333pg333

Lots of different opinions out there still. Ranging from driving it in increasing stages of Boost and RPM's over many thousands of miles, down to start it up and drive it like you stole it!!
Give your reasons and experiences. Have you changed your mind over time? Why should we take great care if we do it on the road over many miles yet it's ok to do it on an engine dyno or over a DE day? Forget politics and religion, this is the big one!!

968turbos2

Hey good thread, I was wondering when someone would bring this up. I read something very interetsing on engine break ins that recommended above all else, do not use Synthetic Oil during engine break in. It is too slippery when it comes to metal parts seating in. Makes sense and does not sound like a wives tail.

I also read that if the engine is blown, 15 minutes at high boost helps speed break in, but only in turbo/sc applications. If not they claim 15 minutes a day under hard load and then calm driving to cool down and then put it away for the rest of the day.

But then again, every rebuild I have done for a customer, they drove out with instructions and I am sure since the cars worked they just drove.

968turbos2

Also, It was recommended that engine oil be changed after 500 miles of break in driving to clear out the metal caused by seating in.

xsboost90

yeah ive heard everything from change oil after 1k miles to change after first startup, then after 500miles, then change after 1500k etc etc...some guys say break it in on the track, others are one week w/ no/little boost, then a couple weeks on partial boost, then finally full boost after like 3k miles! Generally i change the oil after a few hundred miles, drive it calmly in that time- then after i change the oil i drive it normally - maybe slightly less beating than usual- until the next oil change.

N-Dub

The way we break in our kart racing motors is to drive them up to just over half of their rpm, then let leave it in gear and coast back down to a put, and repeat for about 15 minutes. Cool it down, then repeat with a little higher rpm, and so on for about an hour. Then change the oil and call it good.

Ski

street engine & JMHO,
start the engine, 30 wt dino, change it and filter after 10 minute run time if all looks good.
30 wt dino for 100-200 miles, no boost, varying speed and rpm.
200-300 miles, dino 15 or 20/50, keep and eye on vac, as it comes down add some boost up to 8-10 psi.
500 or 600 miles, start tuning the car with 15 psi, as soon as you're satisfied with that, have at it, watching AFR.
The most recent engine done this way, with LR 340 kit, no cat, passed smog with flying colors in Memphis TN.

if you've not changed major parts, like turbo and other related hardware, we start tuning the car around 300-400(our track car) miles if the vac is good since we still have the same tune on the car with all the major components like turbo/MAF/injectors/software/piggyback.

Jeremy Himsel

This thread is likely to get plenty of opinions with not very many people being wrong. Personally, for 80% of the motors I've done it's pretty much inline with Bret's approach. Change oil (dino) immediately after start-up (to remove any particles that accumulated in the engine during the build), take it easy on the first 500 miles, and then I let it rip.

However, I've had some other motors where I was spraying N20 after 30 miles and they held for a long time and never blew a drop of oil. One of my local engine guru's told me years ago to break it in like you're going to drive it. Another told me that the modern “break-in” methods that were popular and to a degree established in the 50’s and 60’s don’t really apply to modern engines because the machining, ring, and bearing technology has changed significantly.

These days new car’s rings are essentially seated from the factory (when’s the last time you drove a car off a dealer’s lot and it was blowing blue smoke). Just as the “don’t use synthetic and change after the first 500” theories go……. Porsche’s, Corvette’s, Vipers, Ferrari’s, and a slew of other cars all get synthetic from the factory and are broken in on those fluids with the first oil change after 3K. Who’s right??????? Who knows? What I do know is that our Spec car will be broken in on the track and I think if I drive it around during a DE at varying RPM’s under 60 MPH for the first 500 miles I’m likely to get shot so after a few idle sessions and a few trips around the block (mainly complete heat cycles) it’s going to be a let her rip break-in. My 3.0L will get the traditional break-in with Dino because …….I can, and I don’t see any harm in it however unnecessary it may be. What I do know is that I don’t build engines in a clean room and while I scrub the hell out of the engine and meticulously clean every hole it’s impossible for me to get the motor as clean as the factory did so the change right after start up is necessary if only to flush the galleys.

OriginalSterm

After complete rebuild, the following steps were taken...

Fill with cheap 30wt oil
10-15 minutes after first start, shut down, change oil and filter
Normal driving with no boost for 250 miles, change oil and filter
Normal driving with no boost for 250 miles, change oil and filter
Normal driving with low boost for 500 miles, change oil and filter to desired weight at brand oil (Valvoline VR1 20W-50 in my case)
Normal driving with normal boost setting, regular oil and filter change interval

Duke

WOT

333pg333

^^^ There's one in every crowd. lol
So we're all pretty set on the get to temp then dump the thin oil syndrome. check
It's really what happens after that which seems to draw the varying opinions. There is some guy out there with a website that promises that unless you drive it like Duke is suggesting you are damaging your motor! A link to that site was here a couple of months ago, but I think it was more directed at bikes. I just still find it hard to reconcile that some guys are taking it to the track and while maybe not going 10/10ths they are not Driving Miss Daisy either, yet if you suggested doing similar driving without the track it's frowned upon.
Think I'll be doing it the old fashioned way unless someone can convince me otherwise???

Duke

In these discussions I always throw in an interesting thought...

More or less every serious race engine is built and tuned on an engine dyno, right?
Well...do they drive it in different conditions for equivalent of 1000+ miles on the dyno?
No.

Start it up, keep the revs around 2000 rpm during while the fluides heats up.
Check for leaks etc. Take it for a spin at varying speed, give it some throttle and then take it home.

I'd say that's enough to start putting some boost on it.
All the super high HP race engines does it almost imediatly on the engine dyno!

I've never seen hard facts that supports a super long break in procedure.

Hell, my new Audi A3 2.0T does not have any kind of break in recommendation and it doesn't even have the first oil change until 30000 km's!!

badcoupe

When we would have our 40K all aluminum midget motors done they started them on the dyno let it get to temp. and then drop the hammer to over 8000. read the egt's and A/F make changes to the FI (hillborn) and drop it again. We after that it was into the car with fresh oil. I read an article once by a ama superbike engine builder, he took identical R1's and broke one in his way (really hard on it) and the other other buy the book and dynoed them. His method made 7 more hp, fluke? who knows

944CS

remember every porsche motor is bench tested at redline for a certain time period (1 minute rings a bell), however the procedure they use before they take it up to redline I have never come across.

333pg333

Also Duke you are talking about race motors that will often get pulled down on a regular basis. Most guys here aren't going to be doing that nor do they want to have to. It's not that I'm arguing with what you're saying, but I can't find any concrete evidence as why one method is better than another. Obviously dropping the oil out after startup/heat is good to clear any residue but what about the rings/pistons/cylinders? Also not everyone is using Porsche parts so I wonder if the rings/pistons/cylinders of 20+ years ago reacted differently to what is available on the market now? Has anyone pulled down 2 similar engines that have been run in quickly and slow and steady way? Any conclusions?

Ski

is ST around? Jim, how'd did you prep those pistons and rings for the 600hp run? I know you say they seated in in about 200-300 miles, this correct? Just curious.