engine question?

[Tyler23]

i got a 97 indy 500. its got 5,000 miles with about 115psi of compresson in each cylinder. i was thinking about rebuilding in. but my ? is can i just put rings in it if the pistons are fine or should i put new pistons in it also? thanks

[Macgyver55]

Its not a problem at all to re-ring a motor providing the pistons are still in good shape, the piston to cylinder wall clearance is within spec and the cylinder itself is good as far as out of round or taper. The honing will differ slightly depending on the type of cylinder, (nikasil or not) A ball hone works best for nilasil.

[Tyler23]

can i measure the cylinder with a caliper to to see if its egg shaped or not?

[Macgyver55]

Typically you should use a cylinder bore guage to accurately measure cylinder bores for taper and out-of-round. I dont think a caliper would give as accurate of a measure.

[Tyler23]

oh ok. but if its still round and the pistons and cylinders arnt scored or have any chatter marks in then it should be just fine to just freshin up with new rings?

[Macgyver55]

A light honing and a set of new rings will usually give you a bump in compression and in turn, more power. 115 is on the low end.

[Tyler23]

ok good. i dont really need any more power its just for pulling my fish house around. and hopefully it starts a little better like it use to.