🔧 Lisle 33500 Piston Ring Installer: Ensuring Easy and Precise Piston Ring Installation Review

Installing my new piston rings on my 5.3 LM7 (GM "LS") has become virtually painless. The only thing I would have wished for was the small ring handles(?) were a bit bigger at the end. several times the rings slipped out of these slots before I could place them on the piston. All in all a great device for the money.

I keep buying more Lisle tools. They make great cylindrical honing machines, their vines work great, and now this. This piston ring tool is a good economical tool to get the job done. Not the most reliable thing in the world but I'm sure it will last forever with minimal maintenance. Used this to remove and install rings on a Cummins 6bt. Worked great.

Normal tool. The stoppers at the end broke when the spring was first installed. Because this tool was purchased months before using it, I was unable to return it. I ended up buying the same tool at a local car dealership. They worked fine. In general, the design is borderline. If another higher quality tool is available, I would choose this one.

I originally bought these to use in building my small block 383 They worked very well for that purpose and I have no complaints. Then I used it to build two smaller motors (ring size 60mm). They worked well with both large SBC rings and smaller rings. Tip for those having problems: make sure the ring is fully inserted into the tool, if it is not fully inserted into the tool you will have problems.

This can be useful for repairing small engines like lawn mowers but is a terrible tool for automotive piston rings. The ends barely grip the ring and the way the ring is forced open can easily damage it. The outer circumference of the ring is not supported in any way. Also, the jaws are made of thin, flat metal that bends easily, which can cause the rings to warp. And the inner corners of the annular gaps are not protected, which can lead to scratches on the piston. I broke 2 rings on my TDI…

For the small (60mm diameter) motorcycle engines I work with at home these piston rings don't do much before they break. With this tool, it was easy and convenient to open the ring enough so that it could slide over the piston without scratching and fit snugly into the groove. No broken nails, no broken new piston rings. Cheap and worth the price. Some might say something like, I've only ever done it by hand and never had a problem. But I say that the right tool always makes the job safer…