165. Honing of a cylinder liner is performed to retain a certain amount of lubricating oil which reduces the wear on the piston rings and cylinder liner. A two-step honing process consists of pre-honing and __________.

Plateau honing is the correct second step in a two-step honing process, as it removes surface peaks while retaining valleys that hold lubricating oil, thereby reducing wear on the piston rings and cylinder liner. This process follows pre-honing, which establishes the initial size and geometry.