# Replacing the piston rings



## Rough Ryder (Mar 14, 2006)

Hello all,
I've got an oil consumption with my jetta('00 GLS 2.0), and I need to replace the piston rings in order to fix it. One of the fellows I work with is a mechanic and said that it's a possibility that I can remove the oil pan and crank and pull the pistons out the bottom of the engine to do the install. Does that work on the 2.0 engine? Thnx
-Mitchell


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## mk2.slow (Oct 17, 2003)

*Re: Replacing the piston rings (Rough Ryder)*

It might be possible but I think it would be more work. You have to pull the tranny to get the crank out.


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## Rough Ryder (Mar 14, 2006)

If that's the case how else could I accomplish this?
-Mitchell


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## Guest (Mar 14, 2006)

*Re: Replacing the piston rings (Rough Ryder)*

pull the head & oil pan


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## Rough Ryder (Mar 14, 2006)

*Re: Replacing the piston rings ([email protected])*

Why both?


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## randallhb (Sep 17, 2002)

*Re: Replacing the piston rings (Rough Ryder)*

So to fix the oil problem you only have to replace the rings? It shouldn't be complicated as long as the block does not require machining right? What other parts should be changed?


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## TMTuned99.5Golf (Jan 27, 2004)

*Re: Replacing the piston rings (Rough Ryder)*

Do a compression test on the motor.

When I was burning about a quart of oil every 800 miles these were the results:
#1 - 155psi 
#2 - 172psi 
#3 - 165psi 
#4 - 150psi (20 min later 170psi.) 

In the bentley it states the compression can be anywhere between 145-189psi with wear at 110psi.

When I did the compression the motor had about 155k miles on it. Right now it has about 161k and I'm swapping top and bottom ends for a motor that has half the miles the rebuild the higher milege motor and swap it back in. 
After exhanging bottom ends with a motor that has about 80k on it, I was getting atleast 150psi all the way down the line. 

So with the same top end and newer bottom end I was getting nearly the same compression reults. In theory that should mean that I would just need to rebuild the top end and not the bottom end.

Kind of confusing to follow as there is much eplanation to why I did what I did but it's a huge mess and my car is still broke. Blew a head gasket when the motor overheated.


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## bigteal (Sep 11, 2002)

*Re: Replacing the piston rings ([email protected])*


_Quote, originally posted by *[email protected]* »_pull the head & oil pan

that's how we do it at the dealer. cake job.


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## digitalhippie (Apr 21, 2004)

*Re: Replacing the piston rings (Rough Ryder)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Rough Ryder* »_Why both?

You pull the head to get at the pistons. You drop the oil pan so you can disconnect the rods from the crank, and remove the pistons from above.
As far as machining goes, you should hone the cylinder walls before re-assembly.
Also, if you do this... the head bolts on the AEG engine can be one of two types: either a 12mm 12pt (triple-square), or a 10mm polydrive. Check out http://shop.metalnerd.com/index.cgi?code=3&cat=5, they sell both bits as a bundle for a lil less (and further down the page is the wobble bit for the oil pan, might come in handy too). And pickup new: head gasket, head bolts, valve cover gasket... at least those... might also want the exhaust and intake manifold gaskets depending on your level of anal retentiveness (www.germanautoparts.com for all those parts). And a jug of G12 coolant. If you haven't done a timing belt job yet... do that too (along with thermostat, timing belt tensioner, water pump, and acccessory belt... ECS Tuning sells a kit including all these parts).
FYI, polydrive headbolts: http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=2421098


_Modified by digitalhippie at 3:06 PM 3-15-2006_


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## TMTuned99.5Golf (Jan 27, 2004)

*Re: Replacing the piston rings (digitalhippie)*

Yes the AEG headbolts are the polydrive ones to which you will need the speal tool for, costing near $40 depending on where you get it.
Had to get that tool when I put the new head on the motor. 
Ok, so here's the tool and a link to a site to purchase it from. 








http://www.big-auto.com/wbstor...wCt=0
I bought it atht eh local vw parts supplier for $39, here's it's $15 plus shipping.


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## Rough Ryder (Mar 14, 2006)

*Re: Replacing the piston rings (digitalhippie)*

OK, making more sense here. Thanks for taking the time to explain it further. It is appreciated. Am thinking about the compression test, seems like it'd be easy enough to do at home with a $35 tool. Do I need to pull what I'm assuming is part of the manifold(the four pipes that go over the head to the rear) off the engine to be able to check the two inside cylinders, or can you snake the tool in there?
-Mitchell


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## Darth2 (Sep 5, 2003)

*Re: Replacing the piston rings (Rough Ryder)*

just so you know this was a known problem in abatch of 2.0 liter engines and the ring replacement is covered by warranty if your car fits in the VIN range. Almost 100% sure that yours will as everyone that I know that has had the problem was in the range.
Hope you didn't already do the work yourself....


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## randallhb (Sep 17, 2002)

*Re: Replacing the piston rings (Darth2)*

Can somebody get this VIN range?


