Can anyone point me toward a tutorial with pictures documenting piston ring replacement on a 1.3 Samurai engine? Is there an easy way to do it without removing the engine?

You have to remove the engine, because the oil pan must come off to gain access to the crankshaft and rod ends,and the straight axle is in the way.When replacing the rings, it is usually wise to replace the pistons as well.

Nah, don't remove the engine.  Remove the axle instead.  I just did the same thing with my tracker.  It blew the head gasket and I decided on new rings, crank bearings, con rod bearings all at the same time.  I did have to drop the front axle to get it done, but I thought that it was easier than yanking the motor completly out.  I had my machine shop clean the pistons and re-used them because there didn't seem to be any wear to speak of.  I also used plasti-gage to check the bearing clearances as I went back together.  So far so good!

Good Luck!!

You should check the wear on the bore is acceptable before replacing the rings. The bores should also be honed (glaze busted) before installing new rings.

  Thanks for your replies, all the info helps a ton. So are there any nice tutorials out there like this one:  http://www.izook.com/tech/samurai/drivetrain/pwalrad/pwalrad.htm   that document piston ring, piston replacement?