On 3 May 2005 10:54:12 -0700, jw wrote:
It's not really necessary to stagger the end gaps. They are going to
move anyways.

I'm not sure about that. I tore down a Saab engine recently with
250,000 miles on it (bulletproof inline-4 2 liter engine), and all four
pistons showed the gaps in the piston rings where the manual specified
to put them. not sure why/how, but they were. I don't know the history
of the engine, but it wasn't recently rebuilt unless they left the
sludge inside when they did it...plenty of carbon and so on.

It's not a bad idea to have them unaligned, but dont' do
it in the misbelief that they will stay that way. Unless you have
pinned rings, but that is typical only on 2-stroke engines to keep the
end of the ring from snagging in the ports.

Nope, these aren't the pinned 2-stroke Saab pistons, this was for a
4-cyl.