Hey im getting ready to start my motor for the first time to start the break in process and i want to make sure that im doing it right, Ive heard and read a bunch of stuff and i want to see what the best process would be. i have a sbc 350 out of a 71 corvette that is running 10:1 pistions and a 274 comp xtreme energy cam and i ported and polished the block. my dad who rebuild the motor the last time back in 78 said after putting the fluids in and not having the fuel line attached to turn the motor for a couple of min without the spark plugs in to build the oil pressure and then put the spark plugs in and start the engine and idle for five min drain the oil refill and start the break in with the break in oil and reving around 1800 to 2000 rpms other places ive heard you get everything set up and turn the motor over and run it and 1800 to 2500 rpms for about 20 min then let cool completely and redo the process. what is the best way to break it in
I have always had everything ready extra water extra person for second eyes, start and go to 1800=2000 rpm for at least 15 min if you have no overheating,, Your looking to splash as much oil around cam and pistons as you can,,Hard to do that at idle,,,,make sure cam and lifters have a good coat of lube Use a thinner weight oil .After the 15-20 minutes shut it down and let it cool completely.Start again you can lower the RPM ,1200-1500 run another 15 min and let cool down again,,,Just the way I do it and have never WIPED a new cam.... I also pre oil with a drill and old dist shaft
Pre-lube the engine removing the distributor and turning the oil pump with a drill motor and 'dummy' shaft, as stated above. I disagree with you Pop about " running the engine for 5 minutes ", etc. Once started, and no issues with leaks, overheating, etc., keeping the engine rpm in 2000 +/- range for about 20 minutes is what cam manufacturers typically recommend. Using an oil with ZDDP for break in is worth considering, in my opinion. I suspect the most critical aspect of a successful fresh start and engine/cam survival is careful and correct clearances and****embly in the first place. Ray
If you have a flat tappet cam you must run a high zink oil or zink additive. Have a timing light hooked up ready to go so you can dial timing. Worst thing trying to fire and run a green engine with timing way off. 2X on using a drill to prime the engine.
Do not crank engine to get fuel or oil pressure. Fill carb bowls with gas, and prelube engine. Yes use break in oil, there are many, but I use Lucas brand. Then make sure to use an oil with enough zinc after break in, again I use Lucas. Do you know your valve spring pressure on the seat, and over the nose? It is also recommended to remove the inner spring, if equipped, while breaking in a cam. This reduces the pressure on the lobes of the cam, and the valve train. Lots of little things to go over. Good luck!
Few more tips for successful break in: Put mufflers on it! I know a lot of guys don't, they like the open header sound. But if there is a tap or knock, you won't hear it. Keep a fire extinguisher at hand. Have a guy watching for leaks. My builder always recommended using a non-detergent oil for break ins, lets the ring break in faster. Of course now you need hi-zinc oil, as well. My guy always said to run it up to 1200-1500 RPM right away to keep oil pressure high, not to idle it until 15-20 min. later.
ronnie sox once told me his break in procedure was to back it out, line it up and hammer the***** out of it. I know it doesnt help with your question
I just did one the other day. We pre-oiled it while on the stand, right before it went in. Make sure oil is up to all rockers, turn the engine 90 degrees and go 2 complete revolutions. We stuck a pressure gauge (from an old compressor) on it at the gauge tee and made sure it showed pressure. I used Comp Cams break in oil and Valvoline VR1 10W-30 oil. Do not use a straight 30, you need it to flow right away. Since I'm a bit AR about things, I kept the oil inside the house since the garage was fairly cold.
Using a drill and old screwdriver blade to turn the oil pump will not properly prime the engine on a SBC. Look at your distributor and notice the machined bands on the body, they seal off the oil passages in the block when it is in place. Either buy a tool or make one out of an old distributor by cutting off the top and grinding off the gear teeth that mesh with the cam. Weld a nut on the top of the shaft and when you drop it in it will engage the oil pump and seal off the internal oil passages. Now put your impact wrench or drill on the welded nut and spin the shaft. If you doubt me use your drill and screwdriver blade with the valve covers off and you will see that no oil flows out of the push rods on one bank. A 2000RPM run up for about twenty minutes is the norm for breaking in a flat tappet cam but a roller just needs a fast idle until it comes up to operating temperature. If you built the engine with correct clearences and there ar no leaks you should be good to go.
