Quick Question: New Piston Ring Break in Guidelines

[rodgertherabit]

Hey again,

Rings are finally on and looking for info/advice about break in procedures...My Buddy who is a tech told me to baby it for 500 miles then change the oil, 1000 change again, and 3k after that switch to synthetic while gradually driving the car harder (i.e. more throttle/boost)

Now, he said to baby it, where as my research (Ive searched) tells me to drive it normally (without cruising) and letting it heat up without over revving it.


Some experienced/comforting advice would be nice on this frigid evening here in the midwest

[dubbin_boho]

i followed this.. http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm

drive it hard to seat the rings!

as far as oil changes go, this is what i did:
1st start up let it warm to operating temp then change the oil to flush out left over metal shavings and stuff out of the motor.. after that 500, 1000, and 3000 miles then switched to synthetic

[Vegeta Gti]

1,2,3,4,5,4,3,2,1 for 20 min low bost <50% throttle. cool down all the way then repeat at 50% then cool down. then up boost and repeat@ 75% throttle twice with cool downs then flog it through gears, let cool dow. get about 100 miles or more with this. change oil and drive for 500 change oil shold be good.

immediate flogging is meh, not a fan. seating the rings just dont hold sustained load. what i did, perfect compression, 45k BT daily 30psi 3.5 years later...still perfect comp and power

[pete@integrated]

Correct- load is good, but you don't want high RPM's or sustained periods of load. You do not want to build up heat in the ring pack and cause micro-welding of the rings, which will pit the ring lands.

No need to go anything near 500 miles, you will know if everything was put together correctly or not in a matter of hours.

[rodgertherabit]

Alright thanks again for the input!

Ive changed the oil after the 1st run and have drove maybe 100 miles since. I hit boost (no more than 5psi) getting goin at a light or switching lanes.

From today on I will start driving it with a little more Vigor Easy loads while engine breaking to slow down. I dont drive more than across town and back so I think the durations are ok.

How long till its "safe" to start highway driving/cruising?

[kmf]

immediate flogging is meh, not a fan.

From my experience "immediate flogging" will give you an engine that produces great power but will end up wearing parts out sooner than an engine that was gradually broken in.

[rodgertherabit]

yeah I understand the logic but it doesnt seem like the best thing to do.

Ive babbied it for 200 miles. now im starting to drive it normally, slow normal

[SMG8vT]

I drove mine easy for about 30 minutes and then beat the living crap out of it at full boost when I built my engine. All cylinders had great compression and all were within 1psi of each other when I did my last compression test. 5000kms on dino oil and then back to synthetic.

[rodgertherabit]

Again, the logic makes sence, but its hard for me to just womp on in

[SMG8vT]

Oh yeah and I did oil changes after 40kms, 500kms, ~1500-2000kms and then 5000.

[rodgertherabit]

^^this for sure!^^

Now how long till I can drive on the highway?

[SMG8vT]

Just drive it easy for the first few kms that's all.

[rodgertherabit]

you don't want high RPM's or sustained periods of load. You do not want to build up heat in the ring pack and cause micro-welding of the rings, which will pit the ring lands.

When can I stop worrying about this?

[screwball]

You're already done dude.

[rodgertherabit]

Oh, Cool... I just wanted to clear it up

[formerly silveratljetta]

idled mine up to operating temp then went and beat on it for 10 min. Changed oil. Drove for 2000 miles, changed oil again to synthetic.

[BlueSleeper]

i followed this.. http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm

drive it hard to seat the rings!

That is how I broke mine in, following most of his recommendations. Compression is great across the board, it saw 30-35 psi daily, 40 a few times to see what it could take. I cheated and created three maps that i could swap between with a switch to run each of his three stages of breakin. I set them up with limits to throttle, load, and rpm at different points.

[codergfx]

That is how I broke mine in, following most of his recommendations. Compression is great across the board, it saw 30-35 psi daily, 40 a few times to see what it could take. I cheated and created three maps that i could swap between with a switch to run each of his three stages of breakin. I set them up with limits to throttle, load, and rpm at different points.

