Cylinder Liner Reconditioning

Enquire Now
Surface Matters Deglaze & Hone Two Options Grinding Matters Equipment Manpower Location Cost Benefits
Procedures: Workshop Onboard
Gallery

Bore Range
60 mm to 350 mm+
Service Deployment
In-Situ / Onboard & Workshop
Precision Standards
OEM Roughness & Ovality Met

The Liner and Why Its Surface Matters

Diesel engine cylinder liners are typically centrifugally cast from alloyed cast iron with a lamellar graphite structure. The liner guides the piston and rings as combustion energy is converted into motion, so its running surface must meet strict tribological requirements: low friction against the piston rings to limit internal engine losses, and enough oil retention to avoid mixed or solid friction, which can lead to piston seizure or jamming.

As part of our comprehensive cylinder liner restoration process, we clean the liner and conduct crack detection tests, ensuring the liner is honed back to the required cylindricity.

Why Deglaze or Hone Your Liner?

In service, the running surface wears and glazes. Left untreated, it affects both engine performance and operating cost.

Problems Left Untreated

  • Wear edge near top dead centre
  • Scoring and scuffing marks
  • Ovality and taper
  • Glazed surface that cannot hold oil
  • High cylinder oil consumption and blow-by
  • Ring wear, scuffing, piston seizure

What Reconditioning Gives You

  • Liner back within the maker’s limits
  • Controlled cross-hatch finish for oil retention
  • Better seating of new piston rings
  • Saves cost and lead time of a new liner
  • Before-and-after measurements on record

Two Options We Offer

Deglazing, honing, or both. We recommend the right one after our measurements and inspection

OPTION 1

Deglazing

  • •Light pass with fine stones
  • •Breaks the glaze, refreshes the cross-hatch
  • •Minimal material removal, bore size practically unchanged
  • •For liners still within wear limits, e.g. when fitting new rings

OPTION 2

Honing

  • •Coarse stones first, then fine stones
  • •Removes wear edge, scoring and scuffing
  • •Corrects ovality and taper
  • •Restores bore size and roughness to the maker’s specification
  • •For worn or damaged liners, within the maker’s limits
DEGLAZING HONING
Purpose Restore oil retention Restore geometry and finish
Material removal Minimal As needed to reach specification
Fixes wear edge, scoring, ovality No Yes, within limits
Bore size Negligible change May increase; remaining wall and ring size checked

Why liner top Surface grinding matters

Honing restores the bore, but the top surface of the liner is what seals against the cylinder head. A reconditioned bore is only as good as the surface it seats and seals on, so we strongly recommend checking the top surface on every job.

Why it is important

  • •Seals combustion pressure between liner and cylinder head
  • •Keeps the liner seated evenly in the engine frame
  • •Uneven or damaged surface causes gas leakage, blow-by and local overheating
  • •Uneven clamping can distort the liner bore and undo the honing result

What grinding gives you

  • •Flat, smooth and true sealing surface
  • •Even load from the cylinder head
  • •Reliable gas and water sealing
  • •Correct seating of the reconditioned liner
  • •Longer service life of liner and piston rings.

What we look for

  • •Corrosion, pitting and fretting marks
  • •Wear, indentations and burn marks
  • •Flatness of the top sealing surface
  • •Squareness to the bore
  • •Condition of the sealing surface between liner and engine frame.

We grind the sealing surfaces between cylinder head and liner, and between liner and engine frame, on medium bore diesel engines, both in our workshop and on board your vessel, using our Chris-Marine surface grinding machine.

Equipment we use

Advanced honing, grinding and measuring equipment, matched to the size of your liner.

Delapenia Auto Stroker

  • •Bore: 60 to 350 mm
  • •Stroke length: 800 mm
  • •Auxiliary and smaller liners

Chris-Marine surface grinding machine

  • •Sealing surface, cylinder head to liner
  • •Sealing surface, liner to engine frame
  • •Medium bore diesel engines
  • •Used in our workshop and onboard
  • Download CPM Brochure (PDF)

Measuring and testing

  • •Bore gauges and micrometers
  • •Profilometer for surface roughness
  • •Dye penetrant testing kit
  • •All instruments calibrated yearly

Chris-Marine HON X2

  • •Bore: 500 to 1,000 mm
  • •Stroke length: 4,000 mm
  • •Larger and main engine liners
  • •Electrically driven, automatic
  • •Programmable stroke and cross-hatch angle
  • •Adjustable stone pressure and speed
  • •Used for onboard and in-situ work
  • Download HON 2A Brochure (PDF)

Who carries out the work

Certified technicians

  • •Dye penetrant testing by certified technicians
  • •Experienced in honing, grinding and metrology

Certified gears, calibrated tools

  • •Lifting gears certified yearly
  • •Measuring instruments calibrated yearly
  • •Lifting with suitable belts at designated points

Trained riggers

  • •Liner handling by trained riggers
  • •Supervised by our lifting supervisor, who has completed the Singapore WSH Lifting Supervisor Course

bizSAFE Level 4

  • •Certified for workplace safety and health management
  • •Valid until 12 August 2029
  • •PPE worn throughout; chemicals handled per safety data sheets

Where we can carry it out

Workshop or on-board. Deglazing and honing are available at both.

