2003 Dodge 5.9 diesel NV5600 knock/tap/clatter, Ideas?

[AH64ID]

Rings done while sleeve install work was done were never loaded enough to seat properly.

What makes you think that? It doesn't take long to seat these rings, especially with how often you said you tow.

Did you not notice the sleeve with the head off last time?

 

[Tuesdak]

What makes you think that? It doesn't take long to seat these rings, especially with how often you said you tow.

Did you not notice the sleeve with the head off last time?

I am on here to get a better idea of this engine and as to Why this happened. Best I can tell this isn't exactly normal for this engine to be in this shape with it's low miles.

Been my experience that unless the rings are broken in properly they won't ever seat properly later no matter what. (Cyl walls glaze over making it impossible?) So IMO the PO never broke them in and then later they couldn't seat no matter what I did to them. I feel I did run it hard enough after I bought it to break them in if it was even remotely possible to still do so. I have seen the same thing on military surplus (used) 6.5's that were never loaded enough to break in. The second ring(s) in one 6.5 I tore down still had the break in coating on half the ring face after I put 30,000 miles on it of 550 miles a day of hard towing through The Rim. (7%+ grades that go for miles of wide open throttle below the speed limit.) Granted these 5.9's are different engines so I am all ears to what else could have happened to have the two top 2 rings with 1/2 the ring face with the break in coating still on them. (Cheap rings, cylinder taper, bad finish, overheated?)

No, What Sleeve? I am subbing this work out to a Cummins repair shop(s) as I am not that familiar with this engine. The plan of subbing it out, aka buying experience, isn't going so well. This type of repair (sleeve) is new to me and the 1st shop didn't notice it. 1st shop thought the head came from a junkyard. They didn't notice a lot of things like a bent pushrod so what's that tell us? At first glance it doesn't look easy to tell a sleeve from the top side.

2nd opinion shop told me more of what was going on in 30 min than the 1st shop did in months. So this ordeal has been unnecessarily frustrating up to this point.

 

[AH64ID]

From what I have been told by a very well known Cummins engine builder is that the rings seat almost instantly with some boost and load thanks to their design and the higher combustion pressures of a forced induction motor.

You could have a bad sleeve, bad piston (you said was aftermarket, correct), or something else.

Without seeing it up close I would guess that the bent pushrod allowed for excess carbon buildup in the cylinder and that is what caused the ring failure. I have seen similar end results from carbon on other engines.

 

[Tuesdak]

Ok I'll make sure the shop looks harder at it so it doesn't happen a second time. Machine shop is measuring the block now. It's all 6 holes where the rings did not seat. Both the top and 2nd rings have half their face with the break in coating still on it. Just 1 of 6 pistons is/was aftermarket, to repair #1 of course.