Cylinder Bore Honing

WARNING: This page is about a different car, the 2008 Ford Pickup, 2008 Ford F550 Super Duty, 2008 Ford F450 Super Duty, and 2008 Ford Cab & Chassis. However, it is still accessible from the selected car via links, so may be relevant.

Material

Item	Specification
Penetrating and Lock Lubricant (US); Penetrating Fluid (Canada) XL-1 (US); CXC-51-A (Canada)	-
Threadlock 262 TA-26	WSK-M2G351-A6

The most preferred cylinder block cleaning method is the "hot tank" method. All gallery plugs must be removed prior to hot tanking the cylinder block. If a hot tank is not available, soap and water is the approved alternative cleaning method.
Remove the gallery plugs.
1. Remove the tappet oil gallery plugs.
2. Remove the main oil gallery plug.

NOTE: A sealing compound must be applied to the gallery plugs prior to installation.

Apply a coating of threadlock to the gallery plugs and install.

NOTE: Continuously spray the cylinder wall with penetrating and lock lubricant while honing. Do not exceed more than 25 strokes per cylinder bore because too much could be removed from the cylinder wall.

Spray the cylinder wall using lubricant.

NOTE: Remove the piston cooling oil jets prior to honing the cylinders. Failure to do so will cause damage to the piston cooling oil jets.

NOTE: Always remove the hone from the cylinders while the hone is still rotating. Failure to do so may cause an inconsistent pattern to form allowing excess engine oil to enter the combustion chamber.

NOTE: An air or electric drill motor with an adjustable speed down to 100 RPM is required to hone the cylinders. If a drill motor meeting this requirement is not available, cylinder honing cannot be carried out or cylinder block damage may occur.

NOTE: It is not necessary to remove the crankshaft to hone the cylinder block. However, it is recommended to oil the crankshaft journals then wrap them with clean shop towels and tape.

NOTE: A 101.6 mm (4 in) deglazing hone is required to hone the cylinders of this diesel engine.

Insert the hone into a cylinder and begin honing for 3 seconds at a cycle of 2 strokes per second. Remove the hone from the cylinder.

Fig 1: Honing Cylinder Bore

Courtesy of FORD MOTOR CO.

Wipe a section of the cylinder wall and inspect the crosshatch pattern, comparing it to the neighboring (untouched) cylinder.

Fig 2: Cylinder Wall Crosshatch Pattern

Courtesy of FORD MOTOR CO.

Repeat the honing process until the cylinder wall has a satin-like finish, or the maximum 25 strokes are achieved.

NOTE: If the following steps are not followed, rusting of the cylinder bore(s) may occur.

Clean and preserve the cylinder bores in the following sequence.
1. Clean the cylinder bores using a mild soap and water solution.
2. Dry the cylinder bores thoroughly using a clean, lint-free cloth.
3. Soak a clean cloth in clean engine oil, and wipe the cylinder bores with the cloth.
4. Drape a clean cloth over the cylinder block to keep contaminants out of the cylinder bores.

NOTE: There is no authorized repair for cracks in the cylinder block. Reinstalling a repaired cylinder block may result in catastrophic engine failure. If cracks are present, install a new cylinder block.

NOTE: Do not substitute rubbing alcohol for wood alcohol. Using rubbing alcohol will affect the results of this check.

Inspect the cylinder block for cracks not visible to the eye.
1. Coat the suspected area with a mixture of 25% kerosene and 75% light engine oil.
2. Wipe the area dry and immediately apply a coating of zinc oxide dissolved in wood alcohol. If cracks are present, the coating will become discolored at the damaged area.