M3 Muscle

What is your throughts on engine break in? I am talking about piston ring seating in specific for maximun power. I always use to break in and engine kinda easy, but one I found the below link I changed the way I broke in my engines.

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

Read parts 9,21,22,23,24 - The rest is interesting too.

I broke in my 2005 ZX-10R using these methods and so far no other liter bike can touch it.

Just wanting to get others thoughts on this as it applies to LS motors.

TNTramair

iTrader: (15)

subscribing for a touchy subject...

ATVracr

iTrader: (5)

Heat cycled mine a few times , changed the oil twice , put it on the dyno and started making WOT pulls.

If you engine builder is money there is no breakin.

Erik Koenig FTW!

edfiero

I've heard from muliple sources that you DO want to run the engine hard during the first couple of hours of its life. You need to apply pressure to the rings. If you baby the engine, the edge wears off and will not seat when subsequent pressure is applied.

(I think everyone agrees that an oil changes after some short distance (say 50 miles), then another one after about 500 miles are appropriate)

Viper

iTrader: (6)

I followed the mototuneusa advice, worked well. Also I did not go to synthetic until 1200 miles.

Ferocity02

iTrader: (60)

No matter what method you use, one thing is for certain, use conventional oil for break-in!

The method you choose the break it in will vary greatly. My belief is to heat cycle is and take it easy while occasionally loading the engine in short intervals. Never stay at a constant RPM.

gun5l1ng3r

I've never had the oppotunity or money to be able to break a large motor in, but from what I have read I think that you should take it easy for a short while. After maybe 100 miles most of the bearings will have had some time to seat and to heat cycle.
After that I would start getting more agressive with engine RPM as there is more run time on the motor.

ChrisS@sdpc

Just an FYI, you might find this article interesting regarding oil selection. Although the article is discussing flat tappet cams, non-synthetic oil ain't what it used to be.

Boosted LS1

I'd snap the throttle a few times to initially bed the rings but wouldn't go WOT to early in case it bore washed the cylinders. With the right pcm map you may be alright.

I've seen a few dyno engines with oil which had turned black in the pan after a couple of hours of mapping. It must be carbon particulates passing the rings which to me seems like bad news about to happen..

Boosted.

z0sick6

i agree.

machinistone

We break our engines in on the dyno - varying load with varying RPM's. Same basic way as described in the mototune website.

racer7088

Yeah I have no problem with that article as long as everything else is right before you start leaning on it. These LS1s are almost all roller and you need some cylinder pressure to seat the rings so as soon as you know all is well and you have no problems you can drive it normally and even put some load on it. We dyno stuff at the schoo basically immediately as well once we knew all was well and then it was WOT.

Old Geezer

iTrader: (3)

Our "std procedure".... engine on dyno, run to bring water and oil to temp, using 10% loading, and variable rpms.... 20 minutes of this. [After to temp].
Check valves, leaks, etc, and it's HAMMER TIME!

Works for me.

germeezy1

Train up an engine in the way it should go and when it is old it will not depart from it!

staringback05

iTrader: (8)

i was taught, and have always done on my ls1's.....500 miles of non-synthetic, babying....and then 500 miles of beating....

xfactor_pitbulls

iTrader: (16)

I have never seen any less than 4 ways to break an engine in and usually they are all from knowledgable sources. Non syn oil, 50 miles variable with no more than 3500 rpms, change oil, 200 miles of variable driving and up to 5000 rpm, change oil and then have at it. Heat cycling is a must for the rod bearings, main bearings, and valve springs.

A-man930

iTrader: (2)

I've been wondering if anyone would start a thread about this, I didn't only because I couldn't find the article, lol.

TNTramair

iTrader: (15)

after reading so many people's experiances with breakin in an engine and how many of those opinions differ from one another, it appears there is NO concrete evidence that one way is better than another???? i mean, obviously no one has or probably will ever post and say "well i did it this way and 2000 miles later, boom". lol

Viper

iTrader: (6)

I think it's a matter of power. Like if they break in the motor one way they may make more power than say babying the motor for the first 1000 miles. Only way to know is two identical motors broken in 2 ways and dyno'd after 1000 miles to see which is better.

My second motor (this is #3) I drove from New Jersey to Ohio when it was pretty much new. I say 'pretty much' because the engine builder drove it around for a bit before I picked up the car. Car ran fine till a valve spring broke and took out a piston. This newer motor (#3) I broke in like the mototune article says and this motor feels much stronger than the first. I know unfair comparison, different heads and cam etc. Here are several other opinions:

http://www.enginesonly.com/break-in.html

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_should_you_'break-in'_a_new_car

http://www.ducati.net/faq.cfm?id=51

As you can see, many opinions.

Sabre002

iTrader: (7)

I some what argee with almost everything that is said there but one thing. What is with not using syn oil durring break in? I have done this on the motors I build and never had a problem?