engine break in
02-09-2010, 04:39 PM
#1
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Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Carson City Nevada
Posts: 193
engine break in
I just got my engine rebuilt on my 280zxt, and I need to break it in. The problem is, the only piece of exuast that I have is the down pipe off the turbo. Would it be best to tow it to a shop and get the exuast done before I break it in, or can I do it after? Sorry if this is a stupid question.
02-09-2010, 04:54 PM
#3
The only difference "no exhaust system" will make, is your neighbors will be pissed. 
I drove my L28ET probably 20 miles w/ just the downpipe before I took it in to get an exhaust system installed.
As for your break in procedures... on the first start, let it warm up by idling & easy rev'ving. Check all fluids at running temp. Then drive like a grandma for 500 miles, change the oil, drive like a grandma for another 500 miles, then at about 1500 miles change the oil again & this time use synthetic (for the first two oil changes run conventional).
I drove my L28ET probably 20 miles w/ just the downpipe before I took it in to get an exhaust system installed.
As for your break in procedures... on the first start, let it warm up by idling & easy rev'ving. Check all fluids at running temp. Then drive like a grandma for 500 miles, change the oil, drive like a grandma for another 500 miles, then at about 1500 miles change the oil again & this time use synthetic (for the first two oil changes run conventional).
02-09-2010, 06:17 PM
#6
w0rld's l0ngest m0t0rswap
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02-09-2010, 09:04 PM
#9
w0rld's l0ngest m0t0rswap
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02-09-2010, 09:31 PM
#10
Ruff Ryder
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: palm desert
Posts: 6,140
All you need is a spare oil pump shaft, grind down the teeth, install it with the oil pump, then hook it up to a drill, go at it for a minute or so until oil gets to the cam, then gently turn the motor over by hand 180 degree's, go at it again for a minute, turn the motor back to TDC prime it again and your done.
02-09-2010, 11:10 PM
#11
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Location: lemont, Illinois
Posts: 9,532
All you need is a spare oil pump shaft, grind down the teeth, install it with the oil pump, then hook it up to a drill, go at it for a minute or so until oil gets to the cam, then gently turn the motor over by hand 180 degree's, go at it again for a minute, turn the motor back to TDC prime it again and your done.
02-09-2010, 11:37 PM
#12
Ruff Ryder
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: palm desert
Posts: 6,140
this isn't a chevy motor... lol. all you can do for priming a Z is make sure the oil pump is filled with oil and the oil filter is filled with oil and put them up! i guess if you were desperate you could do it your way but then you still gotta drop the pump again and blah blah blah... kind of a hassle. if you do it right there isnt a problem, just watch the oil pressure gauge, no reading after 5 seconds, shut her off. as long as you used a good amount of assembly lube no damage will happen (and always oil the pistons before first crank)
02-10-2010, 01:53 AM
#13
Intrawebz Wizard
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Vernal, UT
Posts: 3,176
this isn't a chevy motor... lol. all you can do for priming a Z is make sure the oil pump is filled with oil and the oil filter is filled with oil and put them up! i guess if you were desperate you could do it your way but then you still gotta drop the pump again and blah blah blah... kind of a hassle. if you do it right there isnt a problem, just watch the oil pressure gauge, no reading after 5 seconds, shut her off. as long as you used a good amount of assembly lube no damage will happen (and always oil the pistons before first crank)
And I thought assembly lube was for basically when you first start the engine so you dont ruin something before it primes? So whats the big deal about priming the engine lol
02-10-2010, 02:52 AM
#14
Ruff Ryder
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: palm desert
Posts: 6,140
I was told to only lightly oil the skirt of the piston. sense no oil really ever gets to the top of the piston unless you have a bad ring or something
And I thought assembly lube was for basically when you first start the engine so you dont ruin something before it primes? So whats the big deal about priming the engine lol
And I thought assembly lube was for basically when you first start the engine so you dont ruin something before it primes? So whats the big deal about priming the engine lol
Last edited by hoov100; 02-10-2010 at 03:13 AM.
