The piston rings on any engine have three main purposes - to ensure the combustion chamber’s tightness, to clean the cylinder and to leave a very thin layer of oil on its surface in order to reduce friction.
As with other modern gasoline engine, the Toyota Camry’s pistons have three rings each, which depending on how you use your vehicle will wear out at some point.
Apart from increasing the wear between the piston and cylinder, worn out piston rings will make the compression chamber loose its tightness, which directly results in gasses escaping and the loss of power.
There are several techniques on how to check the combustion chamber’s tightness, but the most easier method (despite the fact it won’t be as accurate) is to simply open the engine’s oil cap and start the engine.
If there are a lot of gases coming out, especially blue or gray smoke, this means that the piston rings are worn out, the gases are escaping through the gap between the pistons and the cylinder wall towards the crankshaft and oil catch pan. And since the only connection between the catch pan and the cylinder head is made through the timing chain housing, all the gases are going through there and exit through the oil filling cap you just unscrewed.
This is a DIY guide and, as such, you must be aware the procedures described here involve some risks. autoevolution cannot be held responsible for any possible damage that might result while following this guide.
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