Rebuilt Engine Break in
The last thing you want to do is pussyfoot your fresh rebuild no matter WHAT application you are running. It doesn't matter if it's a race car, daily driver or grandma's grocery getter. Seating the rings is the MOST important component in engine break-in that needs a direct, various rpm run to do correctly. You will not break rings in by being afraid to step on the gas. That's guaranteed.
Here's a write-up with some good explanation:
http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm
Here's a write-up with some good explanation:
http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm
lemme ask you this question, what is the difference between going WOT at 50 miles, and going WOT at 50k miles? why would going WOT at 50 miles shorten a motor's life? theres things in a performance motor that simply aren't going to last that many miles, no matter how you break your engine in, depending on the application. lots of compression? your bearings are gonna take a beating. lots of nitrous or boost? those rings are gonna take a beating too. lots of rpm or an aggressive cam? those valve springs and valve guides are gonna take a beating. i dont think your bearings are going to care after 200 trips down the 1/4 how easy a life they had for the first 500 miles.
Some were saying baby it, some where saying abuse it.
So i basically said, take it easy all you want, but at some point early on you need to get the rings set by punching it a few times.
I know my writing skills suck but could you honestly not get that through my post? i said X miles, so you could choose if you want to baby it or not.
Did you even read my post? The basic theory in my post was to have the best of both worlds being discussed thus far.
Some were saying baby it, some where saying abuse it.
So i basically said, take it easy all you want, but at some point early on you need to get the rings set by punching it a few times.
I know my writing skills suck but could you honestly not get that through my post? i said X miles, so you could choose if you want to baby it or not.
Some were saying baby it, some where saying abuse it.
So i basically said, take it easy all you want, but at some point early on you need to get the rings set by punching it a few times.
I know my writing skills suck but could you honestly not get that through my post? i said X miles, so you could choose if you want to baby it or not.
That still has nothing to do with my post. My post was so people could have best of both worlds during the break in process.
This thread is about break in process, not quality of engine, machine work, assembly.
If the break in process does not matter, its all about machine work, quality parts, and assembly, then no reason to comment about my first post. Because it would be irrelevant of how you treated the engine or broke it in, NOW WOULDN'T IT???
This thread is about break in process, not quality of engine, machine work, assembly.
If the break in process does not matter, its all about machine work, quality parts, and assembly, then no reason to comment about my first post. Because it would be irrelevant of how you treated the engine or broke it in, NOW WOULDN'T IT???
I would just make sure you seat the rings. That means loading the engine@ various rpm.
When I actually get off my *** and get my engine finished, I am using this method.
http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm
When I actually get off my *** and get my engine finished, I am using this method.
http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm
11 Second Club
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 304
Likes: 0
From: Lancaster, tx
There are countless way to break an engine in, I've seen guys baby new engines and I've seen them beat the hell out of them, and strangely all of these guys I speak of still have strong reliable engines. You have to read your options and take a little from each method. I took mine off the Jack stands checked for leaks and took off. I drove the first 15 miles in 2nd (A4), I would run it up to 65 mph pretty quick, not wot, then let the engine compression slow me down to around 20. I did that then after twenty miles I did twenty mile of 3rd gear pulls to 100 mph back to the house and changed the oil. I now have 900 miles on my rebuild and two wot pulls at around 750 miles. I didn't baby it, but I didn't "abuse" it either. I simply "broke it in"
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Registered User
Joined: May 2014
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New engine rebuilt I have a rebuilt engine in my 93 z28 I have been babying it for the first 80 miles , did the oil change and everything , it's running really sluggish why could this be? Is it still being broken in?
Shell Rotella oil.
Crank it, check for leaks.
Get out on the highway for 50 miles, Vary your rpms every 10 minutes, in OD, out of OD.
Bring it home, check for leaks, change the oil....Shell Rotella again.
Run it normally for another 50 miles or so.
No leaks or issues, go run the snot out of it. Change the oil again at 500 miles.
Crank it, check for leaks.
Get out on the highway for 50 miles, Vary your rpms every 10 minutes, in OD, out of OD.
Bring it home, check for leaks, change the oil....Shell Rotella again.
Run it normally for another 50 miles or so.
No leaks or issues, go run the snot out of it. Change the oil again at 500 miles.
TECH Apprentice
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 323
Likes: 2
From: NW AR
Total from the graveyard thread. I see no mention of types of rings or finish on the cylinders.
I've broken in an engine with nitrous at the track before.
People talk about seating the rings, with plasma moly coating on the face of a ring, the cylinder wears to the ring not the other way around.
If an engine is rebuilt and will be running within a few days, normal motor oil can be used to lubricate it. The camshaft always gets hi pressure lube, same stuff comp sends packets of with their camshafts. Roller, Flat, Hydraulic, Solid all get the same treatment. If the engine is going to sit for a year before use, Clevite assembly lube is used.
Varying engine speed during break in is a technique for flat tappet engines mainly.
I've broken in an engine with nitrous at the track before.
People talk about seating the rings, with plasma moly coating on the face of a ring, the cylinder wears to the ring not the other way around.
If an engine is rebuilt and will be running within a few days, normal motor oil can be used to lubricate it. The camshaft always gets hi pressure lube, same stuff comp sends packets of with their camshafts. Roller, Flat, Hydraulic, Solid all get the same treatment. If the engine is going to sit for a year before use, Clevite assembly lube is used.
Varying engine speed during break in is a technique for flat tappet engines mainly.
You can't make a weak part stronger or make shitty assembly better by taking it easy for the first few 100 miles. All you're doing is postponing the inevitable. If it's going to come apart then it's going to come apart, period. You think by driving it easy for 500, 1000 or even 10,000 miles that a weak point is going to get "stronger"? Like the rotating assembly will become seasoned, lol! C'mon, people.
Every engine I've ever put together has been started, allowed to idle for a little bit to check for leaks and such, driven around the block once or twice to see if it's running alright and then HAMMERED! Every speed shop/engine builder I've ever dealt with has done it the same way. Put it together, get it up to operating temps and then make 3 or so W.O.T. pulls on the engine dyno to seat the rings. By the the third pull the engine has usually made the most power it's going to make and it's ready to be delivered to the customer. Sometimes if they have trouble getting the rings to seat properly they'll spray it with a little nitrous to increase cylinder pressure.
The bottom line is you can't correct inferior parts or poor workmanship by driving it easy and "breaking it in".
Every engine I've ever put together has been started, allowed to idle for a little bit to check for leaks and such, driven around the block once or twice to see if it's running alright and then HAMMERED! Every speed shop/engine builder I've ever dealt with has done it the same way. Put it together, get it up to operating temps and then make 3 or so W.O.T. pulls on the engine dyno to seat the rings. By the the third pull the engine has usually made the most power it's going to make and it's ready to be delivered to the customer. Sometimes if they have trouble getting the rings to seat properly they'll spray it with a little nitrous to increase cylinder pressure.
The bottom line is you can't correct inferior parts or poor workmanship by driving it easy and "breaking it in".
^^ Exactly, Our engine builder, builds his engines, does the heat cycle then on an engine dyno blast away. Back in the day I worked at a research center, We took from 4 cylinders to engines in lambos, Put them on an engine dyno and ripped into them, then did a tear down to check all internals. Never no signs of damage to any part, Actually did this on motorcycles too, Brand new, drove the hell out of them, then the Japs would tear down the engine every day. Just break in your motors as you feel the need to rest your conscious.
Last edited by moehorsepower; May 20, 2014 at 07:05 AM. Reason: add quote
