2. Lay out the connecting rod and piston assemblies with ring sets on the work surface of the workbench. From this point on, each ring set will be rigidly "tied" to its piston. Now you can start measuring the gaps in the ring locks.
3. Insert the upper (first) compression ring into the first cylinder of the engine and align it perpendicularly by pushing it down with the piston bottom. The ring should be in the area of the lower limit of the working stroke of the rings in the cylinder.
4. Determine the ring gap using a blade type feeler gauge. The blade(s) of the feeler gauge should slide tightly in the ring gap. Compare the measurement result with the requirements of the Specifications. If the gap is outside the permissible range in either direction, first of all, make sure once again that the rings are not mixed up.
5. If the gap is too small, it can be widened by boring with a fine-tooth file. Clamp a rectangular file in a vice, then put the ring on the file with the lock so that the end of the file is inside the circumference of the ring. Slowly pull the ring towards you, removing excess metal from its ends in the lock. When you reach the end of the file, remove the ring, check the gap again, and repeat the procedure if necessary.
Attention! Never push the ring away from you onto the file, as this will cause the edges of the lock to converge and there is a high risk of damaging the metal.
6. Excessive clearance is not a crime, as long as it does not exceed the limit specified in the Specifications. Once again, make sure that the ring sets you purchase meet the characteristics of your vehicle's engine needs.
7. Repeat the procedure for the remaining rings (second compression and oil scraper) of the first cylinder piston, then for all other pistons. Remember that now each set of rings is clearly "tied" to its piston, on which it should be installed.
8. Having checked and adjusted the gaps in the ring locks properly, you can begin to put them on your pistons.
9. The oil scraper (lower) ring is put on the piston first. The oil scraper ring consists of three separate sections. First, insert the spring expander of the oil scraper ring into the lower groove of the piston. If the expander is equipped with an anti-rotation tongue, make sure that the latter gets into the counter-drilling in the piston groove. Now install the lower working section of the ring into the groove.
To avoid accidental damage to the working sections of the oil scraper ring, do not use any tool to install them - just insert one end of the section into the groove under/above the expander, press it firmly with your finger and, moving along the perimeter of the ring, tuck in the remaining part. The upper working section of the ring is installed last.
10. After seating all three components of the oil scraper ring in the lower groove of the piston, check the freedom of rotation (sliding in the groove) of the upper and lower working sections.
11. The second compression ring is installed next. The ring should be installed with the marking facing upwards (towards the piston bottom).
Note: Follow the ring manufacturers' instructions carefully, which are usually printed on the kit packaging. Do not confuse the second compression ring with the first (upper) one - they have different cross-sections.
12. Using a special expander and making sure that the ring is turned with the marking facing up, place it in the middle groove on the piston. Try not to spread the ring lock more than is really necessary for its smooth installation on the piston.
13. Proceed in a similar manner to install the first (upper) compression ring (marked side up). Try not to confuse the upper ring with the second one.
14. Proceeding in a similar manner, fit rings to all remaining pistons one by one.