Go with the 2000rpm for the cam If the engine is on a stand blipping the engine will help the rings seat. Back in the 60s I went to a Perfect Circle school they recommended setting everything before startup carb, timing ,valve lash fire it up check for fluid leaks. Then take the car out make 10 runs from 50 to 70 mph in high gear then go back and do the tuning. This was in the day of chrome rings which can be hard to seat. It works.
Have everything ready, and set aside enough time for the complete break-in. Once it starts, get the rpm up ASAP to 1800 and let it set. Rough tune enough to keep it running steady and not over heat. Do the final tune up once its back to idle. Your Extreme Energy cam is at great risk, I say that because they are known for fast ramps which are hard on lifters and valve trains. Use a break-in oil or additive, one or the other, doesn't matter, just be sure it has some in it, THIS IS A MUST HAVE ITEM. Comp Cams, Lucas, Brad Penn, GM EOS are all good brands. The break-in is all for the camshaft and lifters. The only way the lifter and camshaft contact point gets oil is from splash off the crank and rods. Without the 1800 rpm of the crank, the camshaft doesn't get the oil needed to mate the two surfaces. In some cases, the cam lobe can be wiped out in as little as two minutes or less! If you have to shut it down after five minutes to change oil, you built it wrong or didn't clean it right, so don't shut it down! Use a good filter, WIX or NAPA GOLD. If you have rotated the engine over by hand since installing the cam, 75% of your cam lube is now wiped off and in the oil pan,****uming you put some on to start with. It is best to install the intake after you adjust the valve train so you go back and wipe on more cam lube before closing up the engine, then don't rotate it till you are ready to start it. Todays cams and oils are not like they were even ten years ago, so don't follow old start up procedures, your cam will not like it! Have a garden hose handy to cool the radiator if needed, anything to keep it running cooling fans to blow away exhaust heat or paint fumes fire extinguisher hand tools wet rag to cover carb in case of back fire good known working oil pressure gauge good known working temp gauge working carburetor full of fuel before cranking, quality fresh fuel in clean system primed oil system before cranking timing light distributor set as close as possible before cranking fully charged battery with new quality cables helper to crank and watch for leaks and MUFFLERS
Is it a new cam shaft? If so and you have never done it before follow the cam manufacturers recommendations for duration of high rev running, you may also note that the manufacturer recommends that you don't keep a constant RPM while breaking in the cam shaft. Most of what the fellas told you is good advice, I break my engines in different than some of the recommendations but I build my engines different than the other fellas too. I will throw this out there they used to say that the most wear on your engine comes in the first 30 seconds after start up because there is no oil pressure yet. you can build oil pressure by spinning the motor but that is not the ideal situation, use an oil pump primer and get it well oiled. If you don't have a primer and done have a distributer to cut up to make one they are not an expensive tool, you should be able to buy one in the 15-30 dollar range or you can probably borrow one from the local auto parts store. If you have new cam shaft it should have come with cam break in lube, this is important more important than zinc and zinc is important to the life of a flat tappet cam. Get it broke in and change the oil and filter. Why you may ask? because cam break in lube has grit in it, that is to burnish the cam lobes and match the lifter to the lobe. it is going to be very hard on your other components if you run it any length of time. After you get the cam broken in and reset your valve preload etc while the engine is still hot then drive it like you stole it. Here is an old racer saying, "The way you break it in is the way that it will run." Have fin with it that is why you built it right?
