3-piece oil rings

[spidernut]

I'm rebuilding my 2 liter. The oil ring set that I purchased have the three piece oil rings versus the two piece sets used by the factory. What is your opinion of the two sets.

Set 1, three piece rings:

Set 2, factory two piece rings:

[narfire]

When I have re-built a motor, I have replaced with your second pic. two rings and the oil ring... Like the pic I posted in the parts for sale...1608 pistons wanted..
Did not realize the Fiat came with 3 rings plus the oil ring..

Perhaps I'm missing something.

Are you keeping the engine stock? or going for a few tweeks?

[vandor]

I have always used 3 piece oil control rings. Actually I did not think they still made the 2 piece kind, I only see them when disassembling engines...

[narfire]

Yeup...confused... After Csaba's post I get it now.

I have used the 3 piece as well on the current .4 over pistons in my car.
Other rings have been the two piece.

[engineerted]

The three piece oil ring setup is what you want. It has better oil control, easier to assembly and dam near impossible to break when installing. note: install expander first, then the lower oil ring then the upper oil ring. Be sure the expander ring ends do not over lap and that the two oil rings are sitting on the expander ledges.

Ted

[spidernut]

Thanks Csaba and Ted....I already installed them prior to the post. The two-piece oil rings are "vintage" style. I figured that the three piece rings would be better by design by having two floating rings, but the brass center ring is such a cheap looking POS. Though I installed it properly without the ends overlapping, I worry that they overlapped when the ring compressor was utilized to install the pistons.

[wizard124]

john,
You have sure jumped into the new find!
Why did you decide to rebuild?

[spidernut]

I'm actually rebuilding my silver 79 not the $400 one I bought. I removed the motor to replace all the original gaskets and seals that were leaking like crazy. Once I had the motor out, I inspected everything and found a scored crankshaft, severely worn thrust washers, metal fragments in the oil pump, severely carbonized valves and damage to the cylinder walls. I really had no choice. I determined that someone ran the motor dry of oil at one time - my machinist came to the same conclusion in looking at the block and crank.

The $400 Spider is on the back burner apart from disassembly and purchasing of a few parts I'll need to restore it.