In our workshop

  • 16 Tuas Avenue, Singapore
  • For liners already withdrawn, and spare liners
  • Full inspection: visual, dimensional, dye penetrant on request
  • Fixed honing machines with calibrated measuring tools
  • Typical honing time”: about 1-2 hours (auxiliary), 3-4 days including full process (main engine)
 On board your vessel

  • Alongside, at anchorage or at a shipyard, by arrangement
  • Liner stays in the engine: no withdrawal or transport
  • Our field service team brings the equipment, including surface grinding
  • In-situ bore measurement and visual inspection
  • Typical honing time*: depends on bore size, condition and number of cylinders; confirmed at quotation

*Indicative only; actual time depends on liner size, wear and the maker’s requirements. For onboard and in-situ solutions, feel free to reach out to us to discuss how we can assist with your specific requirements.

Cost Benefits of honing onboard

Lower direct cost

  • •No liner withdrawal and refitting
  • •No crane and rigging for liner removal
  • •
  • •
  • •No packing, transport or shipping to and from the workshop
  • •No replacement liner needed while the liner is within limits

Less vessel downtime

  • •Work carried out during port stay or alongside other maintenance
  • •No waiting for workshop turnaround
  • •Unit-by-unit scheduling to suit your plan•
  • •Engine back in service sooner

Lower risk

  • •No handling or transport damage to the liner
  • •Fewer seals and O-rings disturbed as the liner stays seated
  • •
  • •
  • •Same measurements and report as in the workshop

How we carry out the process

Workshop process

1 Stage 1 – Job preparation
– Review engine model, maker’s manual and limits
– Prepare calibrated tools and PPE

2 Receiving inspection
– Record received condition, verify model and marking number
– Visual check and photographs

3 Dimensional check
– Bore measured at top, middle, bottom for ovality and wear
– Outer diameter and length checked against specification

4 Clean and inspect
– Solvent cleaning
– Wear edge at TDC, seating area and O-ring grooves

5 Dye penetrant testing
– On request, by certified technicians
– Scavenger ports and contact surfaces

6 Stage 2 – Your approval
– Report with photographs sent to you
– Work proceeds only upon your approval
– Replacement recommended if beyond limits

7 Stage 3 – Deglazing and/or honing
– Machine mounted and aligned on the liner
– Coarse then fine stones, as the option requires
– Bore and taper checked continuously
– Cross-hatch held to specification

8 Top surface grinding
– Sealing surfaces checked for flatness and damage
– Ground where required, liner to cylinder head and liner to engine frame

9 Final verification
– Bore, taper and roundness re-measured
– Roughness checked with profilometer
– Final visual inspection

10 Protect, pack and report
– Protective grease on inner and outer surfaces
– Wrapped, labelled and packed
– Reconditioning report issued with the liner

How we carry out the process

Onboard process

1 Pre-arrival planning
– Confirm engine model, bore, units and maker’s limits
– Agree work window, access and permits
– Prepare equipment and consumables

2 Engine readiness
– Crew prepares the unit: piston withdrawn, bore accessible
– Engine isolated per vessel procedures
– We protect scavenge spaces from debris

3 In-situ measurement
– Wear, ovality and taper recorded before work
– Compared with the maker’s limits

4 Visual Inspection
– Scoring, scuffing, cracks, wear edge at TDC
– Dye penetrant on accessible areas on request, by certified technicians
– Findings reported to the chief engineer

5 Deglaze and/or hone
– Portable machine set up in the liner
– Stone pressure, stroke, speed and cross-hatch angle set
– Bore checked as work proceeds

6 Top surface grinding
– Top sealing surface checked for flatness and damage
– Ground where required onboard, using our surface grinding machine

7 Final check
– Final bore and roughness measured
– Compared with the maker’s specification
– Unit released for reassembly

8 Protect and report
– Protective film applied to the bore
– Before-and-after report to the chief engineer

Come Talk To Us!

Let us know how we can help you. Send us the engine model, liner marking number, bore size and a few photos, with your preference for workshop or onboard service, and for deglazing and/or honing.

CONTACT US NOWsales@metalmachines.com.sg