Running in oil

[AndyP]

What do people recommend as a running in oil? Everything I've read says use a high quality mineral oil for the first 1000miles, does such a thing exist now? 99% of oils seem to be part synthetic now, I've only found Halfords 15W40 and Valvoline 20W50 which I though might be a bit thick.

Any advice?

[fish]

Both penzoil and 76 have mineral oils. Ask opieoils aka oilman on here if they have any?

[AndyP]

I've already looked on their website and they only list 20W50 or monogrades, not sure if either are suitable.

[diesel des]

I normally use a straight 30wt oil and run it flat out. After 100 miles its ran in or burst. If it bursts it was going to do it anyhow.

[AndyP]

I've done a hundred miles today so I'm wondering if I should switch to a part synthetic?

[jonnaz]

i replaced the oil after 100 miles with semi synthetic. i also started to give the engine bursts of power after i changed the oil helping the rings to bed in properly.

[Jamo]

On the advice of Doug at MRC I used the 10w40 from Halfords, mineral oil comes in an orange container

[JP]

^^^^ yep ****** orange 10w40 mineral oil.

Run engine upto to temperature. Whilst oil is hot drop the oil, change oil flter for new one.
Then refil with 10w40 mineral again (fresh filter drive upto 2/3rd's of redline staying of WOT but making wastegate spring boost pressure to put some pressure behind the rings. Stay in the lower gears and drive country lane type driving for 50-100miles. Somewhere around the 60-80mile mark you'll feel less engine breaking and it revving up more freely.

That's when your rings are broken in. Dump the mineral oil change the filter for a fresh one and use 10w40 semi. Drive the car as normal for another 250-400miles staying of WOT.

Dump the oil go to fully synthetic of your choice with fresh filter (I use 5w40 from Audi for a roadgoing car that doesn't see oil temps above 100celsius repeatedly). Go and cane the nuts of your car assuming that the map is good for it or go and get it mapped.

[diesel des]

Ohh you p00f lol. I prefer the wot from the first run type run in. I do start the engine, ensure good oil pressure and no leaks, then keep blipping the throttle till its warm. Drop oil and filter. Then with new filter and straight 30 oil go for hard run. Use wot, but wastgate boost only. Rev to limiter a few times in gear and use over run to slow down. Then wot to the limiter, then overrun. Keep at that and you will be ran in in no time with good compression.

It's the method I use. Last engine I built I did this. Next day I drove to a track day and changed oil to synthetic after only 200 hard run in miles as described. Turned the boost up and spent nearly 2 hours on the track.

Used no oil and engine ran great. Ate a set of pads and tires though...

[GazzaG60]

runnnig in's a precious topic.

i too prefer the harder approach with good run-down.

using comma running-in oil

[JP]

Ohh you p00f lol. I prefer the wot from the first run type run in. I do start the engine, ensure good oil pressure and no leaks, then keep blipping the throttle till its warm. Drop oil and filter. Then with new filter and straight 30 oil go for hard run. Use wot, but wastgate boost only. Rev to limiter a few times in gear and use over run to slow down. Then wot to the limiter, then overrun. Keep at that and you will be ran in in no time with good compression.

It's the method I use. Last engine I built I did this. Next day I drove to a track day and changed oil to synthetic after only 200 hard run in miles as described. Turned the boost up and spent nearly 2 hours on the track.

Used no oil and engine ran great. Ate a set of pads and tires though...

I didn't say drive it as a sissy I said stay of WOT and of the redline on mineral oil. