to hone or not to hone

[comdiver]

I have the rear axle apart to change over to singles. I ordered new seals and brake cylinder kits to be replaced at the same time. Nothing is leaking, I just thought it would be easier just to break it down once. The cylinder bores look good and shiney. Should I just clean it up and replace the parts or hone it first?

 

[Recovry4x4]

I hone them everytime.

 

[clinto]

How many times can you hone them before they are oversize? I assume there is a spec of maximum ID, but I haven't been able to find it.

 

[54reo]

Hone them while you are in there.

 

[Jake0147]

The tires on my car are not leaking. Should I break them down and patch them anyway?

The purpose of honing is to make a surface that will seal against the rubber and not tear up the rubber. If you have this now, then what will the honing accomplish? You should have a hone handy when you're looking at them so it isn't tempting to say "close enough", however if the cylinders are good inside then honing has no benefit to offer you.

 

[jimk]

Honing a good bore is unnecessary. Many, including myself, may do a very light hone just in case. Light honing will never wear out the bore and can remove small imperfections in bore that have small issues. A Heavily pitted bore may respond to excessive honing as the seals can make up for almost any oversize. This should be avoided because large pits will look ok but really be rust filled holes polished smooth. JimK

 

[cbvet]

I've been working on vehicles for 45 years. I always lightly hone wheel cylinders to remove any "glaze". Then after they are clean, you can feel for imperfections which may cause problems.
May not always be necessary, but sure can't hurt.
Eric
CBVET

 

[desertfox]

I agree with cbvet. But also remember when honing wheel cylinders the hone must be a very fine grit hone. Too coarse and you defeat the purpose. Wheel cylinder cups will not last long under a coarse hone.

 

[jfnemt1ff1]

I agree with cbvet. But also remember when honing wheel cylinders the hone must be a very fine grit hone. Too coarse and you defeat the purpose. Wheel cylinder cups will not last long under a coarse hone.

Yep As far making the bore to large, all I can say when I worked in an engine rebuilding shop after boring the block we would hone with three difffrent types of stones. It takes a while to remove enough metal to mike it over size. As long as you have friction on the rubbers it willl be fine.
John

 

[randyscycle]

As far as "honing" I think that the term should be cleaning really.

The only time I would "hone" with a ridgid type stone setup, is if there were significant pitting or rust on the surface of the bore to warrant refinishing the surface. Then though, there is the risk of oversizing the bore and losing the sealing ability. Be sure if you buy a wheel cylinder hone to get a good one. The "chatter hones" sold at most auto parts stores really don't do a very good job and unevenly remove material from the bore.

I ususally, if they aren't badly rusted, use a "brush type" hone which has the plastic stems with a small ball of abrasive on the end. These remove very little material and will leave a good cross-hatched surface for sealing the cup to the bore. They are usually finer grit as well for the reason mentioned above. These are similar to a "glaze-breaker" used on engine cylinders.

Ultimately if there is any doubt, just replace the wheel cylinders all together.