02-10-2010, 11:36 AM
#15
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Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: lemont, Illinois
Posts: 9,532
assembly lube is rockin stuff... it'll probably last a bit longer than 3 seconds, but nothing spectacular. and yeah you oil the entire piston side when sticking it into the block... but before i put the head on (which if im putting the head on then usually i plan on running it soon) i oil up the cylinder walls a bit. after that you cant really do much i suppose.
02-27-2010, 11:37 PM
#16
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Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 341
Is anybody here aware of WHAT EXACTLY "break in" consists of?? Sure doesn't look like it.. Please dispense with the prime oil pump stuff, that's standard procedure for anybody that graduated 7th grade.
I'll be impressed when somebody tells me why babying it is the worst thing you could do.(I've been paid by manufacturers to run the hell out of their engines) There is one clue above, something to the effect of break it in to it's operating conditions. With me, that's right foot sticking 4" out past the grille...
My break in, bring it up to temp, and it's DYNO time...
One word of caution, most engine dyno's are only good to 2000 hp...
I'll be impressed when somebody tells me why babying it is the worst thing you could do.(I've been paid by manufacturers to run the hell out of their engines) There is one clue above, something to the effect of break it in to it's operating conditions. With me, that's right foot sticking 4" out past the grille...
My break in, bring it up to temp, and it's DYNO time...
One word of caution, most engine dyno's are only good to 2000 hp...
02-27-2010, 11:41 PM
#17
Registered User
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 341
If the clearances and oil are right, the no oil time shouldn't ever even approach 3 seconds. Matter of fact, every engine we do is tested for pressure and volume of oil before it leaves the building;
02-28-2010, 08:56 AM
#18
w0rld's l0ngest m0t0rswap
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Torrance, CA
Posts: 676
Is anybody here aware of WHAT EXACTLY "break in" consists of?? Sure doesn't look like it.. Please dispense with the prime oil pump stuff, that's standard procedure for anybody that graduated 7th grade.
I'll be impressed when somebody tells me why babying it is the worst thing you could do.(I've been paid by manufacturers to run the hell out of their engines) There is one clue above, something to the effect of break it in to it's operating conditions. With me, that's right foot sticking 4" out past the grille...
My break in, bring it up to temp, and it's DYNO time... One word of caution, most engine dyno's are only good to 2000 hp...
I'll be impressed when somebody tells me why babying it is the worst thing you could do.(I've been paid by manufacturers to run the hell out of their engines) There is one clue above, something to the effect of break it in to it's operating conditions. With me, that's right foot sticking 4" out past the grille...
My break in, bring it up to temp, and it's DYNO time...
One word of caution, most engine dyno's are only good to 2000 hp...I also read that audi makes you sign a break-in contract when you buy their vehicles, not to go past a certain RMP or certain % of throttle ( i think it was 70%?) and of course they can pull all this information from the OBC if you bring it in and were a naughty boy.
02-28-2010, 10:50 AM
#19
Intrawebz Wizard
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Vernal, UT
Posts: 3,176
I like the Datsun Z Garage engine break in idea, it seems the most sound to me.
NEW ENGINE BREAK-IN TIPS
There are many opinions on how to break in a new motor, from babying it to redlining it immediately. I'm not going to discuss which is correct, I'm just going to just list the methods I use for myself. Cam break-in is not covered below which has a whole other list of to-do's. So the tips below are for general engine startup.
Bearings generally don't need break-in because there is constant film of oil between the bearings and journals (if you do have metal-to-metal contact there's a problem). What we want to concentrate on is seating the rings against the cylinder walls to ensure high compression for the engine's life. This needs to be done properly early on.
- Immediately on first startup, check the oil pressure and bring the engine up to 2,000, listening for noises, looking for leaks, adding water, etc.
- Try to use as little choke as possible as the extra gas can wash the oil from the cylinder walls and affect ring seating. Don't race the engine but blipping the throttle is fine. Let the motor idle at 2,000 until it reaches full operating temperature. Once at full temperature bring it down to idle, re-check the timing, synch the carbs.
