Break in oil

[mack]

One of my neighbors sells Amsoil on the side. We all stop in at each others place from time to time to chat and help out here and there. Do the BBQ thing etc. Anyway he had come by several times while I was rebuilding this motor and watched my progress. today he dropped off 4 quarts of "break In Oil" (no charge), and told me to run this in the motor for 250 miles then drain it and use my regular stuff after. Anyone ever heard of this stuff? The paper on it looks quite impressive. As a side note, whats the normal running oil pressure supposed to be on these dudes?

[IanDMacDonald]

I think it's a gimmick. No manufacturers besides (Honda) use a break-in oil. Then, you hear all the tuners swear by changing oil @ 50, 200, 500, 1000 miles. Kinda crazy, but it makes sense to them. I changed mine @ 2500 miles, then switched to synthetic. My GSXR I bought out of a crate had regular Suzuki 10w-40 in it. Nothing special.

And, grabbing info from Steve from another thread, he said the FSM states 40 psi @ cruising speed.

[Tarheeltriple]

Remember you have a oil bath clutch, any additives in the oil will also soak in to the clutch disks, any anti-friction addititives can cause the clutch to slip....just my 2 cents.

[MPittma100]

Break-in Oil

Break-in oil's main ingredient is zinc. It assists with seating new rings and bearings as well as keeping valve train from having premature wear at start up.

This is a good oil to use on any new rebuild.

What you should not use for break-in is synthetic oil.

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Mack,

I've also read/heard that one should use a single weight oil for break in, and then after that, you can use multi-visc of your choosing. There has also been some debate on the breakin process itself....some say do the gentle technique like what's in the manual....others say perform several hard WOT type runs to really stress the rings and get them to bite into the cylinders to scrub/wear and seat more quickly! YMMV.

T.C.

[mack]

I remember

when I bought it, I was told to go easy on it and vary the RPM for the first 1000 miles or so, but I was in my early twenties and living in the praries. I might have had 100 miles on it before I red lined it. With all the wide open space, I couldn't help myself and the bike was run at 80-90 mph most of the time for the first three years I had it. It wasn't till I moved to a city that it had to cruz at low RPM. It certainly didn't hurt the motor any to ride it hard in the beginning.
This oil seems very thin to me, almost like air tool oil. I'll post a picture of the label.

[Gmac]

New Yamaha Outboard Break In

Only brand new out of the box engine from a manufacturer I've ever had specified idling the motor for 15 min, letting it cool off and doing that again with mild revving of the throttle.

They stated it would take probably 3 hours of run time to be broken in and to not run WOT till after that time period had been reached.

Other motors I've built I used a single weight oil and thermally cycled them as well. 30 wt no additives oil was run in those engines for a tank of gas and then dumped. Checked for metal filings to see if anything was getting chewed up and a torque check and they were GTG.

[mack]

oil

Here is what it looks like:

[WMarshy]

Here is what it looks like:

Nice! I wouldn't hesitate to use it, excellent choice. Break-in engine oils have a higher amount of zinc as previously mentioned. Its not just zinc though its other elements as well but the dominant compound if zinc (google ZDDP/ZDTP). The good old oils from the past had higher amounts of ZDDP but due to EPA and catalytic converter issues with ZDDP those levels have been on the decline and have been replaced with other additives. As motor oils have "progressed" they have been given new API service ratings. That being said, you can find the older API rated oils at places like your local dollar store.

Read here: http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2...older-engines/

[mack]

thanx

For that thread. Interesting read.

[Brent]

oil analysis

Hi Mack,
Congratulations on completing rebuild.
Oil Looks like a very good choice. No friction modifiers to damage clutch. I too believe in break in with petroleum, Not synthetic. at least Several easy complete warm up 20-30 miles varying speed and cool down overnight cycles. Then an important step seat the rings - Full throttle acceleration to red line then backing off throttle slowing with engine breaking. several times

Last year, I broke in a brand new engine. I rode it easy, varying speeds, lower rpms...for 400 miles. Some engine builders told me I had missed the chance to seat the rings. Oil was black from blow by. Then I followed advice "do not baby it too much." and wrung it out (ring seating procedure). Changed oil at 500 mi...Now oil remains golden. Perhaps a little more power, and hopefully greater longevity.

I also got an engine rebuild on my red firefighter Road King. Rings in this engine were seated early on the dyno during tuning.

Early and extra oil change on new or rebuilt engine is the best maintenance money you can spend.

For "report card" on how your engine rebuild is you can send a sample of used oil to lab for chemical analysis. I used Blackstone Laboratories at 416 E Pettit Ave. Fort Wayne, IN 46806 Cost was about $25. They provide approved shipping containers. There may be a similar lab in Ontario to use and avoid international shipping. I am happy with their services and my reports.

Good luck wrenching.
Wishing you many happy miles

[3Phase]

Just ride after you seat the rings and vary the engine speed so the rings don't just wear one part of the cylinder. The connecting rods stretch and compress as the RPMs go up, the crankshaft flexes and the cylinders expand and contract with the heat so the rings can't seal the cylinder correctly if you don't work the engine.

Bearings and journals really shouldn't have to break in for more than a very short period of time if the clearances are correct. They're supposed to have a layer of oil between them and if they 'run in' to one another the engine is toast.

.

[MPittma100]

Break-in Oil

Another good break-in oil is Brad Penn. I have used it on many engines, but never on an XS1100. Have not had to rebuild one of those yet?

http://www.penngrade1.com/products/racing-oils.aspx

[jetmechmarty]

Only brand new out of the box engine from a manufacturer I've ever had specified idling the motor for 15 min, letting it cool off and doing that again with mild revving of the throttle.

They stated it would take probably 3 hours of run time to be broken in and to not run WOT till after that time period had been reached.

Other motors I've built I used a single weight oil and thermally cycled them as well. 30 wt no additives oil was run in those engines for a tank of gas and then dumped. Checked for metal filings to see if anything was getting chewed up and a torque check and they were GTG.

A boat engine runs loaded all the time. It never gets to coast down a hill. Breaking in a boat engine won't be the same as car or motorcycle.

[trbig]

I followed the break in from this site.. good info.

http://mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm

I've got @ a mile to get on the highway from the house, so after the last rebuild, I immediately started the bike and eased it the mile out to the highway for its warm-up. I then did 2nd gear runs to redline, then chopped the throttle and slowed to @ 25-30mph, over and over for 20 miles. (TERRIBLE fuel mileage.. lol) I've got over 150k on the motor now and it still doesn't use oil. (Except what leaks out the valve cover gasket.. )