Mechanic Glossary

Ridge Reamer

A specialty cutting tool used to remove the wear ridge of carbon and metal at the top of an engine cylinder before removing the pistons.

A ridge reamer is a tool that cuts away the lip of carbon and metal at the top of a cylinder. As pistons travel up and down, they wear away the cylinder walls, but the piston rings never reach the very top. This leaves a raised ridge of metal and hard carbon just below the cylinder head surface. If you try to push the piston up and out of the block without removing this ridge, the top piston ring will catch on the lip, breaking the ring lands or seizing the piston.

The tool mounts inside the cylinder and uses an adjustable carbide blade. You turn the lead screw to expand the guide blocks against the cylinder walls, then rotate the tool with a wrench. The blade shaves away the ridge until it sits flush with the rest of the bore. Work slowly and check your progress often. Shaving too deep will gouge the usable cylinder wall below the ridge.

Frequently Asked Questions

Only if you adjust the blade to cut too deep. It should only shave the ridge at the top. Once the blade starts cutting the worn cylinder area below, stop.
If the wear ridge is small, you might force it out, but you risk cracking the piston ring lands and ruining the piston. For medium to heavy wear, reaming is required.
Reaming leaves metal shavings. Wipe the cylinder walls down with a clean, lint-free cloth soaked in light engine oil, then vacuum the debris from the engine block.

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