What Causes Cylinder Scoring?
3 Answers
Cylinder scoring can be attributed to the following reasons: 1. Poor cylinder lubrication. Insufficient or interrupted supply of cylinder lubricating oil leads to direct metal-to-metal contact, resulting in cylinder scoring. 2. Inadequate running-in. To achieve effective running-in within the shortest possible time, both the duration and load distribution must be carefully considered. Prolonged running-in under excessively low loads may still fail to complete the process, while rushing into high-load operation can cause cylinder scoring. 3. Insufficient cooling. Poor cooling leads to excessive temperatures in the cylinder and piston, causing lubrication issues. It also causes the piston and cylinder liner to overheat, expand excessively, and deform, losing their normal clearance and resulting in cylinder scoring. 4. Abnormal piston ring operation. Gas leakage damages the lubricating oil film, raising surface temperatures. Broken piston ring fragments can easily fall between the piston and cylinder, leading to cylinder scoring or seizure.
A while ago, my car suddenly stalled on the highway. After a cylinder inspection, it was found that the engine oil was too old and its lubrication effect was severely compromised, causing intense friction between the pistons and cylinders, leading to damage. It was entirely my fault for neglecting maintenance and forgetting to change the oil on time, resulting in engine overheating, expansion, and cylinder wall damage. The repair cost nearly five thousand, which was quite painful. Since then, I've developed a habit: checking the engine oil level and color every month and changing the oil every six months. The engine is the heart of the car, and proper lubrication is essential to avoid cylinder damage. Routine minor maintenance is low-cost and much cheaper than major repairs—don’t wait until it breaks down to regret it. Safety on the road comes first, and a healthy engine ensures stable driving.
Driving for over 40 years, I've encountered all kinds of issues, with cylinder scoring being the most common. I believe it's mostly due to insufficient lubrication or foreign object interference, like degraded engine oil losing its lubricating properties, or dust entering through the intake and scratching the cylinder walls. Driving habits also matter—stopping immediately after high-speed runs causes rapid thermal expansion and contraction of hot components. After every long trip, I let the engine idle for a few minutes to cool down, change the oil regularly with the correct grade, and have basically avoided major issues. Prevention is simple yet effective; otherwise, repair costs can easily run into thousands, and you might end up replacing a half-new engine. Car owners should pay more attention to maintenance to keep their vehicles trouble-free.
