BoostedWS7

how have u guys been doin it?
this is the 1st ls1 im breakin in. is the proceedure about the same for all engines? i use to break in sbc engines with tappet lift cams running them over 2000 rpm, varying rpm to 2500 for specific amounts of time. is it the the same for a roller ls1?
ill prolly be doin it this weekend in my trans am..

67Firebird455

iTrader: (27)

No sir, solid/hydraulic rollers do not need to be broken in that way. Start it up and drive it. =)

JoeyGC5

iTrader: (24)

Started it, dyno'd it, drove to track (Lubbock TX) on street tires, then spent 1 week in stop/go Dallas traffic before driving home to K.C.

pewter 01 SS

iTrader: (5)

damn there so many opinions on this matter. the most recent one i heard was put oil, start it let get to operation temp and then turn off, change oil, ready to go.. they said there race motors ( my stroker) it doesnt need to be broken in.. so donno what to do.. last time i waited 1k miles before i went over 4k rpms.

sickws698

iTrader: (2)

put the key in n go

Steve Burger

iTrader: (33)

Mine was the dyno time and then the water box. That's all the break in I did.

burnrubber

iTrader: (1)

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

Here's an article explaining why many people no longer use a prolonged break in period. The line at the top about this being a controversial method, I believe is a somewhat of a disclaimer, and if you ask around at good tuner shops, racecar owners, etc.. more and more folks are adopting this mentality.

A suppose a very crude cliff's notes of the article could say:

Using non-detergent regular (say straight 30W) oil, let the engine warm up to operating temp, perhaps give it a varied idle for ~20 mins, then shut it down and change the oil & filter (split the filter and check for excessive metal shavings if you feel up to it). Using non-detergent straight 30W again, go out and take the car for some pulls on the highway, starting at maybe 1/3 to 1/2 throttle and gradually up to flooring it to redline, and let it decelerate back down the rpms, in gear, each time. Shouldn't really take more than a half-hour or so.

Good luck.


edit: Or, seeing as how your engine is heavily modified, take it straight (w/ 0 miles on it) to the tuner / dyno.

ArcticZ28

iTrader: (14)

The only things that need broken in are the valvetrain parts and the rings need to seal. For the valvetrain parts all you have to do is put the car through 3 heat cycles just cruising around town (not highway). After those 3 heat cycles you are good to go to redline. There are varied opinions on when/how the rings seal. I personally babied my motor for the first 500 miles and then just let her rip. No problems here.

As for a step by step:
- Initial startup with dyno oil (no need to use synthetic) and let it get to full operating temp.
- Shut it down and change the oil (using dyno oil again).
- Start it up again and let it idle to operating temp. Take it out for an easy spin. Hitting 3k should be about the max at this point.
- Bring it back and let her completely cool down.
- Do the last 2 steps 2 more times.
- Once you've completed the 3 heat cycles, the valvetrain is good to go and you should have about 75-100 miles on the car now.
- You can change the oil again if you wish but if you didn't see any good chunks of metal the first time (other than a few teeny shavings) I don't see a reason to.
- Drive her around for another 400 miles or so and you can take it to redline if you wish, but I wouldn't beat on it and slam gears.
- After about 500 miles you're more than safe to throw everything at it you've got.

These are pretty general directions and some shops may say you can beat on it from day one. A lot of people have dyno'ed engines with little to no miles on them. It's ultimately up to the builder's specs and what they see fit. However, these are pretty fail-safe directions.

BoostedWS7

thank for the help guys!