Honing a cylinder

stroken · Nov 28, 2012

My truck has melted a piston. it has a tiny mark in the cylinder wall. can harley see it but can feel it with your finger nail. im wondering how much you can hone a cylinder to keep the same size bore. if i use a mic to measure it now and then hone it then use a mic to make sure it isnt to large for the same bore piston.

thanks in advanced.

Dzchey21 · Nov 28, 2012

Just hit it with a hone. If you have a few little marks that's ok. Don't open the bore up too much trying to getting the scratch out.

2010.6.4 · Nov 28, 2012

Like stated above just dont get carried away. Go small amounts at a time and check it to sed how it feels after you hone it once

stroken · Nov 28, 2012

how do I know if the scratch is out enough to not pass oil or be low on compression ect? sorry if this sounds dumb, im used to throwing rods in my 7.3 and just building a new engine, not replacing one piston. lol

Dzchey21 · Nov 28, 2012

Measuring is the best but its gotta be accurate. IM going to bet it will take.less than 30 sec of honing to get close.

The scratch probably won't hurt anything anyway.

stroken · Nov 28, 2012

Okay thanks. yes Im not sure i stated but it is 3/4 of the way up the cylinder wall, torwards the intake, and has a tiny scratch and a little gouge. but im not sure what is safe and whats not. small enough if I were to take a picture it probally wouldnt show up.

PowerstrokeJunkie · Nov 28, 2012

It doesn't need to last forever.. All you're going to do its beat on it some more till it breaks again

Dzchey21 · Nov 29, 2012

stroken said:
Okay thanks. yes Im not sure i stated but it is 3/4 of the way up the cylinder wall, torwards the intake, and has a tiny scratch and a little gouge. but im not sure what is safe and whats not. small enough if I were to take a picture it probally wouldnt show up.

That's way small. Just hit it with a hone for a few seconds and call it good.
My motor had a piston skirt coming apart and I scratched it pretty good and I.didnt even clean it up. Seams fine this far.

blk350on20s · Nov 29, 2012

I ran a ball hone through mine just to clean it up. Youd have to be in there for a while with that to take too much material. Got about 50 thou on the new piston and its great