Cruisin Image rings issues

[Free79]

Has anyone had problems with Cruisin Image pistons and rings? I installed 2nd O/S (.50) piston and rings in my 79 XS650SF about 2500 miles ago. From the beginning as more miles accumulated the oil consumption got worse. Now the engine burnes oil excessively. There's some hit and miss stories on line, I was told by one repair shop guy he "Heard' the rings don't last, however he has no personal experience. Does anyone out there have experience with this brand of parts? I may try to find OEM Yamaha piston and rings.

 

[jetmechmarty]

Has anyone had problems with Cruisin Image pistons and rings? I installed 2nd O/S (.50) piston and rings in my 79 XS650SF about 2500 miles ago. From the beginning as more miles accumulated the oil consumption got worse. Now the engine burnes oil excessively. There's some hit and miss stories on line, I was told by one repair shop guy he "Heard' the rings don't last, however he has no personal experience. Does anyone out there have experience with this brand of parts? I may try to find OEM Yamaha piston and rings.

I've got about 4,000 miles on them. I have no sign of ring wear.

 

[Jim]

I've got about 4,000 miles on them. I have no sign of ring wear.

Same here. I've got about 4k miles on a standard ring set from 'em. Every time I change oil, it's exactly where it was when I filled it.

 

[WideAWAKE]

How do you know it’s the rings???

If you rebuilt it and it was burning oil, sounds like not such a stellar job was done.

 

[WideAWAKE]

How do you know it’s the rings???

If you rebuilt it and it was burning oil, sounds like not such a stellar job was done.

 

[Free79]

I'll take a closer look

 

[dps650rider]

What were the end gaps? I got a set of big bore pistons and the ring gaps were excessive. Ended up getting replacements.

 

[Vincenthdfan]

Also, have you done a proper break in?

You cant baby new top ends....you have to cycle them through out the RPM range to seat new rings.

Maybe take it out and rev the hell out of it a few times and see if you get any improvement.

 

[atom4488]

Before concluding that the vendor's rings are at fault consider all of the variables here... for example, piston-to-bore clearance, bore finish, bore cleanliness at the time of assembly, piston rig installation (staggered scraper rings and spreader), end gaps on the scrapers, piston installation orientation, break-in procedure... this is all assuming that the oil ring is the culprit in the first place. What about the valve guides, clearances, guide seals etc?

On the other hand, maybe the rings are at fault. The only way to know for sure is to do some forensic mechanics!

 

[AUTOMAN]

What was the break-in proc?

cliff

 

[Free79]

Looks like I have a lot to check out. Break-in, ran it easy for about 150 miles. Had a guy bore it, mic'd pistons and cylinder wall clearance, ring end gap was good. Washed cylinder with soap and water before assembly.

 

[Jim]

Maybe take it out and rev the hell out of it a few times and see if you get any improvement.

I'd say that's well worth a shot. My break in consists of multiple trips to the redline right off the bat once I'm satisfied at the first 20 min. or so.
At this point you have nothing to lose.


So put me on a highway
Show me a sign
Take it to the limit
One more time
RIP Randy Meisner

 

[atom4488]

Looks like I have a lot to check out. Break-in, ran it easy for about 150 miles. Had a guy bore it, mic'd pistons and cylinder wall clearance, ring end gap was good. Washed cylinder with soap and water before assembly.

That sounds alright. Mic'd bores and pistons to ensure piston to wall clearances are correct and cylinders properly washed by the sounds of it. End-gap is more relevant to compression rings, as the oil ring probably consists of two scraper rings separated by a spreader. As the scrapers are normally staggered 180* apart., the residual oil on the cylinder is scraped by either one scraper or the other.

I'd be more inclined to look at valve / valve guide wear and valve stem seals as a source of the oil being burnt.