Repair 7

Signs of a Broken Piston Ring

An engines piston rings will help keep the engines compression where it should be and prevent oil from going into the cylinders. Piston rings can wear out from the use of poor-quality gasoline, which leads to carbon deposits or engine knock, as well as from the engine overheating.

High Oil Consumption

Broken or worn-out piston rings will lead the engine to burn oil by allowing the oil to leak into the cylinders. If you determine that your vehicles engine needs oil more often than normal, it could indicate worn-out piston rings. Check the cars undercarriage to find out whether you have an oil leak, which could also explain your engines constant need for oil.

White Exhaust

As the engines oil leaks into the cylinders and burns along with the fuel, the vehicles exhaust system will then take the burned oil in the form of smoke all the way through the vehicles tailpipe. When a vehicle first starts up in colder weather, the exhaust will appear white at first. Constant white or gray exhaust---no matter the temperature outdoors nor how long you drive your car---could indicate worn-out piston rings.

Poor Performance

Worn-out piston rings will affect the overall performance of your vehicles engine and emissions system. Worn piston rings not only leak oil---they allow air to pass through, affecting the engines overall compression. A lower engine compression will lead to a decrease in power as well as fuel efficiency. The introduction of burnt oil into the emissions system will also increase the amount of pollutants exiting the vehicles tailpipe, possibly leading to it failing an emissions test.