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## elRey (May 15, 2001)

*Re: Replacing the piston rings (Rough Ryder)*

The big difference between the two methods (oil pan only vs oil pan AND head)
is that by removing the pistons from the top (remove head), you
don't have to remove the crank. The crank is the big headache








I know that's what everyone means, but it wasn't explicitly stated.
AND for the remark about the dealer doing this way....
do you also hone (deglaze) the cylinders everytime?
if so, how do you keep the crank journals clean? 
Rey



_Modified by elRey at 1:03 PM 4-23-2006_


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## Dub_for_Brains (Sep 25, 2005)

wouldnt it be stupid hard to reinstall the pistons form the bottom?


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## 2k3GTI18T (Dec 4, 2003)

*Re: (Dub_for_Brains)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Dub_for_Brains* »_wouldnt it be stupid hard to reinstall the pistons form the bottom?

It would be impossible to reinstall the pistons from the bottem. You put pistons in from the top. You can't put them in through the bottom because there isn't enough room to get them by the crank. You also have to use a ring compressor, and that only works from the top. You never want to even try to get pistons in through the bottom. Most engines are designed and bored to make it so they will only go through the top.


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## meanEG (Aug 21, 2005)

*Re: (2k3GTI18T)*

good luck rings dont always fix consumption problems.in my experiance only about 50-75% of the time.


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## digitalhippie (Apr 21, 2004)

*Re: Replacing the piston rings (Darth2)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Darth2* »_just so you know this was a known problem in abatch of 2.0 liter engines and the ring replacement is covered by warranty if your car fits in the VIN range. Almost 100% sure that yours will as everyone that I know that has had the problem was in the range.


Not so really.... you have to be in a certain VIN range, and fail their oil consumption test. But I know from experience, dealers lie and cheat on these tests to avoid doing this repair. This repair is expensive, and for dealers in my area, they actually lose money because the VW book rate for the repair is lower than their regular hourly rate.
If you want to fight the dealers for 2months for the repair, go for it. If you want it fixed now, fixed right, and without the BS... do it yourself.
In fact, VW as a bandaid, issued an extended warranty on AEG engine cat's because of this... cars that consume oil burn or clog the cat, and its cheaper/easier for them to replace the cat then solve the actual problem. http://****************.com/smile/emthdown.gif to VW on this one....


_Modified by digitalhippie at 12:03 PM 4-24-2006_


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## meanEG (Aug 21, 2005)

*Re: Replacing the piston rings (digitalhippie)*

you are so full of wrong information, cats are going bad on all cars, not just 2.0 that use oil. and not all dealers lose money on warranty work. that depends onthe dealer. my old dealer warranty was 100% same rate. and book time is 8 hours. you can do that job in less than a day.
and there oil consumption test limit is 1 qt for 1000 miles, so it is within vw standards. that i rerally dont agree with.
all i am saying there is a lot more to the way dealers work than you realize. everyone always says dealers are bad. this is not always true, sometimes its cheaper than aftermarket, independant shops.


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## digitalhippie (Apr 21, 2004)

*Re: Replacing the piston rings (meanEG)*


_Quote, originally posted by *meanEG* »_you are so full of wrong information, cats are going bad on all cars, not just 2.0 that use oil.


Yet VW only issued an extended warranty for the AEG engines' cats, the engines that have the flipped piston rings. Go f*ck yourself buddy, get your **** straight before you accuse me of being full of misinformation. I never said this is the only car that a cat will go bad on, what I said was that the oil consumption will lead to the cat going bad faster... which is why VW ISSUED A WARRANTY UP TO 120k MILES FOR THE CATS ON AEG ENGINES, THE WARRANTY FOR ALL OTHER ENGINES IS ONLY 80k MILES.
I actually own one of these cars, and have been thru quite a bit with 5 different VW dealers... from upstate NY to Fairfield County, CT...







Maybe, just maybe I've had some personal experience with this exact issue, huh?
I've contributed to this thread, all you've had to say is "it may or may not fix the problem"... no ****... if you're head is in bad shape, you'll still consume oil. You want a cookie?


_Modified by digitalhippie at 3:01 PM 4-24-2006_


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## digitalhippie (Apr 21, 2004)

*Re: Replacing the piston rings (elRey)*


_Quote, originally posted by *elRey* »_if so, how do you keep the crank journals clean?

You can cover a lot of the crank with clean cloths to prevent crap from landing on it while doing the honing.


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## meanEG (Aug 21, 2005)

*Re: Replacing the piston rings (digitalhippie)*

nevermind you are really not worth arguing with, you are so right about everything, happy?


_Modified by meanEG at 6:11 PM 4-24-2006_


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## jettatech (Oct 26, 2001)

*Re: Replacing the piston rings (meanEG)*

I like to wash the engine internals with warm soapy water after the hone portion of the repair. the suds help lift off the grit from the components, which in turns prevents component wear (from the grit). it would be a good time to look at the head while its off, test for leaking valve seats, inspect carbon build-up, ect. Good luck with your repair. bern


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