# Golf mk3 8v piston rings **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** gti, volkswagen\ **Created:** [July 23, 2009, 9:28pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/golf-mk3-8v-piston-rings/33877 "2009-07-23T21:28:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![golfmk3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecb155/32.png) [@golfmk3](https://community.cartalk.com/u/golfmk3)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 9:28pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/golf-mk3-8v-piston-rings/33877/1 "2009-07-23T21:28:20Z")
hi everyone,can anyone please tell me what i need to do, im going to try and change my piston rings,i have manual book, i want to change my piston rings, change my head gasket put and to put the cylinder head back on, i want to know how to timing the engine on rebuild. whats the first thing to do?do i time the engine after i fix the cylinder head, do i put the crankshaft to tdc first?and then put the cylinder head after how does it work??can anyone explain please. thank u ---
**Author:** ![texases](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/texases/32/862_2.png) [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 9:36pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/golf-mk3-8v-piston-rings/33877/2 "2009-07-23T21:36:48Z")
As much as I admire your nerve, this is kind of like asking ‘I haven’t done this before, how do I remove my appendix?’ There are a lot of things that need to be done, it’s a big job. Do you have any friends with lots of experience you could bribe to help you? ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 9:51pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/golf-mk3-8v-piston-rings/33877/3 "2009-07-23T21:51:11Z")
To replace the piston rings you need to remove everything connected to the head, remove the head, remove the oil pan, remove the connecting rod bearing caps, ream the shelves off the tops of the cylinders, push the pistons up through the holes, replace the pistons using new connecting rod bearings…after inspecting and measuring the crank areas where the bearings run…, replace the head, and reconnect and adjust everything. Now, since wear surfaces “seat”, and bearings cannot be reused, you’ll also have to remove the engine, pull everything off the front and rear to free the crank, have the crank ground, hone (as a minimum) the cylinder bores, and then go to the reassembly step. Reassembly involves carful measurements with tools such as micrometers and plastigage…how are you with vernier scales? And of course you have to moly the parts so they have lube when they start rubbing rather than starting dry. I’ll stop here for a breather…is this starting to sound major? The headgasket… is it blown? If so, do you plan to check flatness on the head and check for erosion, having the head milled if necessary? ---
**Author:** ![golfmk3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecb155/32.png) [@golfmk3](https://community.cartalk.com/u/golfmk3)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 9:58pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/golf-mk3-8v-piston-rings/33877/4 "2009-07-23T21:58:23Z")
thank u for ur anwser mate. i know everything is need to cum off the piston roads, and everythin, i just wana know about how to put the timing belt on then set up the distributor, do i put the pistons on no1 tdc, then fix the cylinder head on, then turn the crankshaft timing the cam shaft,do i fix the distrbutor at the same time when doing the crank shaft timing? thats all i just wana find out.it shows on the manual book, but the thing that i didnt understand is do i start timing after i fix the head cylinder head on or before that i need to set the pistons, how does that work u kno… thank u ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 10:06pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/golf-mk3-8v-piston-rings/33877/5 "2009-07-23T22:06:37Z")
First you get the head back on and torqued and then you time the camshaft(s) and the distributor based on the #1 cylinder. Be sure you don’t gete these out of phase. The piston will come up twice, once for compression (that should be followed by the distributor being on the firing position) and again to push out the exhaust. You don’t want the plug firing at the top of the exhaust stroke. Sincere best. ---
**Author:** ![mcparadise](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mcparadise/32/32_2.png) [@mcparadise](https://community.cartalk.com/u/mcparadise)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 10:08pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/golf-mk3-8v-piston-rings/33877/6 "2009-07-23T22:08:18Z")
If you have a shop manual it should have the answers to all of your questions. This is much too big a job to explain long distance. You have a LOT of work to do before you get to the timing phase. One step at a time. ---
**Author:** ![golfmk3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecb155/32.png) [@golfmk3](https://community.cartalk.com/u/golfmk3)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 10:19pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/golf-mk3-8v-piston-rings/33877/7 "2009-07-23T22:19:14Z")
yes erm ye what about before tourqing the cylinder head on, so i set the pistons half way through so it want touch the valves when putting the head on?is it then i take 2 turn thenset up the pistons to number 1, then ligned the cam shaft on the marking then fit the timing belt?then 2 turns get the no1 then fix the ignition timing the distributor? its abit confusing ) ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 10:57pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/golf-mk3-8v-piston-rings/33877/8 "2009-07-23T22:57:27Z")
It can be daunting. Take your time, read every detail over until you’re sure you understand it, and follow every step carefully whether it seems necessary or not. The devil is in the details. ---
**Author:** ![oldschool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e19adc/32.png) [@oldschool](https://community.cartalk.com/u/oldschool)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2009, 12:16am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/golf-mk3-8v-piston-rings/33877/9 "2009-07-24T00:16:21Z")
What is a golf mk3 8v? ---
**Author:** ![golfmk3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecb155/32.png) [@golfmk3](https://community.cartalk.com/u/golfmk3)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2009, 12:20am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/golf-mk3-8v-piston-rings/33877/10 "2009-07-24T00:20:04Z")
yes golf mk3 gti 8v ---
**Author:** ![oldschool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e19adc/32.png) [@oldschool](https://community.cartalk.com/u/oldschool)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2009, 2:40am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/golf-mk3-8v-piston-rings/33877/11 "2009-07-24T02:40:20Z")
Who makes it VW? what does the mk3 tag refer to? 8V is 8 valves correct? Is this a special car in some aspect? ---
**Author:** ![texases](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/texases/32/862_2.png) [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2009, 2:53am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/golf-mk3-8v-piston-rings/33877/12 "2009-07-24T02:53:45Z")
Yes, a VW Golf, 3rd generation ('93-'99), with the 8v engine instead of the 16v. Looks like this: [![](http://team1.poweredbyaloe.com/images/jon_golf_hp.jpg) ](http://team1.poweredbyaloe.com/images/jon_golf_hp.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![ok4450](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ok4450](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ok4450)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2009, 5:31am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/golf-mk3-8v-piston-rings/33877/13 "2009-07-24T05:31:41Z")
Not trying to be derogatory here at all but if you have to ask about the first thing to do when timing the engine do you think you can handle a ring job? If this is going to be one of those hone and hope jobs it may or may not get you by for while. A proper job requires a number of specialized tools and techniques. As to timing, etc. the components should all have marks and the manual you have should spell all of that out. In a nutshell, everything goes together and then you line it all up. ---
**Author:** ![hd72mm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/9fc29f/32.png) [@hd72mm](https://community.cartalk.com/u/hd72mm)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2009, 5:10pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/golf-mk3-8v-piston-rings/33877/14 "2009-07-24T17:10:41Z")
Why do you want-need to change rings? If the rings are wore so bad they need replacing the motor will need a lot more than just rings. It would be a shame to do all the work involed for new rings then 6months later have something tear up that should have been replaced when motor was apart, cam seals,cam bearings,water pump,timing belt or chain. It may be best to keep adding oil and drive it