Re: "Honing rings"

[Tubs]

This is the process as best as I can understand it
and is not meant to agree or disagree with any
comments that have been posted.
Keeping it as simple as possible honing creates
a surface that allows the ring to only come in
contact with a small percentage of the cylinder. As the
motor runs the highest part of the cylinder material
is worn away achieving more and more contact until
100 % contact is achieved. At this point the ring has
become seated. If a ring is moved from its seated
position it is no longer seated. The result this will
have will vary as to how it will effect compression
from one motor to another but a ring won’t seal as well
as it did in its seated position. Reusing a ring that can’t
be returned to its seated position requires the surface
of the cylinder to again be put in a textured state so this
process can re-occur to achieve the best possible ring
seal. That will occur when the cylinder is completely
smooth again but you have only added years of wear
just to get back to where you started. Taking an old
ring that is probably out of round to some degree
and is worn down (check the end gap) so it no longer
has the tension against the cylinder wall to ware it
smooth again is asking a lot in my opinion. Its best
not to disturb the rings unless you have the parts to
rebuild the cylinder properly because your likely to end
up with less compression than when you started. If the
the rings are stuck so bad you cant get the motor started
or the compression is so low it won’t run properly, and
all that is available is used parts – you got to do what
you got to do. If you mike a worn ring you will see they
don’t ware evenly. The thickness at the end gap will be
the thinnest. If you find the ring measures evenly all the
way around you never should have taken the motor apart.
Honing the cylinder and putting the used parts back in
only adds years of ware. If both the cyl. and the rings
are out of round enough there may be places around a
ring that it will never completely seal.
I always get a pre WWII motor running first and give it
a chance for the rings to free up. Today’s oil will clean
out the old carbon and varnish. If the rings are stuck in
places you will notice improvement in how a motor runs
over time as the rings free up. The smaller the motor the
more noticeable this is. If I get to the point where I believe
the rings should be free but don’t feel a motor is running
as well as it could then I will check the compression to see
if that is in fact the issue.
I couldn’t get this motor to run so I had to hone the
cylinders and replace the rings. It runs fine but have you
ever raced anyone with the same motor as you and they can
just creep away from you? I’m guessing I lost a mph. or 2.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjSPM6mp4eY&t=38s

A "Boathouse Repair" is one thats done without having tools or the skills to do it properly.