Final check and questions before it goes together

Makes sense. Never gave thought to pressure getting trapped between the first and second ring...
And please excuse my ignorance, but why doesn't anyone use a total seat first ring ?
Would negate the trapped pressure issue logically anyway.
 
To add to this, you cannot have a total seal top compression ring on a factory cast style piston due to the top ring being keystone. A two piece total seal ring package requires a square style ring, which the second compression ring is.

In a performance application we can alter the ring land design/size to accommodate both compression rings being square style in either 1/16" or 5/32" and choose whether the top or second ring is two piece.
 
So if you were using, say a D&J FSR piston, you could run a total seal top ring reliably ? And that would be acceptable on a performance build that also sees significant DD use ?
 
My opinion for any set of circumstances would be to not use a total seal ring in either location for extended street use. Now this isn't to say anyone else's opinion is right or wrong, that is just the stance I take regarding this subject.
 
The problem I see is there is a lack of information regarding the result of running a total seal ring in a diesel street driven application. In an instance such as this I tend to err on the side of caution, you may have no issues with your setup, so I don't mean to say you did it wrong or will certainly be unsuccessful.
 
Looks like you will be the source of data on this topic Broaner... Now go put some miles on that Engine ! Lol.
 
Good info on the total seal rings. Blowby sucks but I will use the oem rings and make a good catcher/breather system to keep the underside clean. Not like the current motor that keeps getting a continual oil change, no draining necessary haha
 
Weird, I thought it was alot more common. Well I set em on the loose side of their specs so here's hoping. So far so good. Absolutely zero blowby at idle on a brand new engine. Blowby oil catch is about what I would expect from full boost at about 70psi. I didn't see any oil out the catch can breather until now and I haven't drained it since install in 5k miles. Not planning to push this thing too hard. It might make 1100 on current tune and thats where I'm gonna leave it if thats what it does. Still need to get drive pressure gauge hooked up to see if i can go to 5,000 revs. Right now I've got it limited to 4500.

The super thin "rail" piece that creates the "total seal" did have me somewhat concerned during assembly. Doesn't take much to catch an edge and roll that sucker. Time will tell. Approaching 5k miles so far on this engine.
 
Last edited:
This is the reason I decided against the total seal 2nd ring , I couldn’t find enough real info from people who actually did it so I went stock . Keep us updated how yours works Broaner .
 
Will do. I actually called total seal during assembly to get clarification on specs and parts confirmation. They had some decent insight so I get the feeling more people than we might think are running them on diesels.
 
They are very commonly used in diesel applications, however far more so in competition applications rather than street driven situations.
 
I like using the total seal as a second ring. It allows you to run a larger ring gap on the top ring and still have low blow by. I have about 30,000 miles on them on my 05, right now.

I would not use them as a top ring. From my experience in other applications, having a total seal ring as the top ring with a high temp combustion chamber, will cause the ring to loose tension.
 
I know this thread is largely about street engines, but I spoke with 3 different very experienced engine builders about this and none of them recommended it. Each of them stated their reason against a gapless 2nd ring would cause the top ring to flutter. What the tell signs of that are, I don't know.

However; when I bought a set of diamond pistons, the rings they recommended were the total seal with gapless 2nd. So I bought and installed them in my pulling engine to no ill effect that I'm aware of, it had practically no blow by at north of 1000hp and sustained 4k+ rpm. The thin ring still had good tension at the end of the year. The pistons didn't hold up as well as the rings. I don't think I would do either one in a street engine that I didn't want to maintenance regularly, as in tear down. My opinion

Sent from my SM-G930R4 using Tapatalk
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top