I used a gutted distributor and 1/2" drill motor, worked great. Lunati recommended their break in additive, locally I found a Comp Cams comparable product. Everything was****embled with the Lunati cam lube and a thick Permatex****embly lube, red in color and really sticks where you put it. From there I followed everything on the Lunati instructions that came with the cam. Really left nothing to chance. The engine started right up with the manual choke. Ran up to 180 and the stat opened, down to 150 and up to 180 as it warmed again and stayed there. No leaks, no funny noises. Timing is close, so is the carb adjustments. Will drop the oil and filter probably Saturday, re-torque the heads per Dart's instructions and set the valves with it running.
With todays low zink oil probally it's best to use light pressure valve springs to break in flat tappit cams.
"ronnie sox once told me his break in procedure was to back it out, line it up and hammer the***** out of it." Thats what we usually do and if it holds together its going to be a running MF
In the early 90's I took a tour of the Corvette factory in Bowling Green, Ky. We watched the****embly all the way to the end of the line. They rolled it over to the "roller road" and as soon as that motor fired for the first time, they floored it! They said if they didn't do it, the rings will NOT seal up. Yikes!!!
yeah its a bran new cam that I put in everything is fresh in the motor. when the motor kit came in it came with a bottle of break in additive that my motor guy said that I would need for the break in process but do I just leave It in long enough for the 20 break in period? when I was reading the bottle but It didn't really say anything. that's great advice thanks guys I think my dad was saying to turn it with no spark to build the oil pressure and the draining the fluid he said was a precaution if there were and metal shavings in the motor from when it was at the shop so that it doesn't harm the motor, but you guys are saying that it should be fine if I just get a good oil filter? yeah im not building it to baby, im planning on using it as an everyday driver and something to have fun with. so with priming the oil you just turn the oil pump enough that the oil starts flowing through the heads right ? and with keeping it at 1800 to 2000 rpms you guys were saying to not keep up there at one specific rpm range, so should I fluctuate the rpms within that range during the initial break in?
I will be doing the same one day, my concern is different; I don't have a carburetor that I have ever seen run. So I'll be rebuilding the old Holley that I have and stick it on a fresh engine and pray it works. What do you do if the engine*****s out because of the carb, or the ignition dies, etc., when you are trying to break in an engine?
I don't run the original oil that long. Once I get it warmed up again & adjust the valves I'll dump that and the filter. Good question on keeping it running. My carb was new so it lit right off with no surprises. I have a manual choke on it which was a help. You don't want to wash down the cylinder walls with gas. I would say to get it back up and running ASAP. If it sat for a long time (over a week) I would even go as far as priming it again.
so for dumping the oil run the 20 min breaking let it cool start it again warm it up and do the adjustments and then dump the oil and oil filter?
You drop the******* a note and he sends you a spare dizzy and carb to light it off with. LOL The deal is that more often then not the ignition isn't going to take a dump on you and as far as break in is concerned a gas soaked sponge will keep it running long enough to break a cam shaft in. The main thing is to have all your ducks in a row before you light it off. If one was concerned that he didn't clean his engine well enough before he ever tried to****emble it then I would guess that cheap oil and the primer would flush the oil galleries out well enough then dump it fill it with the good stuff and prime it again. All you need the break in lube for is to break the cam shaft in, I use GM break in additive myself. I break in the cam and dump the oil fill it with whatever I am going to use and drive it. The I change the oil and filter @ about 1000. After that I go to normal oil change intervals.
ive always wondered about all this braking in of cam etc , we have just started motors checked for water and oil leak probs rhen took the*****er for a normal not abusive drive and never had probs .But we may have just been very lucky ,I also wonder if the car manufacturers do all this stuff as time is money
Well this question is like: What kind of oil should I run or how many quarts 4 or 5? Some basic "givens": the engine needs to start and run straight away, it needs oil pressure immediately, it needed to be pre-lubed. One of the things that helps is flow thru the radiator, maybe a fan in front. My race engines started and went straight down the track if possible. My stock engines (flatties included) started, warmed up and ran down the road immediately...sometime with a chase car and chain! I have a test stand for my stock engines and we usually we went to the track with a new engine in the trailer. We put the new motor in after qualifying...
Stock car engines, often built in a hurry.. pre-oil, break in the cam, go through a valve adjustment. Change the oil and filter, go racing!
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