What are the signs of a bad engine piston?
2 Answers
Here are the symptoms of a bad engine piston ring: Oil burning occurs, leading to blue exhaust smoke and increased oil consumption. Engine malfunction causes abnormal engine operation, resulting in insufficient power. Piston ring breakage leads to decreased compression, with severe consequences such as cylinder scoring. Cylinder seizure occurs due to severe wear between the piston ring and cylinder wall, causing excessive temperature, piston expansion, and the piston getting stuck in the cylinder, resulting in engine failure. In severe cases, excessive pressure combined with the piston's inability to move can cause cylinder explosion.
When driving, if the engine makes strange knocking or metal clanging sounds, especially getting louder during acceleration, and the power becomes noticeably weaker, the car feels sluggish, the throttle response is poor, and fuel consumption may inexplicably increase. Once, I noticed unstable engine RPM, severe idle shaking, and black smoke from the exhaust pipe. Upon closer inspection, it turned out the piston rings weren’t sealing properly, and engine oil consumption had increased. These are all signs of issues with the pistons or related components. Leaving it untreated for too long can damage the cylinder walls or other parts. As a car owner, I suggest not delaying—get it checked at a professional shop as soon as possible. After all, the engine is the heart of the car, and delaying repairs will only cost more. During regular maintenance, pay attention to changing the engine oil and spark plugs, as this may help prevent such issues.
