Getting my car out of the shop tomorrow... New Cam, New lifters, ALL new gaskets ( head gaskets,rear main seal, oil pan, timing) new timing chain se... Anyways.. am i supposed to baby it for a certain amount of miles so it " breaks in" or can i just jump in and drive it hard??? If i do need to break it in... how many miles and under what conditions? under how many rpm?? thanks guys

 

First time you crank the car let it run for 30mins, shut it of then change the oil.

Then go 250miles and change the oil again, after that you are ready to rock.

I wouldn't go over 4k rpm.

 

Depends on how you are going to drive it! Get in it and drive it like you want it to run. I would take it around about 30 miles change oil, and then lay into it. 5k down to 1500 then up and down. Be sure and hammer it through the power band. Then let out of it. Everyone has there own way to do this. Do what feels comfortable but, this is the most crucial time for your motor to find its identity! Have a ball!
Kenneth

 

oh yeah,
I have always been told to run a full tank of gas after the 30 mile oil change and then change it and you are good to go. Since you are in Florida you are at or close to sea level. You have a good chance of getting full potential out of it.
Kenneth

 

I let it idle for 20 min. then took it out for a ride taken it easy for 5 min then started to have fun. PArked it and changed the oil.

 

I changed my oil in 25min of runing, and drove 60miles did another oil change. Drove in all rpms none above 4300 for 500-600miles and nailed it.

 

Ok.. so idle it for about 25-30 min.... drive it for about 30 min ..keep it under 4k rpm.. change oil... then im ready to romp it?????

Oh and do i change the oil filter also or no?

 

Yes change your filter, as the stuff breaks in , you should have some metal in the your oil pan, I think when I do mine, I'm going to put some kind of magnet on the bottom of the oil pan , to attract the particles when the oil cools down and settles. I would spend the extra money on the filters just to be safe, even a cheap filter is better then not changing it at all.

 

Before 500 miles:

Try not to exceed 55 mph for extended periods of time
Do not go on long trips and keep the car running at the same RPM, try to vary your RPMs
Do not do any hard launches on your car
Do not let the car sit idling for long periods of time
When starting the car cold, let it warm up a minute or so before accelerating hard

 

Speed does not matter...... Run it through the power bands several times just have fun.
Kenneth

 

Factory calls for:
1) No hard accelerations
2) Don't go over 50 MPH
3) Don't stay over 20 minutes at the same RPM

.. for 1000 miles.

 

Since you have no new bearings and no rings to seat I wouldn't worry at all. I have done lifter/cam/head swaps and never had any break-in procedure and never had a problem.

If you were doing bearings and rings it would be a differnt story.

Beat on it.

 

There's a man with the right answer!

Also...here's some good reading.

http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm

 

I would be somewhat cautious about what I read on the internet. He is right... it is controversial. We agree on the fact that a new motor will have metal shaving / particles while it is wearing in.

Where we disagree is the idea of Full Throttle and Running it Hard during break-in.
1- The oil filter will be critical component here. Often overlooked during the break-in, the type of filter is critical. There have been many studies about the different brands (Cardboard vs. Metal backings, types of by-pass valves, Synthetic Media vs Paper, etc). Running it hard should be done only with extreme caution. Most filters engage the by-pass at changes of 8-12 PSI variances. If you romp on the throttle, your PSI will change dramatically which would engage the bypass and circulate the metal particals in the oil gallery. Also, I would use extreme caution with using any filter with Cardboard backings to seal the paper media which could blow out. Also, you could clog the filter quickly on the break-in (metal, gasket sealer, stray materials, etc) which is where we agree that the filter should be changed quickly after the initial 20 minute cycle... not the cycle printed on that webpage.

The initial cycle is 20 minutes at 2000 RPM.

Another note, if you use a K&N on the break-in, it is designed for flow and not minute filtration. It isn't recommended on the break-in. Mobil 1 uses a synthetic fiber media which filters very well. It also has an excellent by-pass mechanism which doesn't jam. If you are using an inferior filter (Fram, etc.) you may get a stuck by-pass valve after one or more full throttle rips. You may regret that.

If you do decide to go the Give it Hell break-in like the website says, then at least use the best filter... Mobil 1.

2 - Manufacturers visit the factory and know the specifications that they use to machine. They didn't forget about the print in the manual. Publications are updated bi-annually with annual reprints. If the manufacturer knows the machining tolerances, the will print whatever meets those tolerances.


If your dragracing nitro meth, then blast the engine and rebuild between runs. But I wouldn't recommend the agressive break-in.

If you do, then gradually apply the throttle... don't romp it.

 

[QUOTE well said, BTW who sells mobil 1 filters?