Just put in new rings in my1.6 N/A Do I need to break it in?

[mtnbob]

Mechanic just put new gotze rings, had the head redone with all new parts, new giles injection pump, rod bearings, head gasket, timing belt... etc. Do I need to break it in? Put in 10w 30 oil, figured I drive it 600-800 miles then replace it with a clean oil and filter. Any suggestions? Oil weight and frequency?

[jimfoo]

Yes, you need to break it in just like a new engine.

[mtnbob]

Oil weight and how many oil b4 change??

[bigblockchev]

Rings should be seated within a hundred miles or so if they are going to seat. Whatever you do do not use synthetic oil at first as it is just too slippery, the rings can glaze over and they will never seat. this results in excessive oil consumption and blowby. Use a simple 10-40 and change it and the filter after a hundred miles. Vary your engine speeds and don't idle for extended periods . The pistons do not need to be broken in again like a new engine. They will already be ok as they have undergone many thermal cycles which is the only factor that matters.  The heating and cooling resolves whatever stresses are left over from the manufacturing process be it forging , casting and machining.   Cheers Dan

[Doug]

Ring seating should occur fast. Like the last post says vary the speed alot and do not spare the throttle. The higher the initial combustion chamber pressures, the better the rings will seat so make the engine work hard right from the start. The old adage of going easy on a new engine is crap from the day when engines really were poorly engineeered. Racers do not "break in" a race motor by an easy 50 laps at 50 mph on the track. It is WFO as soon as the rubber hits the track. Race engines achieve peak output almost right away because of effective ring sealing.

All reputable manufacturers test run their vehicles on a dyno at full throttle for several minutes to see that the machine is satisfactory. This is part of the seating process so finish it up right. Stay well away from synthetic oil for a good while too.