Running/breaking in engine oil

[glovebox]

Hello should be ready next weekend I hope to start up my rebuilt 2.2T engine ! Any suggestions for maybe first start up or second or even third oil change, oil type ? I'm sure it shouldn't be synthetic!?

Many thanks
Mark

[mycar]

I've been using Fuchs Silkolene Classic 20-50 to run my engine in.

As recommended by Andy Prill and I daredent argue with him about that sort of thing.

[Simon Rudge]

I recommend Valvoline VR1, it can take a while to get that 'break in' sorted, however this oil has a higher level of zinc than many others, which is helpful in high load areas such as can lobes.

Regards

[Gary71]

I used VR1, only because that's what I'm running it on. It felt bad pouring clear 200 mile old oil away!

[mycar]

I too have been pouring a lot of perfectly good looking oil away over the last couple of months.

This is the running in regime from Shasta and most likely where the preference for Silkolene comes from, though I know Valvoline VR1 is well thought of here on DDk, I always used it in the 911.

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Fill with a good quality basic mineral oil such as Fuchs Silkolene 20w/50 - do not under any circumstances attempt to ‘run in’ on either semi or fully synthetic oil.

First 100 miles - 3500 rpm shift point at no more than ½ throttle ( an oil change and checking of the valve clearances has to be done at 100 miles)
100 to 200 miles – 4000 rpm again at no more than ½ throttle
200 to 300 miles - shift no higher than 4500 rpm and occasionally ¾ throttle
300 to 400 miles - shift up to 5000 rpm again ¾ throttle
400 - 500 miles - occasional use of 6000 rpm at full throttle (another oil change and check of the valve clearances at 500 miles)
500 - 750 miles - don’t over do it with prolonged use of full throttle or high revs

Remember the above are highest shift points and are not mandatory every shift !

Keep checking the oil for quality and quantity - if it smells hot, slow down your pushing too hard. If it gets very hot (touch & temperature gauge) change it !

Warm up thoroughly prior to driving and try to vary the rpm often and avoid prolonged cruising at steady speed.

[Ollie_c]

We use millers cro 10w40 for the first running in on most of the engines we do. This is designed for breaking in rings. Not sure of its exact suitability to porsche liners. All the liners we use are cast iron.

[gridgway]

I have been recommended Millers 10-40 and used it before.

OPIE oils have a good selection of mineral oils. Getting quite hard to find now.

Graham

[jamie]

I used VR1, only because that's what I'm running it on. It felt bad pouring clear 200 mile old oil away!

200 miles? I did 20 minutes on axle stands before my first oil change!

[Gary71]

I used VR1, only because that's what I'm running it on. It felt bad pouring clear 200 mile old oil away!

200 miles? I did 20 minutes on axle stands before my first oil change!

I know that's what the Dempsey book recommends, but it seems a bit OTT. Even 200 was a bit quick for me but due to various holidays and stuff I needed to get it done at that point.

[fetuhoe]

I used VR1, only because that's what I'm running it on. It felt bad pouring clear 200 mile old oil away!

200 miles? I did 20 minutes on axle stands before my first oil change!

Why? and at what engine speed?

At zero load you will not really load the rings correctly and they won't start to seat so I am not sure this is a great idea.

There is, however, a contradiction when you have fitted new cams when you need to run the engine for the first 10 minutes at around 1800rpm to allow the cam to bed in correctly.

What to do is a balancing act between these two issues. If you have used cams than I would run the engine under load as soon as possible.

Joe Gibbs Driven have a specific Break-In oil but it is the same as their standard HR-1 which is a high ZDDP 15W/50 mineral oil.

These oils are good but more expensive than VR1 20W/50 which I would use but the Silkolene Fuchs is also good and you can buy it 20 litre drums.

Avoid cranking it for too long. If it doesn't start fairly quickly find out what and then try again.

If your are only re-building an engine and have re-used most of the core parts then all you really need to do is bed in the rings.

The high ZDDP oils that we all bang on about are to allow cams/rockers to bed in effectively.

Running it times in this day and age seem to be very high and 1000 miles at 65 mph is 15 hours.

If we have used cylinders that were honed to the standard used in the sixties with a 200 grit on a crummy V8 then I can understand these distances but modern machining techniques are very different.

If we have an engine with cylinders plateau honed and finished with an 800 grit then these times can be reduced dramatically.

We always hone cylinders using honing plates to apply the bolting loads so the cylinder is the correct shape when bolted up.

I tend to believe in much more aggressive running in methods as light throttle running never really beds rings in well.

We used break-in our rally engines - Twin Cams and BDAs - on a dyno in around an hour and then spend an hour on set up.

We ran them to temperature for 2-3 minutes and then changed the oil and filters.

We then ran them at relatively aggressive loading and slowly increased the maximum rpm until applying the maximum at the end of the cycle.

I realise this is a controversial topic but if we run in engines too conservatively the sealing of the rings can be quite poor and engines will tend to smoke more than they should.

[pht9]

we use Joe Gibbs BR30 break-in oil for competition engines, and Joe Gibbs HR-1 for road engines

subsequent service and inspection has given good indications of cam lobe/rocker break in and piston ring seating

[911hillclimber]

All interesting.

When I rebuilt my shattered 3.2 in my hillclimb car (used cams, fresh rings,shells,chains etc) I filled with the oil I have used for everything since Bob Watson told me to, Shell 10/40 synthetic.

Ran the engine till warm.

Took it to a hillclimb event and hit it 80% WOT as I was competing in it.

So, 4 miles very intense. Checked the head torques etc after the 2nd event and carried on for the year, about 50 hillclimb miles.
Oil came out gold as it always does.
New filter and another change of 13 litres every year and 3 years on all seems well.

[glovebox]

Thanks for the info
If all goes to plan I give it a go next weekend fingers crossed

Regards Mark.

[mycar]

Harry Pellow recommends adding a pint of 2 stroke oil to each full tank of fuel for the first 1000-2000 miles in order to ensure lubrication to the upper compression rings and valve guides.

Anybody have a view as to whether this would be beneficial thing to do ?

[jamie]

Why? and at what engine speed?

I was told to for the cam burn-in. Ran the engine up to 2500rpm and then 3000rpm and then 2500rpm.

I've only done a few hundred miles in it so far but there's no smoke and it goes like f***.

I agree about loading an engine up though. The bike engines I've rebuilt have been caned from the get go.