TOPIC:

Hey everyone. I have to replace my head gasket for the second time. I did a complete top end rebuild last year but the bike uses a lot of oil. I plan to install new rings on the 4th piston because the plug was wet with oil when I pulled it. i know i will have to hone the 4th cylinder after I put new rings on but will I also have to hone the other 3 if I plan to reuse the rings?

It's a good idea. Did you replace the valve guide seals?
Steve

Correct me if Im wrong. but I would say that you dont put new rings on just one cylinder. If youre going to do them,you need to do them all! Hone them,re-ring them,de-coke and polish them,lick them,bless them and bang them in!
Question your top end rebuild (at the very least your torque specs!!!) if youre replacing the gasket for a second time!! Whats that all about??
Thats my tuppence worth,there are others here,greater than I,That will point more acurately in the right direction.
Good luck with it.

davido wrote: Correct me if Im wrong. but I would say that you dont put new rings on just one cylinder.

That's what I thought.

When I did my new piston I replaced all of them. I temporarily reused the rings that came with the stock pistons and bores but they leaked and when I took them out, one ring was broken.
Steve

The rings that are in the bike now have less than 200 miles on them. I'm thinking I damaged a ring on the fourth piston while reinstalling the jugs. The place I brought the cylinder to for honing the first time I rebuilt the top end charged 20 bucks a hole so I wanted to make sure all of them needed to be honed before forking out 80 dollars. Ill go ahead and rehone them all because this is the last time I want to do this

I wouldn't rehone if you did it 200 miles ago, except maybe on that one cylinder. Get yourself a bottle brush hone and just do it yourself next time. Hopefully the damaged ring didn't also damage the cylinder. The two typically go hand in hand.

That's right. You could see where the broken ring was wearing but it cleaned up with a hone.
Steve

Clean spark plug, install it, then mark top of it on side(you need to know position). Start engine for a few min, remove spark plug and look where dark spot is.
If it is toward one of valves, that is where oil leaks.

I took the head off the engine last night and the cylinders all seem to be in good shape. There are a lot of crusty black deposits on top of the pistons (more than there was last time I took the engine apart last summer). I'm going to try to hone all of the cylinders myself to avoid paying the shop another 80 dollars. Is there a trick to make sure I am just honing the cylinders and not boring them out? The last thing I want is to have to buy oversized pistons because I messed up.

What about the valve guide seals?
Steve

nickleo373 wrote: I took the head off the engine last night and the cylinders all seem to be in good shape. There are a lot of crusty black deposits on top of the pistons (more than there was last time I took the engine apart last summer). I'm going to try to hone all of the cylinders myself to avoid paying the shop another 80 dollars. Is there a trick to make sure I am just honing the cylinders and not boring them out? The last thing I want is to have to buy oversized pistons because I messed up.

www.enginehones.com/

Watch some videos on how to do it. It's pretty simple.

A 240 or 320 grit hone should be used depending on what kind of rings you are using. Harder rings need a finer finish. I wouldn't go finer than 320 though.

Have you figured out why the engine was using oil? Damaged valve stem seal maybe or damaged oil ring?
Hopefully it didn't have anything to do with how you broke in the engine. You might want to review the Moto Tune break in method just to inform yourself if you are not already familiar with their technique. Good stuff.