I have a small engine repair shop that I just started in PA. A customer asked if he could bring in a generator with a Honda engine, he said it is using way too much oil. about a pint in 4 hours, wanted to know if I would put new rings in it. Here's my question. Obviously if the cylinder wall is scored too bad it will need bored, but if the walls look decent would you still hone them with a cylinder hone? what about a ridge reamer to remove the ridge at the top of the cylinder? necessary or not?

Thanks in advance for the info.

Mark

If you have a ridge at the top of the cylinder, then you have wear and new rings may not help. If the cylinder is within specs then go ahead and hone the cylinder before installing new rings. All you want to do is introduce a crosshatch pattern, that helps in distributing oil on the cylinder walls and rotating the rings on the piston.

Check ring gap reject with a new piston ring installed in the cylinder and compare it with the old ring, this can help you decide if new rings will help or not.

Before you break that honda all the way down be sure to do a leak down! If the leak is good, check for hardened, cracked stem seals and hogged out valve guides. OHV Honda's can scarf a lot of oil through the intake guide.

Sorta depends on how many hour are on the unit. Still I'd leak it first to find the direction you need to go.

If you have not taken the engine down already, then a leak down test as Bill suggested is a great idea. An overhead valve engine with a blown head gasket can use a lot of oil in a short time.

OK,

I can do a leak down test,

another question, how do I check the valve guides, I mean, what measuring device is used, and what am I looking for? how do bad valve guides make for high oil consumption? does the oil leak past the guides and into the combustion chamber?

Thanks for the help.

Guy's,

If you have an engine that is suspect of having worn valve guides, after removing the valves of course, what do I look for?

how do you repair if the guides are worn?

I am beginning a small engine side business, This is one thing I dont know a whole lot about yet but want to know.

Thanks,

Mark.

Some engines have replaceable valve guides, others have oversize valves and you have to ream out the guides. Worn guides can increase oil consumption, although I have never seen one use as much oil as what you described just from the valve guides.