How Flexible Honing Promotes Engine Performance

Flexible honing promotes engine performance by imparting the ideal surface finish to cylinder walls. During engine manufacturing, cylinders are bored and then finished to size with a rigid hone. This initial honing method creates rough, uneven peaks that can interfere with piston ring seating and sealing. Instead of waiting for the piston rings to wear-down these peaks, engine manufacturers and mechanics can use Flex-Hone® tools from Brush Research Manufacturing (BRM).

BRM’s flexible cylinder hones are designed to refine the surface finish on cylinder walls, removing only the peaks and the rough, torn, and folded metal that’s left by initial engine honing. BRM coined the term plateau finishing to describe this process, which reduces these raised areas or peaks to a uniform height so that they resemble a series of plateaus. Flexible honing also imparts a cross-hatch pattern of oil-retaining grooves or valleys that promote optimum lubrication. 

Plateau Finishing

As Brush Research Manufacturing (BRM) explains in The Necessity of a Plateaued Cylinder Wall Finish, flexible cylinder honing reduces oil consumption and blow-by, an engine problem that results in loss of horsepower. As engine mechanics know, blow-by occurs when the expanding gases in the combustion chamber slip past the piston rings and into the crankcase. Blow-by not only reduces engine compression then, but can also contaminate and dilute the oil that’s in the crankcase. 

By promoting proper piston ring and sealing, flexible honing supports engine performance in both the automotive aftermarket and the performance racing industry. Flex-Hone® tools are also great for engine rebuilds where the bores are not out-of-round. Although BRM’s surface finishing tools contain the word “hone” in their name, they’re not meant for heavy-duty material removal. Instead, these plateau hones are designed to impart the ideal surface finish to cylinder walls.

Cylinder Wall Deglazing

For example, as many engine mechanics have seen, the cylinder walls in a used engine can have a glaze-like finish. That’s because over time, the reciprocating movement of the pistons polishes the walls or cylinder liners. Left unbroken, this glaze can prevent engine oil from adhering properly and result in friction and lubrication problems. The Flex-Hone® tool deglazes cylinder walls and imparts the same cross-hatch pattern of oil-retaining grooves that are so important in new engines.

BRM’s flexible cylinder hones can be used on-line during machine tool applications, or off-line as a secondary operation. For example, during engine manufacturing, Flex-Hone® tools are often mounted in machine centers for automated deburring and surface finishing. For engine mechanics, chucking the tool into a handheld electric tool provides outstanding results. To see the benefits of Flex-Hone® technology for yourself, check out the 350 Engine Rebuild photo album on BRM’s Facebook page.  

Learn More at PRI 2014 (Booth #5511) | Watch Flex-Hone® Videos Now

Do your tradeshow plans include a visit to PRI 2014 in Indianapolis next month? Visit BRM in Booth #5511 at the Indiana Convention Center and see Flex-Hone® tools, NamPower technology, and BRM’s full line of automotive and diesel brushes. To arrange a meeting in advance, contact us. Our technical specialists are ready to answer your questions about surface preparation, parts cleaning, burr removal, and automotive surface finishing.

For more information about engine hones for the automotive aftermarket and the performance racing industry, download the Flex-Hone® Resource Guide and visit the BRM YouTube channel today. Watch videos like Flex-Hone® In-Machine Setup for Surface Finishing and Deburring and Flex-Hone® Featured on MotorzTV. You’ll learn more about how to use flexible cylinder hones, and how flexible honing promotes engine performance.