Going to get my car tonite and wanted to ask you guys about the break in for my newly built motor and make sure what the shop tells me coincides with what you guys know.

Please tell me the do's and don'ts for breaking it in so it gets a good seal and lasts a good while this time





--serious knowledgeable information needed

 

Make sure of no unusual noises, make sure it drives correctly.. beat on it for a little while, go back and let it cool off/heat cycle.. then beat on it some more.

Don't "break it in" soft.

 

don't break it in soft- really I would've thought you would not want to drive it like you stole it at first

 

i would (and did) beat on it,just keep the revs below like 5500 for like 500 miles, and like stated a cool down period is very important

 

Only broken in a few motors, but I normally start up and check for leaks, noises, etc and let idle for about 10 minutes while I'm doing all that. Then I top off my fluids and drive around the block a few times checking stuff out, pressure, temp, etc. Once that's done and it's heat cycl'd a couple of times and everything is sealed you drive it normally. I break in the motor driving it how it's going to be driven.

 

Which for me includes LOTS of WOT operation

 

Well, if you are "sure" that everything has been put together correctly, then I guess you could break it in like you stole it----as some on here suggest (I, personally would be afraid to).

Frankly, for my money, I would drive it for a few hundred miles, varying the RPM between 1500-2000 just to make sure everything seems ok.
Why, you query----because if something is not right and you beat the hell out of it out of the gate, you might just wish you hadn't.

If you are going to be pedal to the metal all the time, then I assume that you can pay to play. JMHO

 

Great way to not seat the rings and end up with an engine that consumes oil...

1500-2000 RPM for a few hundred miles? That's nuts.

 

well i've read the MOTOMAN'S take on this and man that scares me after dropping that much money into this motor and can't afford to do it again anytime soon

it makes sense though what he's saying

i want my rings to seal good whatever it takes i'll just have to pay someone to do those steps if i do it his way

the shop told me to use regular oil, drive it 1500-2000 rpms or normal driving for a few miles let it cool down, then repeat that a few times. What's confusing is some of what motoman said is what the shop says then certain things go astray. BOTTOM LINE-i want my rings to seal so it doesn't smoke or use oil

HAVE ALL OF YOU CHANGED THE OIL AFTER 20 MILES??? i've got a 35 mile trip home in it


Injueer and shoebox-need your input and opinion's

 

No I don't change the oil after 20 miles. I change the oil after a tank gas and I use a 2qt filter as well. Dont' cruise around under 2,000 rpm, you should be comfortable taking it up to 5,000 on occasion and don't baby it. I often will take mine to 3K+ when I'm driving around town and 5K+ getting on the highway and I have about 200 miles on my new motor. You won't hurt anything as long as you aren't redlining it all the time and hanging gears.

 

Not so fast mogumbo jumbo: if you take the time to read, I said "for my money" I would.... For your money you can do anything you want. I had a brand new engine and had a cam installed. A couple of red lines and I wound up with another brand new engine.

Just sayn', if it is new from the factory or a warranteed rebuild, that's one thing. If it has just been rebuilt by some shade tree mechanic, I'd be more comfortable easing into it rather than redlining it right away.JMHO

 

You would have ended up with a new engine anyways if it blew up after a few redlines.. not seeing the benefit here.

 

Perhaps. Anyway, what you, and many others are saying, is that if you take it easy on a new engine that you have forever ruined the engine for getting maximum use and performance. And that the only way you can fix the problem is to have the cylinders rehoned and new rings installed and start over again with the ***** to the walls break-in method.

That certainly is depressing, especially for those millions of new car buyers who are just following their owner's manuals.

Not saying you are wrong. Just saying how depressing it is.

 

That was due to faulty install, not the break in process. I too agree with the "beat on it" technique, though within reason. I would keep the revs around 5500 and below and do a lot of engine braking. Break in period is usually no more then 200 miles.

 

Ok then: Now that I have a couple thousand on my new short-block and it isn't smoking and I kinda was easy on it duning the break-in, I can only hope that the rings are seated alright and that I didn't screw it up too much. And if I did, there isn't much I can do about it now.

Still goes like hell.