Do You Know The Proper Cylinder Honing Procedure?

[6t56]

I have an 80 el tigre 6000.The guy I got it from took the head off and left it off for about a year.The cylinders have some spotty rust in them but otherwise look good.Can I hone the rust out?What is the proper procedure for honing a cylinder anyway?Let's say you have a good used cylinder with no rust but you want to hone it before you put it back together.How do you know when you have honed it enough?Also what kind of hone do you use?Thanks

[sl1pl1kespac3]

you could buy a "straight hone" for around 225$ . they also have spring loaded hones and ball hones. there not the best of choices compared to a straight hone but they will get the job done. usually when honing you apply oil to the cylinder or the stones on the hone. i forget which one, or maybe its both. anyways, if you skip adding oil, you will destroy the bore on the cylinder. hope this helps any

[jsolberg]

I have an 80 el tigre 6000.The guy I got it from took the head off and left it off for about a year.The cylinders have some spotty rust in them but otherwise look good.Can I hone the rust out?What is the proper procedure for honing a cylinder anyway?Let's say you have a good used cylinder with no rust but you want to hone it before you put it back together.How do you know when you have honed it enough?Also what kind of hone do you use?Thanks
[/b]

You should be able to do this with a drill mounted three stone or ball hone of 220-280 grit provided the cylinders have an iron liner, not a plated cylinder bore. You want to move the hone up and down the bore as it rotates so you achieve a 30-45 degree cross-hatch pattern. If you just want to remove light rust and restore the cross-hatch, a ball hone works well and is easiest for an amateur to use.

You do need to use lots of oil to keep the hone and cylinder from loading up with metal particles. I've heard people swear by all types of oil, I just use plain motor oil. After you're done, wipe the bore out with clean rags as best you can. Then wash it thoroughly in hot soapy water. To test for cleanliness, lighly oil a clean white rag and wipe the bore with it. If there is ANY trace of metal on the rag, keep washing the cylinder until the rag comes out perfectly clean.

Lastly, check the piston skirt clearance once you're done. If the clearance is too large, you'll get piston slap that will eventually break the piston skirt. No, I don't know the correct clearance for your engine. Maybe someone else can help with that.

It's good practice to hone a good used cylinder when fitting new rings to help the rings seat, and the cross-hatch helps retain oil for reduced wear. Fifteen to thirty seconds should be enough on an otherwise undamaged cylinder.

Used plated bore cylinders, if they're not worn through, also should have a 320 ball hone run through them briefly when installing new rings. Just enough to create a light hatch.

[sl1pl1kespac3]

also, might i add, after honing your cylinder out and you have a nice clean cylinder, use a cheaper type of oil during the break in process. this allows the rings to seat better

[6t56]

also, might i add, after honing your cylinder out and you have a nice clean cylinder, use a cheaper type of oil during the break in process. this allows the rings to seat better
[/b]

What do you mean by cheap oil?Why would this help seat the rings?Thanks

[jsolberg]

Doing my research on honing and break-in some years ago, I found out everyone has an opinion and almost every opinion is different.

My guess is the cheap oil theory is supposed to make the rings wear faster, therefore seat (conform to the cylinder) quicker.

I go with the normal oil and mix ratio camp. I'll trade a longer break-in period for lower engine temps and better bearing protection.

[toocheaptosmoke]

I have always heard that you shouldn't use synthetic during break in, but I've heard just about every other break in procedure too...

here's an interesting read,
http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm

[sl1pl1kespac3]

if you use a synthetic oil, the protection is so well now adays that the rings take quite a while to seat. thats why i use cheap oil during the break in process to get the rings to seat better. yes the rings will wear faster thus making them seat faster then a synthetic oil.

[jsolberg]

http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm[/url]
[/b]

That IS a very interesting read toocheap, and I can understand his point. A lot of guys back in the day broke their sleds in by running hard. "Break 'em in like you're going to run 'em" they'd say. Then again, every engine company said break in easy, and you'd think the design engineers would know a thing or two about it. I've wondered why some of my rebuilt engines show blowby so quickly, and mototune's theory would explain that.

I'd be concerned about heat though in my vintage fan engines, free airs would be even more at risk. Maybe short aggressive runs with cool down time in between would do the trick.

My concern with using "cheap" oil, or adding extra oil as some manufacturer's recommended, is that it will increase the buildup of carbon in the ring lands during break-in. The last thing you want.

Even the experts have differing opinions, so who's to say what's right.

[Blizz]

be careful if you use a ball hone as they are not the best for 2strokes they screwup your port edges.