FULL HOW-TO w/Detail: Break-in routines

[air-cooled or diesel]

Break-in/ oil change routine(s).

   -1:*Injectors not installed* cover injector openings, if you cover holes, dont forget to remove.  Unhook wire from injector pump. or let pump squirt. can be a bit of a prime for a pump, or get it moving a little flushing,flow. makes a little mess.

   -2: Filters/and Oil(s)., I use NAPA Gold filters at first. Varies with different motors. 1+ NAPA Gold filters for a new motor/complete break-in.
t Can be t.

an air filter. -OIL: You want a CJ/CH, 5w-30, perhaps you use 5w-40, conv would be best at this point. 10w-30conv, i like the castrol. -last is for older motors that can handle a 10wxx. dont end up blow your oil pump,etc.

-Filter, Priming, Changing; lube o-ring. dont top up. Ready for re-start.

if you have done *any turbo work you now need to refer to the manual for a 'cold start.

   -3:-#1:of running routine: If everything is tight and ready to go, (new/rebuilt motor)., prime filter,  Connect battery ground last thing. Ready to go; your new motor is ready to go!!,; you will crank (freewheel motor) to get oil pressure. Crank (freewheel) .if you don’t have oil pressure yet (?do you have a problem?). after getting oil pressure you want to crank/freewheel for 45 seconds with oil pressure(this will mean oil light is out for 45 seconds of freewheeling; ie, . You should already have Water! etc. are you ready to hook up inj pump wire??. parts of this routine you will use for discretion, adjustable. such as stock for highway speeds, nothing too fancy, you may want to keep the revs lo-med. get up to speed. 

   -4:As you first start (her) up, you want to find idle, .  -,-at 2000 rpm,

   -5:After this dump warm ; don’t scald yourself; pd, after ~50 miles 55 is max speed. speed, gears at different throttle, ½ throttle at first, 2/3 throttle after 50-60 miles. At 100 miles change out oil/filter.

   -6: use castrol 10w-30 (CJ/CH/  ) oil,, go 250 more miles, and change oil.

   -7: 10w-30 castrol oil again, drive again at ~ speeds/etc., for 500 more miles,  At 500 miles  dump oil; again. if such you might have a stock 1.6 or an engine that your not hitting high-revs. keep it in you r ange.

   -8: for conventional oil use I prefer 10w-30(cj/ch) weight, if your using 15w-40 now .i. Near 1000 miles on this oil change use more throttle and higher speeds. or you - ange.

   -9: again  (cj/ch/xx). Your going a total of 3000 miles before you are fully broke in. so in essence it’s a normal conv. oil change.

.

   -10:so now you have several thousand miles on your new motor, i.

if your going to run straight full synthetic now is the time to go that route. .I
. If you have a new block/motor you can easily now put in syn oils. .USE your - car SPECIFICALLY calls for a certain oil grade
Before installing injectors make sure you clean all injectors and injection lines. Clean pump squirters, all thr

   -this break-in routine works for all car engines.(gas and diesel)  can vary, the thing different is for different years/ engines,  Use correct oil for a specific engine, as called for. Use quality oil filters, use quality air filters(and change as needed)(I like napa prices and quality, also napa belts). some of this was old info^

   -I also have access to break-in oils., used for 1000 miles if your switching to a full synthetic you can use these oil(s) for 1000 miles after  , the . used for engines that will run full synthetic. also , if your going to use a synthetic use a full synthetic. unless you have a differ idea you plan,.
, made compatible for car usage. I use these filters for 1r.

[8v-of-fury]

Very Nice. Seems super legit. When I rebuild something I will definitely be using this tutorial

You've earned a GOLD STAR, and a link for this thread in the FAQ Guide

[theman53]

I completely disagree with #3 and #4 as you shouldn't spin the engine for 45 seconds with the starter unless you like replacing starters I don't care if the injectors are out or not. Which if they are the pistons suck air just as much as they blow it, so I wouldn't want them sucking free air for 45 seconds unless it was clean. For #4 I would only run it for 20 minutes if I had to break in a camshaft. With our diesels especially they need load. I prime the oil system with a drill for 10 or 15 minutes before it is even in the car that way I can check for leaks then and fix before it is in the car. Then when it is in the car and started I give it a very quick start, see if anything is amiss. Then I restart it and take off loading the rings as much as possible as soon as possible. Also water, you can fill it up and plug in the block heater on a nice summer day for 24 hours and I see about 170F on my temp gauge, re torque all the bolts that need to be heated at that point. Benefits are you see the leaks and your HG never sees the pressure of combustion but it saw running temps for 24 hours.

Kinda disagree with the Rotella T comment, especially if you are saying Castrol is better. If I am running conventional it is Brad Penn or Rotella. If synthetic I like many but Schaeffer's gets my vote now. I only run Castrol in stuff that I would filter with a dirty sock or a Fram filter and didn't care about. But that is more personal opinion so I cannot say I disagree with the Rotella comment in a professional way, more just my opinion.

