what oil and weight would you guys use? are synthectics worth it on break-in??what brand and weight? just wondering because the synthecis are SO expensive i would hate to use them just for 20 min or so and just throw the oil away thats like 25$ or so wasted? what do you guys run or do? also i know proper break-in procedures but do you guys have any little personal tricks?

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89 firebird formula

356 10.5:1compression CURRENTLY DEAD!!! BEARING FAILURE!!
comp cams xe262 cam
performer rpm intake
#1405 edlebrock 600
sportsman 2 heads 64cc 2.02/1.60 valves 200cc intake runner
msd 6al
h.e.i. proform 50,000 volt vac. advance ditributor
700r-4 with 3.08 first gear and 3.23 posi 7 5/8 rear end.
b trans shift kit(will kill shifts...suck dong!!)
shorty heddman hedders with custom 3" pipe y-pipe back(no damn cat!) with 40 series flowmaster!


future mods: 406 roller REALLY REALLY REALLY RADICAL!!!!!

current engine underway..sucks not having a car!! Building the same engine but .060 over balanced and blueprinted..decided to get a little more serious this time around!!

 

A high quality Straight 30 weight is good for about 20-30 minutes and then change the oil.
ALL cam Manufactures say DO NOT use synthetics for break in. They are too slick to allow for the parts to seat in together.

As a tip have a second person out under the hood with a Fire extinguesher near by. That way they can check things out while your holding the RPMs up. I tell you stange things can happen, like a fuel fitting isn't tight or your transmission lines in the radiator isn't tight. Or you might have a leak around you intake somewhere making you run lean and if they see something or hear something funny they can tell you to shut it off. You can always see this stuff from inside the car until its too late sometimes.
Believe me I have a leak around one of the upper intake gaskets on my TPI and made the headers get red hot from being so lean, well the guy watching my engine noticed it and saw the transmission line was about ready to come out so he grabed the fire extinguisher and yelled for me to shut it off. Sure enough the fittin came out, splash, Fire and in seconds it was out. Absolutly no damage to my car. Probably saved me $1000 or so in repairs in the wires and hoses
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89 Trans Am Turbo 3.8L All stock 43,000 miles #1053 of 1555

Past Thirdgen:
86 Trans Am w/ built 355TPI with SLP goodies and too much other stuff to List. One sweet *** car, wish I would have had a good enough Job to pay insurance on three cars so I could keep it, but for a 89 Turbo Trans Am w/ Low miles, I think I made the right choice!

[This message has been edited by Kyle F (edited April 17, 2001).]

 

kyle f is absolutely correct. use 30 weight oil, non synthetic for break in. synthetic oil will not allow the bearings to wear in properly.

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85 IROC 350 11:1keith blacks,.555lift erson roller cam,1.5 crane roller rockers,edelbrock intake,holley 4150 750dbl pumper, nitrous oxide,full length heddman headers,true dual exhaust, 11"stall converter, 700R4, 3.73 locker

 

straight 30w dino juice

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ICON Motorsports

1st & 3rd
MM Black Diamond 538 F&AM

 

i preferr straight 30 or 15w40 for break in oil. it depends on how i set it up and the engine. as for break in technique, the first 20 minutes if you have a flat tappet (non roller) cam keep it above 2000 rpm, but not a constant rpm. new rings don't seat well at a constant rpm. the first 20 will break in the cam, but on anything without a constant fan running, the exhaust will get very hot. i recomend having a good box fan blowing on the engine while breaking in the cam. (note, this is not necessary with roller cams, just a waste of time).

when your about to fire it, have someone watching if you can and near the timing disconnect while watching for any leaks. once it fires if there is no leaks, set the timing asap. go through the 20 minute procedure if you have a flat tappet cam, otherwise, get it ready to drive. before you drive it though, at least get it warm enough to find out that it's not going to overheat. if you had to break in the cam, change the oil before you drive it. at this point, put in the normal oil. otherwise, drive it for the first 50 and change it either again or for the first time depending. this gets rid of the engine assembly lube which can plug up and oil filter.

as for the drive, i drive them hard for the first 50 (preferrable with someone following), but no getting on it from a dead stop. getting on it hard from a stop is hard on the new unseated rings. from a higher rpm or roll, the rings are pushed out, but under less stress and can begin making the wear they need to seal. while your driving it the first time, it's not a time to see how fast it is, it's a time to watch gauges, smoke, listen for noises, etc. after the first 50, i drive them easy until 500, change the oil again, then run it as hard as i feel like.

 

Do the same procedures apply to a ROLLER block? I think for the roller block you don't need to hold the RPM's at 2000... is that right? What else is different?

 

has nothing to do with the block being roller, just the cam. either cam can be used in a roller block. roller cams don't require the break in of the cam for 20 minutes.

 

Back to the top for a question...

Obviously roller cams don't need to be broken in but before the car is driven it would be a good idea to get the motor to operating temp. Idle is bad for any new motor as well as one, constant RPM.

So really, even with a roller cam, the engine should be fired and immediatly the RPM's raised and fluctuated, correct??

 

Yeah, what is the proper method of breakin?

I will be breaking in a Roller motor soon, would like to know myself.

 

you dont need to break in roller cams in bc they use rollers on non rollers they have to spin in their bores and there are very small imerfections that need to worn off i guess thats the best i cxan explain it somebody please correct me if im wrong

 

I just installed a new cam and I grabbed some 30w Exxon oil. It s was the cheapest oil that I could find at the moment. Other than that I would use Castrol for any other time. Just a prefrence thing.

 

ISO 100, non-detergent mineral oil. A little sulphur and zinc additive is good. Rust and oxidation inhibitors are not necessary, since you'll be dumping the oil in very short order.