Date:         Sat, 7 Dec 2002 12:16:54 -0800
Reply-To:     Brian Spisak <bspisak@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Brian Spisak <bspisak@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Success! (Cylinder install after removal stuck to head)
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

I sit here elated less than 5 minutes after resinstalling my cylinder after
I removed it from the engine stuck to my head.  After reading the archives,
I was lead to believe that this was a near impossible task to perform,
especially on the smaller clearance number 1 or 4 cyclinders.  Maybe I got
lucky, but I must say that the 20 minutes it took to do is by far a much
better option than struggling trying to get the cylinder unstuck over the
course of 3 days.  I still wouldn't recommend pulling the cylinder unless it
is truly stuck, so do your best, but if worst comes to worst, don't be
afraid to give this method a shot.  (To free my cylinder, even with out on
the bench, I had to heat the head with a torch, and slam the thing with a
heavy mallet - ouch!)

For those who might benefit in the future here's how it worked:

Buy a plier type ring compressor set.  You can get these on eBay for under
$30 or you can buy an expensive name brand.  I used the cheap eBay ones, and
the only thing I caution is not to over-tighten the band as they will crack
if you do.  I was using a size too big, so it didn't stop the job.  I ended
up using the 3-3/8 - 3-5/8 size.

Get the piston TDC.  Clean the piston and rings.  Offset the rings 90
degrees.  Position the band so that its ears are between the top and bottom
head bolts in the center of the block.  This allows you to put the pliers on
and angle them out of the way of the cylinder as you push it on.  Pull the
adjacent cyclinder just out of its seat so you can get a little play in it.
You'll need all the room you can get for the cylinder to clear the pliers!
Clamp the band down, leaving the top edge of the piston exposed to get the
cylinder started.  If one side of your pliers is lower profile than the
other, make sure this side is toward the piston.  (The pivot bolt on my
protruded more on one side and interferred just enough that I had to reverse
them.)  Push the cylinder on slowly checking top and bottom to make sure the
rings are compressed and sliding in.  Once the cylinder hits the pliers, it
gets tight, and you have to bump the cylinder gently in.  I resisted using a
mallet, and instead used the palm of my hand to avoid damaging the rings if
they were hung up.  As long as it keeps moving you are fine.  Push the
cylinder on just to the point the bottom ring is inside.  To get the band
off, I had to push it to the bottom of the cylinder until I could push the
ear of the band in enough to clear the head bolt.  If the cylinder were down
any farther than it was, I couldn't have got it out.  Once one of the ears
of the compressor band is past the head bolt, you can expand it enough (just
barely!) to get it to slide over the entire cylinder to get it out.

Go here to see my diagram of where to position the band.
http://www.geocities.com/bsassone/vanagon/ringband.bmp

Brian