I also am installing new rings in my motor, so what breaking in oil would you suggest? 5w30? non synthetic im assuming, and oil changes 20 miles (according to the guide) then run a fresh 5w30 non synthetic for 100 miles? then go synthetic? or 0w30? also my waste gate spring is @ 8psi would that be sufficient break in load on a 60trim?

[Budsdubbin]

You will find most use a Non detergent SAE w30 single weight for the first break in. Its free of the additives you normally find in multi viscosity oils.

[codergfx]

You will find most use a Non detergent SAE w30 single weight for the first break in. Its free of the additives you normally find in multi viscosity oils.

How come single grade? I heard that single grade doesn't have proper lubrication on cold start lubricate properly. Is that true?

[SMG8vT]

My engine builder told me not to use non-detergent oil and handed me a case of Shell Rotella.

[Budsdubbin]

I use rotella synthetic 0w-40 over summer as my main oil. Single weight should hold same viscosity weither cold start or operating temp. You want to run 0w-40 because the thinner the oil is at startup the easier it is to be distributed through the long block. Also I'm sure you've heard to stay away from WOT below operating temp one of the reasons being it hasn't warmed up to reach its operating thickness.

[pete@integrated]

We use and recommend Brad Penn 30 weight break in oil- it's loaded with zinc and does a really good job of protecting things and breaking in the cams / lifters. It ships with every IE crate engine in fact, and we have been very happy with it. You can get it from summit/jegs.

Don't run high boost on a 30 weight oil, so run low boost until you dump the oil and switch to a thicker oil. You don't need a ton of boost to do break in anyways. In fact no boost would work just fine as well.

Pete

[Budsdubbin]

We use and recommend Brad Penn 30 weight break in oil- it's loaded with zinc and does a really good job of protecting things and breaking in the cams / lifters. It ships with every IE crate engine in fact, and we have been very happy with it. You can get it from summit/jegs.

Don't run high boost on a 30 weight oil, so run low boost until you dump the oil and switch to a thicker oil. You don't need a ton of boost to do break in anyways. In fact no boost would work just fine as well.

Pete

Either this or get the Valvoline 30weight Vr1 which is the only main stream oil company out there allowed to leave their zinc in the oil. You will find that its cheaper than most conventional oils. This is because they leave out a step required by the EPA to remove zinc from the oil. I guess its pretty bad for the enviroment but its a great cushion for your bearings.

Theres also Lucas engine break-in additive which is basically a bottle of zinc(I used a little everytime I changed my oil). I haven't inspected my bearings yet but the cylinder walls in my 1.8t are perfect I almost doen't want to hone them.

[Late__Apex]

I followed the following version of suggested break-in.
Fast idle to operating temp to flush out metal debris.
Change oil.
Then about 30 miles with increasing intensity but no high boost runs.
The car ran well, warmed up nicely and showed no smoking that I could see.

I just drained the oil from the second batch. I was surprised to see the oil was completely opaque and black after 30 miles. However, there is no evidence of contaminants on the surface or bottom of the jar I'm using to view it.

Am I OK?

[formerly silveratljetta]

I followed the following version of suggested break-in.
Fast idle to operating temp to flush out metal debris.
Change oil.
Then about 30 miles with increasing intensity but no high boost runs.
The car ran well, warmed up nicely and showed no smoking that I could see.

I just drained the oil from the second batch. I was surprised to see the oil was completely opaque and black after 30 miles. However, there is no evidence of contaminants on the surface or bottom of the jar I'm using to view it.

Am I OK?

I don't see why you wouldnt be.

[Issam Abed]

1,2,3,4,5,4,3,2,1 for 20 min low bost <50% throttle. cool down all the way then repeat at 50% then cool down. then up boost and repeat@ 75% throttle twice with cool downs then flog it through gears, let cool dow. get about 100 miles or more with this. change oil and drive for 500 change oil shold be good.

One point to note though, usually you do not want the motor decelerating the vehicle. In other words typically when you approach a corner (for e.g. you are in 3rd gear) you back down to 2nd gear and so forth. Do NOT do this , use the brakes for the first few km's. Drain oil and follow procedures as stated above. Babying motors for 1xxx km's is a procedure of the past.

[groggory]

Added to FAQ

[rodgertherabit]

Heck yeah!