Same with the MPH break in deal. I would do it differently. Every car can have a different trans and Ring and pinion gears so the MPH is not the same RPM for all cars. I try to use the entire RPM range, but not floor it from idle right away. I would try to keep the rings always loaded by using the RPM range fully but just saying slightly ahead of the engine with the pedal. Also as important I don't let the engine idle much at all and the rings are shaped like a barrel, so the rings need the negative pressure as much as the positive. What I do to achieve this is find a huge hill. Go up the hill under load, turn around and find a gear that will make the car slow down under a negative load the whole way down. Keep doing that for a few and bam the rings are set.

[libbydiesel]

What I do to achieve this is find a huge hill. Go up the hill under load, turn around and find a gear that will make the car slow down under a negative load the whole way down. Keep doing that for a few and bam the rings are set.

First make sure it is up to normal operating temp by driving mildly.  At that point, I agree with loading the rings, but I think it is important to do so with short bursts at first like what you describe with the hill, but a bit less dramatic.  Extended high load before the rings have worn in can overheat them and cause them to lose their temper.  I don't stay on the pedal for more than 3-4 seconds without letting off and letting the rings cool, then back on the pedal for a few seconds then off again, etc... working my way up to full pedal runs the first time I'm driving the engine.  The OP's comments about a specific speed are nonsensical.  What matters is load and rpm.  Going up a big hill at 25 mph can be a greater load and higher rpm then going 80 MPH on the freeway...  

[theman53]

Yes I agree libby. I didn't explain as good as I should especially when it is a "how to." You have the ability and knowledge that you could be an author of Instruction manuals. I tend to leave out details in print. I agree and do not do full load from the bottom of my hills to the top. I do let off, but again I didn't write it that way. And yes, I learned the hard way on air cooled ATV rebuilds to wait until it is up to temp before really loading. I cracked a ring and had to do it all over.

[745 turbogreasel]

Theman lives in Ohio, his hills are  possibly less dramatic than ours.
I too have always gone out o my way to avoid single speed operation.
We seem to be missing a retorque.
OP, can you possibly add an extra  return between  sections, my screen makes that into a wall.

[theman53]

Also I forgot. I use this filter from an AHU for all the older engines. Same filtering but a better by pass valve. Mann # 068115561E

[air-cooled or diesel]

Theman lives in Ohio, his hills are  possibly less dramatic than ours.
I too have always gone out o my way to avoid single speed operation.
We seem to be missing a retorque.
OP, can you possibly add an extra  return between  sections, my screen makes that into a wall.

es is just as important.
i'll add an extra (return) thru post, hold on,,
although in some ways the orig post may seem specific(whether type or size) can be adjusted to your app. gas, diesel.
such a gas, get some oil flow, have plugs removed. etc. be smart. check for safety. can, do you know such things as stopping a motor, unhooking battery if neeede. fire ext.

[theman53]

The return spaces helped, the other paragraph is worse than CRSMP5 with the broken keyboard. What are you trying to say?

Up to 3,000? every engine I have seen broken in not using the full RPM potential was problematic at higher RPM's and usually used more oil when using those RPMS too

[air-cooled or diesel]

I completely disagree with #3 and #4 as you shouldn't spin the engine for 45 seconds with the starter unless you like replacing starters I don't care if the injectors are out or not.  Benefits are you see the leaks and your HG never sees the pressure of combustion but it saw running temps for 24 hours.

again I wasn't specific to the engine; necessarily. (the re-torqueing)
 very necessary I agree.-.

[8v-of-fury]

When I was younger and subsequently less intelligent to the matter..

I spun the starter forever (probably minutes at a time) to bleed my fuel system, with a battery pack.. 250A charger, and booster cables from another running car to get the R's up fast enough to get everything really happening. It is still the starter I am using to this day, (Since 2008, when I was dumb) and it still turns the engine over just as fast as it always has. Even when compared to a brand new starter, on a lower compression engine. (DI vs. IDI)

With no load on it, I agree the starter could likely free-wheel for a long time with no inherent danger. It is after all attached to a MASSIVE heat sink lol.

[air-cooled or diesel]

Kinda disagree with the Rotella T comment, especially if you are saying Castrol is better. If I am running conventional it is Brad Penn or Rotella. If synthetic I like many but Schaeffer's gets my vote now. I only run Castrol in stuff that I would filter with a dirty sock or a Fram filter and didn't care about. But that is more personal opinion so I cannot say I disagree with the Rotella comment in a professional way, more just my opinion.

