M1 0w-20 + K&N + 96 Saturn SL2 w/156K= 40+ MPG!!

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Originally posted by GT Mike:
It's the rings...We rebuild at least one Saturn 1.9L (usually the DOHC) engine a month. The cylinders are usually in decent shape, so a simple honing to break the glaze, and a new set of rings (we use Hastings brand with great results) is usually all they need. The oil control rings are almost always stuck in the pistons due to carbon holding them in. Not quite sure why, but I do know they run a very thin ring, and they're located very close to the piston top. That may have something to do with it.

As for the timing chain causing oil breakdown...Not too likely. The timing chain setup is similar to that of the Quad 4 series of GM engines which worked pretty good. A gear to gear setup like Toyota uses in their DOHC engines with one cam being driven by the timing chain, and the other counter-rotating on a cast-in gearset is murder on oil by comparison.

I've never seen a Saturn engine fail because of what could be determined as oil degradation. 99 times out of 100, it's just rings that have either lost their tension, or have stuck in the grooves that cause the chronic consumption they have. The compression rings are usually decent yet. Very rarely, if ever, do these engines show signs of blow-by such as oil in the breather tube/air intake. In fact, the compression pressures are quite impressive (150+ PSI on average) for an engine this size even when they have a bazillion miles on them.


I appreciate the info. Thanks!
 
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