Quote Originally Posted by turbob20
well were suposed to be anwering his question not arguing. the point is it can happen expecially if the oil has gotten too low. rings get washed out all the time by rich fuel and water and crack due to friction.ive seen it happen. if the water can wpie out bearings the why cant it get to the cylinders?
Rings wear prematurely due to oil starvation, which you mentioned, poor oil upkeep, or beating on the engine while it's cold. I'm trying to say that the rings were damaged before the head gasket issue came about.

The only risks associated with having coolant introduced into the cylinder are killing the oxygen sensors, reducing combustion efficiency and, in severe head gasket problems, hydrolocking the engine.

The piston rings couldn't care less about what goes on inside the cylinder.They only need lubrication from below the piston. There is fire and grit and carbon particulates continually present in the cylinder during normal operation of the engine. How could water possibly be worse for the rings than fire and pieces of carbon? Even if the coolant could wash away the oil in the cylinder, that's not how the cylinder is lubricated. It's all from underneath.