Breaking in an engine.........

[David Buschur]

Here is some information I want to get out there.

The 4g63 is not a small block Chevy. You do NOT crank it with the fuel disconnected or the ignition unplugged to prime the oiling system. If you truly wanted to try and prime the oiling system before starting a new engine you would need to leave the timing belt off and crank the oil pump seperately. Same thing if you DID have a small block Chevy, you'd spin the oil pump through the distributor hole.

This next stuff applies to OUR ENGINES. I don't care about some other shop or some other machine shop that did YOUR work. Don't ask as I could care less.

For our engines. IF you put your head on, timed it etc. and installed the engine in your car AND you have everything exactly right, the engine should start and run almost immediately after trying to start it. When it does hold the engine at around 1500-2000 rpm and let it stay there. Check it for leaks while it is doing this, check it for anything out of the ordinary. If you are using a standalone check the AFR's, look at the knock count etc. Dial in your AFR's a little so it is where it needs to be to run at this RPM. Hopefully you have a map that is right in the first place and you can just let it run. While the car is warming up the lifters will quiet down as the oil pressure builds and the air gets out of the lifters. Check the coolant, watch the coolant temps.

DO NOT just crank the engine to attempt to build oil pressure, it WILL BUILD INSTANTLY IF THE CAR STARTS.

ALL of our engines are built/assembled with a special lube. It is very sticky. I basically fill the crank shaft with it, so there is quite a bit of lube there and everything is very well coated. The engine could probably actually run with NO oil in it for a few minutes with no damage, we don't want that obviously.

Point is to TRIPLE check every single thing on the car first and then it should start instantly and run.

Once you are sure there are no leaks of any type and everything is tight and triple checked again you can either start some low throttle tuning or go for a drive.

As long as everything is 100% I could care less about a break in. Engines built here/assembled here and installed here are broken in on the dyno about 90% of the time. I have maps perfected for any combination we have. So the car is checked, loaded on the dyno. The idle, part throttle tuning is gone over and a few miles are put on the car at light loads to make sure it runs great and the AFR's are good. I do all the fuel mileage calibrations right on the dyno too. When this is done, the car is looked over again and then the tuning at low boost levels (20 psi or whatever) is done. I generally do the pump gas tunes first so the boost levels are lowest. As soon as they are done then the car is turned up and tuned on race gas if that is part of the build.

It is nothing to have a car with less than 10 miles on it at 40 psi of boost and 10,000 rpm. If it is going to fail then it is going to fail at that point and running it for 2,000 miles (whatever) easy is not going to change that. Running an engine for 2,000 miles to break it in is complete bullshit. It's most companies ways of getting you to take 6 months to be ready to run the car hard and by then they hope the warranty is over.

David Buschur

[vwjeff]

Very nice, and yeah... I have NEVER EVER broken in an engine. 5 years ago or so VW had use replacing rings in the 2.0l, I know its not quite the same as a full rebuilb, but none the less. After I got the everything back together, checked for leaks, and the fans came on, I would take the car on the hardest test drive it had ever seen. If is comes apart I want it to do it before the customer picks it up.

Not once did I EVER have one come back bitching it was burning oil, spun a bearing or anything like that.

Hell even on my GTi, same thing. Driving it home and after checking the basic fuel trims, ignition, and AFR. It seen 30psi with about 4 miles on it

I say drive it like you stole it. If the cleaning, prep and assembly is right, what is there to be affraid of?

[Nuked]

Good post and thanks Dave!

SQ

[VTECH8TR]

Bottom line is drive it like you Stole it... hehhe

[zedevo]

^^ nice one

[Evoluvin]

just saw this dave!! Thanks for the write up! me and a friend (1fine9) put in his motor.... well he did mostly all the work lol but yeah we did exactly what you said! He hasnt gotten a tune yet but we have gave it some boost. It has a BR hta35r...

[92laser]

Great post .

My favorite saying is when people say you gotta retorque the head after 1000 miles, or break in the clutch or lets see how bout seat the brake pads.

[Gordian79]

Good shit.The best was one time a bombed a motor at the track and was swapping for a fresh bullet and some idiot comes up and ask how do you break in your motor?Do you drive it on the street?I was like yea i drive my car on street with liberty trans for 1000 miles.sigh

[Rogue]

Great post .

My favorite saying is when people say you gotta retorque the head after 1000 miles, or break in the clutch or lets see how bout seat the brake pads.

Some clutches do require break in... fyi.

[talontsi92]

Some clutches do require break in... fyi.

Certain types of brake pads and rotors require a "bed in" process for maximum performance and wear... Ceramic i think.

[92laser]

Maybe so, but just like the brakes and the engines when you get a brand new car there is NOTHING from the manufacturer (or most) that states you gotta come back after 1000 miles or that you have to seat in the brakes, and last but not least break in on a clutch. I have worked for several manufaturers as a tech and just like David and Jeff say, if its gonna brake its gonna do it from the get go. 12/12

[itsme4g63]

very good stuff thank you db.

[SUPERLOUDSTI]

When I had my STI build from a shop in buffalo they broke in my engine 1,000 miles for me what a waste bah. I wish I read this before.

[AWD_Eagle_TSi]

Awesome post David, I will start on my first official build coming this year and I am looking for some more tech articles if you like to share anymore with us. If I didnt have a little army I would just send the car your way