Ok i need to know what the major builders are doing with engine break-in. People who have motors by vendors like VA speed, SNL, HKE, LMR. LME, Gforce etc. can you please explain the break in process.

Mileage, Oil type, Intervals, Dyno etc.

 

drive it like you stole it!!

there is a lot of stuff on the net about engine break in. I think it comes down to personal opinion. I have broken in bikes properly and not, no issue. My z, I just took it easy for the recommended 600 miles and then changed the oil, but then again it's a hand made engine. My audi I drove it easy for the first 750, even though they said you didn't need to.

I feel the key to long engine life isn't necessarily the break in, but having a good builder, and allowing for it to warm up before beating on it when it's cold. I think that plays into fact more then engine break in. But again, I think everyon has their own opinion.

 

I hear mixed things all the time. I know some people who build them and throw it in the car and drive it on a dyno.

Then there are others who wanna put special oil in there and baby it for the first 500 miles.

 

nope I'm right there with you!!

I asked about mine after I had the cam instal, he's like nope, I mean they did already dyno it to readline, and drive it for 200 miles, so it is what it is. Kind of why I believe in just warming it up nicely before I beat on it!

 

this is the article I was looking into. Really intresting.

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

it basically says that before yes with the way engines were made you needed to break in, but now aday's, "negative ghost rider!!"

 

Pretty good info.

 

i have read somewhere that its actually good to beat on ls engines in the early stages (obviously not when its cold). and that its good to vary rpm in the early stages. for example dont just jump on the highway and just cruise at 70.

 

that would agree with what the guy is saying in the link I provided.......

 

We run engine break in oil for 3 complete heat cycles. Then switch to Castrol GTX 10-
30 (non Syn) for 5-600 miles then the customer can switch to his or her favorite synthetic oil.



We use Amsoil or Mobil 1.

 

Explain the heat cycles if you could. Just start and idle, drive dyno etc?

 

Use a thicker oil at the beginning but beat the hell out of it.... you want the rings to set in if you baby it too much they wont set in and won't have correct compression.

 

I put 5w30 Castrol oil non synthetic on my rebuilt engine. Do I need to put thicker oil and beat it so it can set right?

 

All the race motors I have built get assembled, fired up, warmed up and cooled a few times, then I change the oil and put it in the burnout box. Street motors I usually drive it 500 or so miles with a few easy pulls on non synthetic oil. I change it, then run it hard after that.

 

i usualy fire it up, let it get to about 180 and shut her down to cool over a couple of hours, do it again, and then drive it like i just stole it....the rings will seat as soon as they see cylinder presure

 

like my engine builder has told me with motor and tech these day. If you have a good builder and it is balenced and blueprinted right. you start it up get it to temp then let it cool do that a couple of times and when you drive it if you dog on it and it comes apart then most chances are it was not built right.. and most of us that are racing do not have time to do the "500" miles tech has come along ways these days !!

 

I always run mine one heat cycle using sae10w-30, check and change oil, run them 500 miles, change again, then after 2000 miles i change to synthetic and bash on it.

 

I ran mine for about 20 minutes, changed the oil, ran it easy for 50 miles, then I was doing donuts in the car revving it to 6 grand. Changed the oil again at 500 and then the standard change. I didnt start pulling it over 6 grand til about 500 miles though. Motor runs strong, and I built it. Was just a stock bottom end rebuild with a cam swap.

 

im not a major builder, but i do alot of mods/break-ins for 2 stroke nitro rc engines...... these engines are very very touchy with anything you do to them so you have to do methods perfectly.......

as for car engines i do almost the same procedure as i do with the almost 60,000rpm nitro engines......

i got to break in a 410cu.in 9000 rpm all aluminum v-8 sprint car motor for a friend of the family......

i do heat cycles....... reason being is when the virgin metal of the engine gets hot for the 1st time it expands, then as it cools it retracts...... it does this everytime you run the engine, the 2nd time it expands and retracts but not as much as the 1st time.... the 3rd time it expands and retracts but not as much as the 2nd time, and keeps doing this until all the metal is completely broken in.......

because of the metal expanding when it gets hot i only let the engine idle until it gets to operating temp. then shut it off

then i take a temp gun pop out a sparkplug and shoot the temp gun in the hole and when the inside of the engine is at room temp i fire it up again, let it idle then shut off once it hits operating temp again

i do this 15 times, i change the oil, same oil royal purple break in oil, then its ready to work rpms and be very tight

THE BETTER YOU BREAK IN AN ENGINE, THE MORE HP, TQ, COMPRESSION AND LIFE IT WILL HAVE

after 15 heat cycle runs i let the engine idle til it up to operating temp then i rev it up to 3,000 and hold it there for 30 sec.

let it cool again, then do the same thing but 4,000 rpm for 30 sec

let it cool again, then do the same thing but 6,000 rpm for 30 sec

let it cool then warm it up and rev it up and down, up and down, lets it see every different rpm mostly mid rpms......

use a non-synthetic oil 5w 30 for 500 miles AND DRIVE IT VERY EASY!!!! NOTE: i skip this and go from break in oil to XPR 5w30...... most people say dont use a synthetic until the engine has a thousand or so miles on it...... but i dont completely agree with this so i go from break in oil straight to synthetic and have never had a problem and in my opinion i would also recommend this method

then change the oil to royal purple XPR 5w30 and let her rip!!!

now, the engine is ready to rock n roll..... this process takes 3-4 days but produces the most hp, torque and maintains the highest compression.... everything will be much tighter in the engine if it is broken in this way so make sure you continue to use the same oil...... anything else isn't slick enough and will wear and tear the engine faster....... but if you continue to use the same oil i recommend it will last a longer than normal life span

 

Your car is a beaut.

 

Thanks guys for all the feedback.