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MG TD TF 1500 - honing wheel cylinders

I've just honed a set of brass-sleeved wheel cylinders, and find that the knobby hone is leaving a cross-hatched pattern as one would hope to see in the engine bores. Is this an acceptable finish for wheel cylinders, or should I somehow now polish them? If so, any suggestions how?

Thanks. Tom
t lange

Tom,

Not sure what you mean by *knobby* hone. The type I've always used looks like this:

http://www.mytoolstore.com/kd/kdbrak08.html

It doesn't leave a polished finish, more a finely brushed appearance. None of my cylinders have leaked Dot 5 after using the hone so it must be working okay.

(I'm not recommending this site or tool, it was just the first I came to when I did the search)
Gene Gillam

I use the flex-hones shown near the bottom of your reference, not the stone expansion type. I'm not sure what a "plateaued" finish is, but it seems to have "excellent brake fluid retention."
t lange

I use a hone like the top photo. The one on the bottom is what I'm assuming your referring to as a "knobby" hone? PJ


Paul Jennings

I tried to hone one of my rear cylinders but in retrospect, with the wrong type. It has the brass insert but now with scratches that I am afraid might not retain the Dot 3 fluid. Does anyone have the capability to clean up my mess? I'll be glad to pay for your effort. Thanks
Jim Merz

Jim: What sort of hone did you use?

I'm going to see if I can polish mine out with VERY fine wet emery paper on an arbor, although I am still not certain I need to. Mine are not really gouged, just have light scratches. Hence my original question!

Tom
t lange

tom, is the problem that you used that knobby hone on brass vice steel brake cylinder bores?
i am curious, if you had brass sleeves why did you need to hone?
if you can feel ridges in the brass, you do have a problem.
have you considered trying the three stone hone?
if you use and arbor, how will you keep the bore round? regards, tom
tom peterson

It was a set of sleeved but used cylinders, which were so dirty that they needed to be gone through. There were ridges which turned out to be not corrosion but some hard substance that honed out nicely. I believe a brake cup degraded, perhaps because it was long past it's due date...

I have always used knobby or flex hones and have never had a problem before, but, as I think of it, I have never used them on a sleeved cylinder. In retrospect perhaps I ought to have used nothing mmore than a piece of Scotchbright pad in a slotted rod with a drill, which might have been less aggressive. In fact, I still might, in hopes of polishing the scratches out of the bore.

I'm still unclear whether the scratches - which look like bore honing, not more - are a problem. I don't think so, but don't know either way.

I appreciate the help and advice.

Tom
t lange


Tom, I used an old brake cylinder hone three stone that was too short to avoid catching in the brake lever cutout. Stones were too rough too. Maybe this is one I will have to recycle if it cant be smoothed out.
Jim Merz

This thread was discussed between 06/04/2010 and 08/04/2010

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