go touch.

Get them in by carefully pushing each ring in by hand with your fingernails all the way around. Once they are all in you can drop the block until it meets the outer piston's rings and do the same.

Its allot of back and forth but its possible without that a compressor. Its good to set all the ring ends to where they are supposed to be before starting. That way you will know where the edges are that will catch and you can push them back in when they do.

Just keep in mind to go slow. Once one ring is staying in on one piston check the other piston to see if the edge of the ring didn't jump off the piston a bit. If it did just lift or rock the block slightly until you can pop it back in without letting the rings fall out of the other piston.

YouTube can be helpful with a bit of searching

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeDjQk5Hpio

[Karstan]

Thanks, everyone! The hose clamps worked! It took a few tries, but worked well and saved me about $50-$60. For future searchers: I bought two hose clamps and put them on #s one and four (and had those pistons raised above two and three). The clamps were tightened until they could just barely spin. Then I dropped the cylinder body down until it just touched the top of the pistons and sort of coaxed it down by tapping around the edges of the cylinder body with the heel of my fist. The cylinders just pushed the clamps out of the way. I then removed the clamps and repeated with #s two and three. Thanks again!

[NeyborDayfid]

Glad to hear it!

[GateKeeper]

someone should put this hose clamp method in the tips and tricks section.....

.

[NeyborDayfid]

doing it right now.

EDIT-- Mr. Karstan, is it ok if I mention your name in the Tips and Tricks post as someone who has tried it successfully?

[cruiser58]

I too used the hose clamp method, after an unsuccessful search for commercial ring compressors that were short enough to work, hose clamps worked like a charm!