When to get a new cylinder????

[Agrarian]

I'm in the process of rebuilding a Husky 262xp that had a stuck ring and the associated cylinder deposits/grooves when I got it. I removed the aluminum piston deposits from the cylinder (thanks to all who discussed the muriatic acid trick!) but am left with a cylinder that has some wall damage. At what point do you throw it away and buy a new cylinder versus a hone job and call it good enough.

This saw will not be used hard and I am not trying to squeeze every last hp out of it. Will the damage tend to eventually cause the new piston and ring to fail or will it just decrease the compression/power? I know that this is hard to answer without seeing the cylinder and pictures inside a cylinder never really show the actual condition so I am just looking to understand how you determine when the damage is too much.

All opinions on this are appreciated!

 

[pops21]

Post up some pictures and we can help you better.:msp_smile:

 

[russhd1997]

If you can still feel the scratches with your fingernail after cleaning and lightly sanding the cylinder it will need to be replaced. If the chrome or nikasil coating is pitted or peeling you will also need to replace the cylinder.

 

[CTYank]

What russhd said. Why trash a new piston/ring?

Saw cyls have extremely thin coating- hone won't take out the scratches.

 

[pops21]

If you can still feel the scratches with your fingernail after cleaning and lightly sanding the cylinder it will need to be replaced. If the chrome or nikasil coating is pitted or peeling you will also need to replace the cylinder.

Not true. Some pitting is no big deal as is scratches. Especially below the exhaust port. Even above the exhaust port is usually runable. Now if there are LARGE sections of niki missing then its a no go.

 

[fearofpavement]

My guess is that if you are "wondering" if it is ok or not, then it probably is. Ones that are completely buggered are usually pretty evident and there are a lot of "in between" ones that some on here would trash and others would use them without a second thought. Sometimes, you just have to decide whether you want to give it a go or would you rather spend the extra bucks on a cylinder even if it may not be necessary. You are essentially "gambling" the cost of the piston vs the cost of a cylinder. How much cylinders cost would play into this. Or as they say in the hangar, "the airworthiness of a part is inversely proportional to the availability of a replacement"

 

[Agrarian]

Thanks guys. I would post pics but I don't have a means of getting a good pic of the damage (above the exhaust port). I know that honing will not remove the scratches, I was only hoping to knock down the raised areas along the scratches as opposed to having the new ring do it.

After all this I guess you just confirmed what I originally thought - it is a calculated risk. Buy just a piston/ring for $35 or a complete aftermarket cylinder/piston kit for $110.

Thanks for the help!