[Healeys] Overdrive accumulator piston rings - BJ8

[Mark Schneider]

Yesterday I was seeking advice on techniques for installing an  
overdrive hydraulic accumulator piston in the housing.  As I have  
never done this before I was having difficulty compressing the 4 small  
steel rings while they are fed into the housing cylinder bore.   I  
solved the challenge myself.  In truth I may have only duplicated what  
others have done before but it worked and it may be worth sharing.

I visited an automatic transmission shop and showed the owner the  
Healey OD accumulator piston and housing tube.  After a little  
searching he produced a small metal ring with the exact same bore ID  
as the accumulator housing.  The ring was only about a half inch long  
but it was perfect for compressing the rings.  I began by carefully  
installed the rings on the piston.  I used motor oil to assist in  
finessing the rings into position on the piston.  I then lubricated  
the bore of the housing with the same oil.  I then used the small  
metal ring to compress the rings on the piston to the OD of the  
cylinder ring segment.  I used dissecting needles to compress each  
ring individually .  When the ring was sufficiently compressed I fed  
the piston into the bore of the compressing ring and moved on to the  
next ring. Once all four of the outer rings were inside the metal ring  
I positioned the bottom of the piston so it was just barely showing at  
the bottom of the metal compression ring.  This allowed me to use the  
piston bottom to locate the piston directly in line with the  
accumulator housing bore.    A little added pressure on the piston and  
it slipped into the housing without the chance for the rings to  
expand.  Previously, I had lubricated the cylinder bore with the same  
oil. The piston moves relatively freely in the housing and at this  
point it is only a matter of a day or two before the my Healey will be  
back on the road.  That is assuming.....assuming I have put the  
gearbox and other components of the OD together correctly.

Marks3