b18c piston help!!

[nolan34]

Hey, total noob question, but Im doing the piston rings on my b18c for my eg. I pulled the engine, and have the oil pan, oil pump, and cover taken off, I was wondering if I can pull the pistons out through the bottom, put new rings on, and put them back in the bottom. I really dont want to take the head off if I dont need to.

Thanks.

[sr20s14zenki]

Nope, that would involve dropping the crankshaft, which would suck in its own, very hard to put bearings back in their place with any accuracy. AND, most engines i find have a stop at the bottom of the cylinder to stop your piston from going that way, ca18det and sr20det does anyways, im ASSUMING honda is the same?

too much trouble man, take off the head

AND if a head gasket for a b18b will fit, i got one brand new in a bag for you, 50$, i paid 100$

[nolan34]

thanks alot man,
just ordered one from jdm source yesterday picking it up tommorw with the rings and some others :P

[sr20s14zenki]

Okie dokie


do bearings while your in there maybe? They arent TOO Costly, and since you are going to need to remove your crank anyways...why re-use bearings.

[nolan34]

do you have any idea for price range of the bearings?
should i do anything else while im this far into it?
this is my first time doing pistons, ive pulled everything else apart before just not anything in the block..

[sr20s14zenki]

Bearings will be about 200$

Get an fsm that covers that engine. There are clearances you need to know. When changing your bearings, you will need to know where to read the grade numbers so you can order the bearings from honda. Usually the grades are stamped on teh big ends of the rods, and on the block beside the main caps and on the end of the crank. You need to do the math like the book shows you. Example, your block is stamped grade 1, and the crank is stamped grade 2, you need a grade 3 bearing (just an example, not necissarily how they do it)

get yourself a full gasket set, and have your cylinders honed for sure. You cant just put new rings in and expect good compression numbers. The honing process puts a crosshatch on, and microscopically its rough, which breaks in your rings with the cylinder walls. Also, get your taper checked just to be sure your bores are straight, and check your deck for straightness as well. Dont half ass it youll be sorry (=

when you are assembling, get some plastiguage, its easy to use and itll tell you how your clearances are looking.

you will need a few tools too

you will need a piston ring compressor, it can be found at princess auto. I hate the coil up ones, but they do work, otherwise you are looking at over 200 just for that tool

also get yourself a ring groove cleaner while you are there, they are cheap as well. Also, you will need a torque wrench, as everything has to be torqued to spec to work properly.

and last but not least, when building, CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN, is very important. Make sure everything is spotless. Make sure you use a decent assembly lube as well when doing the assembly process.

[ShermanEF9]

sr20s14zenki has it right.



do it properly or don't bother. you might as well do all the bearings while its out.

[nolan34]

thanks,
okay so i have everything taken out, and it seems that i need my crankshaft polished... does anybody know a good place that isnt going to rape me on the bill?

[sr20s14zenki]

I think its 65 here in Crossfield at Competition services, they do a great job, i dont know if youll have it back same day tho, i usually dont haha. You can get it honed there as well, they are very cheap and the owner, Bert, has like 35 years of experience or more with engines and building them.