- I don't believe in pampering by letting the car cool down for 24 hours to "set" before more break-in as cars at the factory don't get that treatment. Instead, if all seems solid I go for a test-drive as soon as possible. You need a nearby road with no traffic or a parking lot for this next step: Once on the road accelerate moderately up to 3,500 or so in a lower gear, let off the gas abruptly. Let the engine braking pull the motor down to 1,500 or so. Do this 10 or more times in the lower gears, in different rev ranges. This is a well known method which uses the engine vacuum pull the rings against the cylinder walls to ensure proper seating.
After these initial "throttle dumps" do some moderate driving at different speeds around the area. Continue to do moderate acceleration, occasionally backing off the throttle as before using the engine vacuum to brake the motor. Some people say the rings seat immediately, but I like to take my time over the first couple of hundred miles to let the rings seat smoothly.
* Try to do as much driving in this first phase as possible (first startup should be a weekend). Change the oil at 100 miles.
* By the time you get a couple of hundred miles on the motor you will notice the idle is smoother and stable, with smoother revving and all around "better" feel. If your cylinders have been bored properly ring seating is generally quick at a couple of hundred miles. If your cylinders are roughly honed it might take you a 1000. Doing a compression check will tell you for sure.
* Don't start doing 0-60 runs with the startup oil in the crankcase as it has pre-lube remnants and other contaminants in it. Wait until after the first oil change and at 500 miles if everything seems stable and tight, start taking the engine closer to redline occasionally. By the time you get to 1000 miles you should be revving the engine to redline with no guilt.
NEW ENGINE BREAK-IN TIPS
There are many opinions on how to break in a new motor, from babying it to redlining it immediately. I'm not going to discuss which is correct, I'm just going to just list the methods I use for myself. Cam break-in is not covered below which has a whole other list of to-do's. So the tips below are for general engine startup.
Bearings generally don't need break-in because there is constant film of oil between the bearings and journals (if you do have metal-to-metal contact there's a problem). What we want to concentrate on is seating the rings against the cylinder walls to ensure high compression for the engine's life. This needs to be done properly early on.
- Immediately on first startup, check the oil pressure and bring the engine up to 2,000, listening for noises, looking for leaks, adding water, etc.
- Try to use as little choke as possible as the extra gas can wash the oil from the cylinder walls and affect ring seating. Don't race the engine but blipping the throttle is fine. Let the motor idle at 2,000 until it reaches full operating temperature. Once at full temperature bring it down to idle, re-check the timing, synch the carbs.
- I don't believe in pampering by letting the car cool down for 24 hours to "set" before more break-in as cars at the factory don't get that treatment. Instead, if all seems solid I go for a test-drive as soon as possible. You need a nearby road with no traffic or a parking lot for this next step: Once on the road accelerate moderately up to 3,500 or so in a lower gear, let off the gas abruptly. Let the engine braking pull the motor down to 1,500 or so. Do this 10 or more times in the lower gears, in different rev ranges. This is a well known method which uses the engine vacuum pull the rings against the cylinder walls to ensure proper seating.
After these initial "throttle dumps" do some moderate driving at different speeds around the area. Continue to do moderate acceleration, occasionally backing off the throttle as before using the engine vacuum to brake the motor. Some people say the rings seat immediately, but I like to take my time over the first couple of hundred miles to let the rings seat smoothly.
* Try to do as much driving in this first phase as possible (first startup should be a weekend). Change the oil at 100 miles.
* By the time you get a couple of hundred miles on the motor you will notice the idle is smoother and stable, with smoother revving and all around "better" feel. If your cylinders have been bored properly ring seating is generally quick at a couple of hundred miles. If your cylinders are roughly honed it might take you a 1000. Doing a compression check will tell you for sure.
* Don't start doing 0-60 runs with the startup oil in the crankcase as it has pre-lube remnants and other contaminants in it. Wait until after the first oil change and at 500 miles if everything seems stable and tight, start taking the engine closer to redline occasionally. By the time you get to 1000 miles you should be revving the engine to redline with no guilt.
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