# Need advice, Rebuild Pistons and rod caps mixed up



## Azazel (May 3, 2009)

What do I do? I couldnt find a paint pen to mark my pistons and rods. So I labeled my table and set each piston and rod cap in my marked boxes. I left to get some stuff at harbor freight, and my wife decided she would clean up Basement and a course she put my pistons and caps in a 5 gallon bucket. So I have no ideal which piston goes where and which cap went to which rod. Any marking to help identify


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## Azazel (May 3, 2009)

Ill answer myself, after cleaning them rod/rod caps have stamps on them. Man what a relief ? was in a panic.


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## jp2code (Jun 2, 2011)

If that happens, there isn't much you can do.

The reason you want to put them all back in the same spot is because slight fluctuations in manufacturing tolerances make each part wear differently.

The complete engine assembly settles in with this and forms seals within the engineering specs.

If someone swaps the parts up, they are going to create new wear spots in those same mounting locations.

The chances of 2 parts being out of spec in the exact same spot are small, so the engine is likely going to wear a new spot. Now your engine has 2 wear sports to keep in the engineering tolerances, and that can often result in loss of oil pressure in seal bearings or valves that do not open fully for lifters or tappets.


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## Azazel (May 3, 2009)

Thanks for info. Rod/Cap has numbers stamp on each side where bolt goes in. I had to order new pistons, will honing be all the bores need or will I need take it to machine shop. 

A lesson learned, easy off oven cleaner works magic on removing carb, But don't forget to clean them in 10 mins or so. It shot my pistons cause I fell asleep before cleaning them up. I'll show some pics in another post just for a warning to all.


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## rogoman (Dec 16, 2004)

See if there's an edge at the top of each bore. By running your finger nail up the bore and feeling an edge at the top, tells you that there's some significant bore wear. To determine how much, you'll have to measure the bores and compare with the specs in the FSM. If you're at the max limit or beyond, then a re-bore may be needed. Bore gauges can be rented at most auto parts stores. If you're within limits, then a simple honing will suffice; just go easy on the honing; end up with a nice cross-hatch pattern.


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