piston ring clocking - advice?

[MotoBando]

Does anyone here know how to line up the ring gaps on a 4.6? I've heard of multiple ways to do this...but the way the manual says to do it does not make a whole lot of sense to me....and the illustrations don't seem to make it clear either. When looking at the arrow on the top of the piston, how should the rings line up? I know the arrow faces front, and I know not to put the gaps centered on the thrust faces, but that's about it. Any further guidance or an illustration that makes sense is greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
Brian

 

[MotoBando]

Is there an exact science to this or does the exact placement of ring gaps not matter all that much on a lower compression motor?

Thanks again!

 

[Joe's Disco]

it's every 120 degrees, isn't it?

 

[MotoBando]

I've heard that too, as long as the gaps are not on the thrust face (perpendicular to the gudgeon pin). Unless someone else chimes in I will go that route

 

[xengineguy]

Make sure you check the end gap of the rings !!! Use a piston to square the ring in the bore. Check every cylinder, place the rings in order with each cylinder assigned to a ring set. Easy to do and overlooked all the time. If for some reason you have to much gap,get another set of rings, If you dont have enough end gap, file the rings with an end gap filer .

 

[R_Lefebvre]

Don't the rings just wander around while the engine is running anyway?