brassplyer

Years ago I saw an article where someone asserted the secret to new engine break-in was not the gentle, progressive method that's typically advocated but that ideally you want to fill it with quality non-synthetic oil, fire it up and as soon as oil pressure is up immediately do a Bonneville salt flats run with it - run the absolute hell out of it, back it down, do it again a few times - that if you did it that way the rings would seal better for longer and the engine life and compression/performance would be enhanced. As I recall they said you had a small window of about 50 miles or maybe even less than that before the cross-hatching wore down too much and you lose the opportunity to get this ideal break-in.

I'd have to see if I can re-find it but I recall they said they knew it was controversial but said they had data proving it worked.

What do you think - absolute engine-abusing nonsense or do you think there's something to it?

randallsteel

Sometimes I don’t think it matters.
me and my dad have each rebuilt many a small block. We have entirely different ways of break in.
My dad prefers the “baby it for 500 miles” method.
I personally fire it up, break in the cam and go do 10 or so 3/4 throttle pulls in 2nd gear.
then I change the oil and call it done.
neither one of us have had an engine fail and both methods(at least for us) seem to seat rings just fine.

HeadsU.P.

Gentle or Screamin' ? Both.
Gentle in the garage for the first 20 -30 minutes. Check for fluid leaks, listen for valve-lash, then hit the road.
Plan well in advance where to find a steep hill w/o residential & traffic. Downshift when descending the hill. Do that 3 - 4 times will seat the rings.

I don't believe the bs about cylinders cross-hatch gone in 50 miles. There are engines with thousands of miles that still have the hone pattern.

The name of the game is Break-IN, not break-ing.

brassplyer

I don't remember the exact mileage they cited but it was the fresh peaks of the cross-hatching they were talking about - that's what they thought was important to successfully doing the aforementioned method.

REELAV8R

I've always seated my rings in by giving the engine a workout. Make sure it's up to temperature and timed correctly first, and any tappet break in is complete.

Accelerate hard and decelerate hard. vary the rpm constantly, even when warming it up, no idling. With moly rings this is likely not quite as important, they wear in almost immediately. But chrome faced, or cast iron rings, you bet. Usually the oil ring is chrome faced so it needs a good workout to wear in properly.

C3 Stroker

I've had my last two engines broken in on the dyno........it doesn't get any more bonzai than that. Yes, they were and are street as well as some drag strip time. I'd have to wait close to a year for drag time if I had to wait for 500 miles of street time. Never had any problems. Most racers go from the dyno to the drag strip the next day.

randallsteel

that’s what I’m saying. Too impatient to baby it for miles and miles

ignatz

The only reason I ever heard that made sense was that you wanted the piston rings to reach their full excursion

427Hotrod

As mentioned....warm it up...ck for leaks.....maybe dump the initial oil.....make some short dyno pulls to ck the tune....and then a full dyno session with lash loops and jetting changes.

It's either broke in or it's broke. One or the other.


JIM

OldCarBum

My engine builder just dyno’d my new engine as quoted above.
They were all smiles but I was a little nervous.

calwldlife

reminds of a brothers philosophy, "run it hard, if its going to break, it will"

I am more of a "work it but don't break it"

rings need load to do their job, so, load them in a progressive way.
meaning, a little load, little more by accel amounts and pull amounts too polish them rings to hone scratches.
whoo who

Gale Banks 80'

If you buy a new C8 Corvette the ECM wont let you take past mid RPM till its got 500 miles on it. GM is going with the baby method.

calwldlife

yup, must be a lesson in that

HeadsU.P.

That's the difference of Warranty and No Warranty.
GM can't have customers beating on new engines too soon.

REELAV8R

OEM break ins are all about liability and warranty. They do not apply physics or science to that recommendation.

SS2001SS

Break in the cam, change oil, drive it like you stole it

leigh1322

The only way you would ever have scientific evidence to back up either theory is to perform a leak down test on a brand-new engine, and then again after the dyno session.
Same with engine #2; brand-new and then after 500 miles.
I have never heard of anyone doing that, once, much less twice, on 2 different engines, have you?
If you have, please share!

427Hotrod

I've seen a couple over the years on "machine shop" rebuilds where we had to go out and flog it to get rings to seat. If I'm not going to dyno it...I like to fire it up on a test stand...ck for leaks etc, change the oil and run it a little. When it goes in the car, I'll admit I will sneak up on hammering it hard for a few miles just to make sure everything is alright...just like I would have done on the dyno with some short test pulls. I tend to build lots of HP and it's not going to hook up on street tires in the car anyway...so easy to get carried away. As far as bearings etc...they either have proper clearance or they don't..so nothing to worry about there.

That 500 mile thing from GM helps a couple of things. One...if it comes apart it might do as much damage. Two...as it is with a couple of friends with new supercharged Camaro's.....it allows the owner a little time to get acquainted with the power before stuffing it in the ditch.

JIM

Jebbysan

Besides flat tappet cam break in and ring seat....there is literally zero reason to babyfoot break-in a custom built, professionally assembled engine if built right........

Jebby

calwldlife

different ring material
different hone cross hatch
different expected time to seal