NITROUS OXIDE ( nos / n2o ) advice forum

Well after the one-disaster-after-another first year of Skyline ownership, having driven the car for all of about 6 weeks during that time, it looks like I'm finally approaching the moment I get my car back

I have a new block, bored +1mm for some forged Wiseco pistons, standard conrods but lightened and balanced, new bearings on a newly-ground crank, new oil pump, new twin-plate clutch and lightened flywheel, head has had new valves, guides and seals, Cometic headgasket, 700cc injectors fed from a Walbro fuel pump, and an Apexi PowerFC to run it all.

So when I start the car for the first time, what procedure should I follow to bed in the new pistons/rings/block surfaces etc?

I have an idea what to do, but I'm sure a fair few of you on here must have been through this with engine builds, so I would be very grateful for any advice, so I dont screw my new engine up within a few thousand miles of a comprehensive rebuild

It depends how it was built.
Built properly and once it fires up its run in.

"Running in" beds in and mates badly matched / machined parts. Why have you got any ?

In all seriousness;
Use a half decent but not race spec oil
Let it warm up.
get everything moving and up to speed
give it some "decent" load followed by a short break
give it some "hard" load followed by a decent break
repeat
continue for 500 ? miles
Check oil regulary
Change oil for whatever really good stuff you want to run.

DO NOT cruise, DO NOT maintain a light load

If it was mass built, continue until it stops burning oil

Well I agree with Loopy but in a few diferant ways. Here in the states with the hone that are put on most engines and todays rings, those things seat rather quickly and if in 100 miles its not you might have problems.

Even my new cars and trucks I drive em off the lot like I stole it...But like Loopy said start out with a light oil and start it up and get the idle up to 1500 to 2000 RPM to get the cam and lifters broke in and let it run for 15 min. or so and at this time look for leaks and make sure its not over heating and what not. Shut it off let it cool get everything buttoned up for a drive. Then drive it like Loopy said.

I would think though after around 100 miles,change and use what ever oil you are going to run .

Just my opinion but then again who am I ...lolol

Make sure it's been built with assembly lube, if not see if you can prime the engines oil system to make sure lube is there before you fire it.
If you've got a new cam fitted then the higher you keep the rpm from the instant you start it the better it is (6,000 good) but most people can't handle that idea so whatever you can bear. The cam is the hardest component in the engine and when parts wear off they cause a lot of damage to the softer parts.
Maximium cam wear happens at start up and at low rpm.
If the engine is built right the other parts are not as critical as the cam and so the high rpm is not a problem.
Other than that, I'm with the guys above.

Regards

mineral oil,not synthetic for the first 100 miles,then oil change to full synth,for initial start crank till oil light goes out then start,hold at 1500-200 rpms for 20 mins,[I usually do this in 2 goes of 10 mins with 1/2 hour between] to bed cam in[very critical] Then just go drive,nothing to harsh for first 50 miles but use rpm but not load,then another 50 with a bit more.
Check all is ok,another oil change[ok maybe overkill but alot cheaper than rebuild]the let it rip good luck,cheers richie,uk

I have to admit i forgot about the cam break in, but then again he didn't say he'd had a cam.

I think we're pretty much in agreement though.
Buy her a drink but not dinner..........
Nope, that descriptions going down hill already
Don't be nasty, but don't be too nice either.

Hell Loopy like I said drive it like you stole it..... Just trying to get a rise out of you my friend....

You didn't go thinking i'd taken something to heart again did you Johnny ?
Hell, what would you know ?

While doing cam break-in, I find it useful to keep a garden hose spraying on the radiator. The engine will generate a lot of heat, and water can take away a lot of heat. Then again, I'm breaking in big V8s...

Before starting, I like to remove the distributor and prime the oil system manually and turn the engine 720 degrees. (you may not be able to do this because of access).

My favorite way to break in rings is to find a long hill (a nearby mountain pass would be especially useful) and go up it in a high gear, at low RPM (high load). They'll seat in no time.

RichieUK, I have never heard of using mineral oil before! Where did you heat that? I wouldn't think that is properly heat stabilized for this sort of thing.

-Bob C.

Bob,

Agreed, that's what I meant by priming the oil system but I think that's a luxury only we V8 owners can enjoy by removal of the dizzy. ;-)

Regards

We don't "tend" to overheat when doing cam break in, sometimes the cooling system bleeds and we have to stop to top it up but then we restart, waters no bad thing tho.

We can't prime the oil without turning the crank, the pump is directly crank driven usually.

Breaking in rings / bores that hard that fast would tend to anneal them, they'd go soft before the first bend in the road, at least on our engines.

Yep, mineral oil. Even our oil companies / cam companies say don't use decent synthetics for break in, its just too good and you can't get the rings to cut through it on the bore walls.

Its funny the differences eh ?

I thought BMW uses synthetic from the factory?

On re-reading, it appears that when you are saying "mineral oil" you mean standard non-synthetic motor oil.

To me, mineral oil is something else altogether- http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html ... ccd=IFF003

-Bob C.

You really can see how confusion arises can't you ?
Would that be an "oil treatment" then ?
Mineral oil = pumped from the ground and refined as a lubricant

Heres an incredibly old trick for ya. Me old mans old man (old old man )
tells me to put a little light oil in the fuel. This will get lube to yer pistons and through yer valve gear almost instantly, me and the old man also squirt a bit of decent oil over the cams and valves before we start up a newly bored engines. Only done it twice and one was a six cylinder diesel so mabey it don't work on modern or race tuned/tuned up engines.