Thread: New Engine Break In!

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I'd like to hear what you would do to break in a new engine/motor. For the initial start-up all the way to your first oil change, or what kind of oil you would use during the break in period to the oil you would use after your first oil change, what kind of RPM's you would run it at, and for how long. How many miles before your first oil change? Thanks.


Vegas

Hey Tech; that's real close to how I do my engines too! And I also do not put any additives in my engine oil. I had a friend that used engine additives with every oil change on his ford 400 modified. I did a engine rebuild for him on that motor,what a mess! Now I don't know if he was not changing his oil or it was the additive, this is no B.S. I had to pull the push rods out with visegrips. The engine had not been sitting at all either,He had drivin it every day to work and pulled it up to where I pulled the engine out of it, to rebuild it! I could not even turn or spin the push rods by hand. It looked like some one had poured honey in this thing and then it had gotten hard, and there was a ton of build up in it too. I really don't see how the thing was even running, It was that bad. So I don't use additives, and I change my oil evey 3,000 miles. I also found out when I had my VW bug that alot of engine oils will foam up, there is only two that I've used that don't. Mobile 1 is one of them and castrol is the other, Castrol is what I use in all my daily drivers and I can afford it. thanks for your Input.


Vegas

i do it pretty similar, cept after i run for 20 minutes and drain, i change over to synthetic once I've decided theres no leaks... dont wanna waste precious $10 a quart oil

Supposedly you're supposed to run engines hard every once in a while for short periods of time during the break in. Helps the rings bed in the cylinder walls. Aircraft manufactuers reccomend a full throttle break in. Auto manufacturers run engines on a dyno at full power on initial start up. For the oil, just run whatever oil you would put in your beater car during break in, nothing fancy like synthetic oils.

Originally posted by vara4
I also found out when I had my VW bug that alot of engine oils will foam up, there is only two that I've used that don't. Mobile 1 is one of them and castrol is the other, Castrol is what I use in all my daily drivers and I can afford it. thanks for your Input.

This guy reccomends Schaeffer's oil because it doesn't foam: http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/images/lucas/lucas.htm
Engine oil tests are at the bottom of the page.