Stihl 044 Overheated... looking for opinions

[SteveSr]

Looks much better but I still see some vertical marks. May be nothing but might be transfer.

I don't know hat scotchbrite you have but you need to use the maroon 320 grit. Once the transfer is all gone the objective is to create a cross hatch pattern in the plating to help the new rings set. You can do this with the scotchbrite on a mandrel or by hand.

 

[mkohler]

Looks much better but I still see some vertical marks. May be nothing but might be transfer.

I don't know hat scotchbrite you have but you need to use the maroon 320 grit. Once the transfer is all gone the objective is to create a cross hatch pattern in the plating to help the new rings set. You can do this with the scotchbrite on a mandrel or by hand.

There are some vertical marks, but i was getting worried about taking too much off. I sanded and polished the cylinder pretty good and I was worried about taking it too far. The scotchbrite pads didn't have a grit number on them, it was labelled as 'fine'.

 

[SteveSr]

There are some vertical marks, but i was getting worried about taking too much off. I sanded and polished the cylinder pretty good and I was worried about taking it too far.

ANYTHING that is aluminum transfer has to come off or it will quickly foul the new rings and possibly stick to the new piston. If the transfer is relatively thick you can start with 180 and work your way up to 320. If you are paranoid you can also do this by hand. The coating is super hard and difficult to damage just be careful around the port edges.

The scotchbrite pads didn't have a grit number on them, it was labelled as 'fine'.

That grey stuff is too fine. Find some of the maroon color. You may find it in Big Box stores or auto parts / paint suppliers.