Firebird1984

Well, I finally got to fire over the new crate engine. Boy did it ever fire over FAST! Hardly cranked and off it went! I had to shut it down after about 4-5 minutes as the exhaust was starting to back up into the garage (shift in the wind outside. I backed it out of the garage and let it idle about 2000 RPM or so for about a total of 18-20 minutes. It never missed a beat. I however did make a few observations that concerned me. I think this is normal for a brand new tight engine, but thought I'd better ask.

1. It did run a bit hotter than I thought it would. It hit a max of 220 and the driver's side headers were a bit pink. I backed down the idle and timing a bit as I was afraid that it might be advanced too far. So far, I have not timed it, so it's only by ear to get it started so far. I'm doing the tune-up settings at next start-up.

2. The oil pressure sender is new but the gauge is old. I actually suspect the gauge may not be horribly accurate to begin with. I'm thinking I may just upgrade to all new Autometer gauges and a custom dash panel.
Anyway, the oil pressure was 60 PSI for most of the time. It did drop to about 45 or so (hard to tell on these factory gauges as there aren't many distinct markings on them), when it was back at hot idle. I think this is sufficient especially seeing that it was that hot.

3. Other than a slight smell of something being hot, nothing else seems out of place. It idles really smooth and I hope that the short break-in time was sufficient for the cam and lifters to get to know each other. I think I'm ready for a tune and test drive, what ya'll think?
Brad

Dialed_In

iTrader: (3)

what kind of oil did you use for the break in?

Set the timing next then run it for 10 more minutes

Change the oil. Inspect it and the filter for metal and smell it to be sure there is no fuel in the oil.

Do a compressoin and leakdown on all 8 to be sure the rings have come in.

Then drive it

Firebird1984

Thanks for the advice Dialed_In!

I was using Valvoline 10W30 as specified by GM who built this thing.
I did check the oil on the dipstick afterward (yeah, not much of a test!), but no smell of gas or other contaminants. After cool-down, it just needed a touch more coolant, so there are no obvious leaks externally or internally apparant at this time. I'll need to get one of those oil filter cutters to check out the oil filter contents. Hopefully someone around here carries those.

I wasn't too overly concerned about the temp, (I did set an absolute max of 220 in my mind before starting it as the shut-down point, but it never went over it) I would have liked to see it a bit lower. I had a 327 I rebuilt years ago that did the same thing. After a break-in, normal temps and was a great engine. Maybe it runs in the Chevy V8 family?

I was thinking of an early oil change anyway, so after a short tune-up session, changing it sounds like a good idea. I can only imagine the vast assortment of small metal particles that probably abound in the oil after starting a new engine for a few minutes! Again, thanks!
Brad