O’Reilly Auto Parts Machine Shop Service

O’Reilly Auto Parts machine shops offer services like cylinder boring and burnishing, flywheel grinding, connecting rod reconditioning, crankshaft straightening, piston resizing, and more. Each machine service is completed by our experienced professionals using high-quality equipment and their expertise to do the job right the first time.

Cylinder Boring, Honing, and Burnishing

When an engine needs to be rebuilt, resizing the piston or installing a cylinder sleeve is an option depending on the type of engine, level of internal damage, and what caused the engine to fail. The cylinders are normally resized and sleeved if there are any cracks or irreparable damage in the cylinder wall, or if the cylinders have been previously bored and are close to the maximum bore size for safe operation. The pistons may also be knurled or resized to fit the sleeve if they are not damaged beyond repair or machining tolerances. Oversized pistons may also be used if the sleeve is larger than the stock bore. This can allow you to save money by reusing the same engine block and pistons for your rebuild.

Cylinder Head Machining, Cleaning, and Resurfacing

Cylinder heads can be damaged or warp when an engine overheats or if the head gasket fails. The cylinder heads may need to be resurfaced to remove any waves or deformities so the head can be installed against the engine block without leaks. To resurface cylinder heads, the side of the head which makes contact with the engine block is milled until the surface is flat and within OE specifications. If the heads are milled out of specification, it can cause the combustion chamber to be too short for the stroke of the cylinder, and the pistons may make contact with the open valves in the cylinder head. When heads are being resurfaced, they may also need to be cleaned to remove any carbon or oil buildup before engine reassembly. You may also choose to port and polish the cylinder heads to complete the repair. This will allow the heads to be restored to like-new condition before they are reinstalled, and this can help ensure maximum cylinder head and valve life. Trust our machine shop professionals to properly repair your engine’s cylinder heads and bring new life to your engine.

Flywheel Resurfacing

Vehicles with a manual transmission have a clutch that connects to a flywheel. Over time, the flywheel, pressure plate, and clutch can wear out from friction or heat, and the flywheel may suffer damage and need to be resurfaced, or “ground”. Grinding a flywheel will create a flat, smooth surface so the flywheel can make proper contact and engage completely with the clutch. It is recommended that you have the flywheel on your vehicle ground when your clutch is being replaced to ensure a complete repair and like-new clutch performance. Our machine shops can grind flat and recessed flywheel surfaces, as well as truck, VW, and R&R ring gear flywheels.

Connecting Rod Reconditioning

The connecting rods are vital to engine operation, and any flaws in a connecting rod can reduce the efficiency of an engine. If your engine needs to be rebuilt, the connecting rods may be able to be reconditioned and reused when the engine is reassembled. During reconditioning, engine rods are cleaned, tested for hardness to ensure proper metal strength and composition, and measured for straightness. Then, the rod bolts and end cap bores are attached and measured for stretch and roundness. If the connecting rod bolts have stretched, they can be replaced, and if the bores are out of round, they may be able to be honed and brought back into specification. Once the connecting rods have been tested and reconditioned, they are safe to be reused when rebuilding the engine. Our machine shop can not only recondition your connecting rods, but can also press in new wrist pins to provide a complete piston assembly that’s ready for installation.

Crankshaft Grinding

If a crankshaft is damaged by normal wear or a bad bearing, it may be able to be refinished and reused. Crankshaft grinding is a process that removes a small amount of material from both the rod and main crank journals to return the crankshaft to OEM specifications, if possible. Most crankshafts can have up to 0.050” of material removed and remain in proper specification. This may require the use of larger bearings to ensure proper engine operation. The crankshaft can also be balanced during the process to help ensure the engine runs smoothly. Having a crankshaft ground can be less expensive than replacing the crankshaft when rebuilding an engine, so let our experienced professionals handle all of your crankshaft grinding, straightening, and machining needs.

Other Machine Shop Services

Our machine shops offer other popular services such as engine balancing, engine block cleaning, valve lapping, bearing pressing, installing freeze plugs, and fitting kingpins. A full list of our machine shop services is available, or simply call your local O’Reilly Auto Parts machine shop location to ask about their available services. Not all services may be available at every location. Let O’Reilly Auto Parts help you complete your engine repair, rebuild, or machining project. We carry all the parts you need for most automotive, motorcycle, commercial, industrial, and agricultural applications, and our local machine shops can provide all of the precision-machining you need to restore performance to any vehicle.

O’Reilly Auto Parts’ FREE Store Services

Along with free starter and alternator testing, O’Reilly Auto Parts also provides several other free store services, including free Check Engine light testing, wiper blade installation, headlight bulb installation, battery testing, and fluid and battery recycling. Stop by a local O’Reilly Auto Parts store and chat with one of our knowledgeable parts professionals to learn more about our free store services.