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Cylinder wall deglazing is critical for the proper seating and sealing of new piston rings in car engines. Left unbroken, the “glaze” on highly-polished cylinder walls prevents piston rings from mating with the cylinder bore and providing an adequate seal. In used car engines, glazing is caused by the reciprocating movement of pistons, which polishes cylinder walls to a smooth finish. Glazed cylinder walls also cause friction and lubrication problems since engine oil won’t adhere properly to a mirror-smooth surface.

Cylinder Wall Glaze Breakers for Engine Cylinders

RobertRO of CarDomain knew that he needed to deglaze the cylinder walls of his BMW M30B34 engine, but worried that he might “ruin everything” since he’d never honed an engine block before. Honing, a type of abrasive machining, breaks the glaze on engine cylinders and improves the geometric form of metal surfaces. Since rigid hones such produce uneven or unidirectional grooves that may prevent optimum lubrication, RobertRO choose the Flex-Hone® tool from Brush Research Manufacturing (BRM).

Glaze Breaker Hones from Brush Research

Unlike conventional honing stones, BRM’s flexible honing tool produces a controlled surface condition and a cross-hatched pattern that’s extremely efficient at creating grooves for oil retention. BRM’s glaze breaker hone also “busts” the myth that cylinder honing is a risky business with the engine block on the car and the crankshaft installed. Abrasive honing waste can damage your car’s engine, but only if you let the dust cover the moving parts, and if you fail to clean the engine properly with warm, soapy water.

Engine Block Honing for a Plateaued Cylinder Wall Finish

Before honing the engine block in his BMW 5 series, RobertRO rotated and covered the crankshaft. Working on a “cylinder by cylinder basis”, the amateur engine mechanic then used the Flex-Hone® to produce the necessary plateaued cylinder wall finish.  Comprised of abrasive globules laminated onto the ends of flexible nylon filaments, the Flex-Hone® tool from Brush Research is self-aligning, self-centering, and self-compensating for wear. The Flex-Hone® is also easy-to-use, as RobertRO learned.

Once worried about whether or not he could hone engine cylinders, RobertRO now remembers his engine rebuild project with pride. “I was undecided,” he explains, “should I hone or not? Now, when I look back, I am positive it would have been a big mistake not doing it.”