today's topic: built engine break-in opinions

 

Got an interview today at 9

 

It seems that the more race oriented the component, the more immediately ready to go it is.



****IN' SEND IT!

 

Id say do whatever the builder says to do.

 

Good morning everyone!

 

What if Vlad is the builder?

 

THAT'S LIKE DIVIDING BY ZERO!!11oneone

But yes, "the builder" is the one asking for opinions. Trying to see how many people side with Motoman method vs Traditional method or maybe even have some other method.

 

at a sammich spot?

 

I feel like break-in is a crap shoot.

Maybe go somewhere in the middle and drive it at like 75%?

I've only technically broken-in one engine and it was a factory NA engine. I think I kinda half-assed it as I did almost entirely highway miles which isn't the way it's supposed to be done. But, that engine lived a long and abused life, IMO. Was fine at 131k with the latter ~70k being hard. Sure, all the gaskets were leaking at that point. But it was making good power.

I am also a believer in the the "Italian Tune-up".



Also reminds me of metal shop in highschool. One of the projects was a "steam" engine. Instead of running them on steam, they were hooked up to compressed air and your grade was determine by how low the pressure could be turned down without stalling. Anything below 5 psi was an A. All the engines were graded at the end of the year so we had the whole year to make them. I had mine done pretty early and I took it home a put it by the phone. Being by the phone, anyone who used the phone would eventually play with the engine and inadvertently break it in a bit. At the end of the year, that ***** ran on something like 3 psi. I recall some people also turning their engines up to 30 psi to the point that the engines were blowing apart from all the pressure.

 

Shop #1 built a motor and told me no boost and stay under 3500 rpm for the break-in for 1000 miles. That motor lasted 14,000 miles.

Shop #2 did a dyno break-in (repeated gradual accelerations from idle to 6500 rpm). That motor is going on 35,000 miles with no mechanical issues except for some not-unordinary oil consumption.

Other anecdotal evidence from another local build said they "drove it like they stole from day 1" and burns zero oil.

Interpret as you will.

 

Other topic: Rob, have you ever bought the same exhaust twice?

 

Interdasting data, thank you sir.

I personally subscribe to a break in somewhere in the middle:
1st 50 miles: light throttle, sub 3500rpm, no boost, LOTs of engine braking. replace oil/filter dino oil
50-500 miles: light/mid throttle, sub 4000rpm, 5-10psi, LOTs of engine braking. replace oil/filter dino oil
500-1000 miles: mid throttle, sub 5000rpm, 10-15psi, moar engine braking. replace oil/filter with synthetic

I'm currently on step2 (300mi) and starting to wonder if the next 700mi are basically a waste of time and if I should just replace with synth at 500 and send it. engine is healthy, doesn't eat oil, everything looks and checks good.

 

Yes. Prodrive--same can bought, sold, bough back, and sold again. I've also had the GMS and M2 catbacks at two different times which are from the same Chinese distributor and replicas of the Cobb catback.

 

I personally think 3 oil changes are a bit much for 1000 mile break in.

I too have had the same rec and talk that Rob wrote out.

The WRX motor break in, I drove it up to Tahoe, ranging from 3rd-5th gear. Not going over 5k rpm and boost was set to something to a max of 10 psi or so.

Basically would drive in 3rd, slowly accelerating to 4500-5000 rpm, change into 4th, repeat into 5th. Then I would engine break down to 4th and then 3rd.

I pretty much did that the entire drive up and down lol