Imabadman

I read somewhere that synthetic oil shouldn't be used on initial startup of a new engine. Is there truth to this? While I'm on a role with dumb questions, will excessive pre-oiling "wash off" the cam lube? I pre-oiled the engine for about 3 minutes but didn't get the engine in the car for another week so I pre-oiled it again just for good measure before installation. Bad move? Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Gordonm

Break in should be done with regular oil. I drove mine about 500 miles also on regular oil.. Break in then change then 500 miles and change oil. That does not sound like excessive oiling you should be fine

Sleper

I agree. You should you regular oil with a viscosity of what your cam recomends. Good luck.
Change your oil after break in to remove any debris left inside during rebuild. Good Luck
:cheers: :cheers: :cheers:

GaryS

Use standard dinosaur 10W-30 for your break in. When I rebuilt my sb and my neighbor's bb we started the car, ran the engine to break in the cam and then shut it down for another oil change, again using standard 10W-30. It is a little excessive but for the cost of an oil change, we were sure that we got out any of the machining by products that may have been missed by the engine shop. We used this oil until 1000 miles and then use whatever oil is your preferred. According to the machine shop that did our engine work, the cam pre-lube is supposed to be washed off by the oil. It is fully compatable with engine oil and once you do your first oil change your engine will run like a regular engine without the cam lube on it. No big deal there.
Gary