Same with the MPH break in deal. I would do it differently. Every car can have a different trans and Ring and pinion gears so the MPH is not the same RPM for all cars. I try to use the entire RPM range, but not floor it from idle right away. I would try to keep the rings always loaded by using the RPM range fully but just saying slightly ahead of the engine with the pedal. Also as important I don't let the engine idle much at all and the rings are shaped like a barrel, so the rings need the negative pressure as much as the positive. What I do to achieve this is find a huge hill. Go up the hill under load, turn around and find a gear that will make the car slow down under a negative load the whole way down. Keep doing that for a few and bam the rings are set.

the conventional rotella seems adequate,


the mph I gave are aprox for my 5-speed mk2,  about 45-50, and in 5th down to 45mph and up to 55(+).

[air-cooled or diesel]

The OP's comments about a specific speed are nonsensical.  What matters is load and rpm.  Going up a big hill at 25 mph can be a greater load and higher rpm then going 80 MPH on the freeway...   

its not a matter of mph being nonsensical, I don't.    and keeping the revs up so you get plenty of oil.

[air-cooled or diesel]

Same with the MPH break in deal. I would do it differently. Every car can have a different trans and Ring and pinion gears so the MPH is not the same RPM for all cars. I try to use the entire RPM range, but not floor it from idle right away. I would try to keep the rings always loaded by using the RPM range fully but just saying slightly ahead of the engine with the pedal. Also as important I don't let the engine idle much at all and the rings are shaped like a barrel, so the rings need the negative pressure as much as the positive. What I do to achieve this is find a huge hill. Go up the hill under load, turn around and find a gear that will make the car slow down under a negative load the whole way down. Keep doing that for a few and bam the rings are set.

going up a big hill at first sounds like too much load for a fresh motor to do, going down presents no problems, at first-
when you do the accelerate/decelerate routine i use my hazards.
the mph 'range'
.

i use 40 maybe 45mph as low in 5th gear, it takes a few miles to do. like i said i use my hazards while doing this.

[theman53]

Same with the MPH break in deal. I would do it differently. Every car can have a different trans and Ring and pinion gears so the MPH is not the same RPM for all cars. I try to use the entire RPM range, but not floor it from idle right away. I would try to keep the rings always loaded by using the RPM range fully but just saying slightly ahead of the engine with the pedal. Also as important I don't let the engine idle much at all and the rings are shaped like a barrel, so the rings need the negative pressure as much as the positive. What I do to achieve this is find a huge hill. Go up the hill under load, turn around and find a gear that will make the car slow down under a negative load the whole way down. Keep doing that for a few and bam the rings are set.

going up a big hill at first sounds like too much load for a fresh motor to do, going down presents no problems, but going up i'd wait for a while before putting such a load on the motor. it will give you max load in a high gear w/full throttle. another way of doing this is in 4th gear use some brake at about 25mph (in a mk1 or 2 vehicle) and using full throttle, accelerate (using some brake), and still with full throttle slow down using brake. this puts a real lot of load on rings, same idea; only mine uses the brakes. my idea i wouldnt necessarily recommend, it works, but isnt really necessary. a hill is a better choice, and going down a hill, do a couple of times in different gears, like 2/3/and 4. going up a big hill i'd wait until you have 1k miles on motor and then full throttle a couple of times and in different gears.
when you do the accelerate/decelerate routine i use my hazards.
the mph 'range' i gave is for a mk1/mk2 vechicle, it will be some similar for different cars, but rpms is the main point. as my mk2's dont have a tach i use this as a good reference, 13-15mph in 3rd gear as low, and 23-25mph in 4th gear. (35 mph low for 5th gear). this transfers over to rpms as about 1100rpm in 3rd, ~1200rpm in 4th, and ~1300rpm in 5th. notice min rpm goes up for the higher gears, this is to make sure your not lugging in higher gears and have oil flow. (rpm #'s are aproximate, it can differ for different cars).

i use 35mph as low in 5th gear, i am almost never this low in 5th, i'll go 25mph in 4th around town, but im rarely in 5th under 45mph. but the range of 5th is 35mph as a low (again this is for a mk1/mk2; this will vary for other vehicles). upshifting at a 'higher'(not high)rpm using 1/2 throttle to 2/3 throttle to accelerate will save fuel. you are getting to top speed quicker, you have more rpm, but mid-throttle setting you will accelerate quicker and have less load. get into 5th gear at a 'higher' rpm exibits less load and accelerating quicker. but for break-in purposes after a few hundred miles shift into higher gears(at lower speeds) and use more throttle even in higher gears will give you more load; as will going up a big hill. we dont have too many hills near this area so i do neg-load 3x on a straight clear road, it takes a few miles to do. like i said i use my hazards while doing this.

I have used your methods before and that is why I don't use them now, or asked for further explanation. Doing this method as you state I have noticed significantly much more oil consumption on engines once break in was over. It won't use a drop, until you hold it over 4,000 rpm for extended periods...then it uses it like crazy. That is why I do it my way now. I don't know if it is right or wrong way to do it, but it works better than everything else I have tried. Especially the way you do it. Good luck with that.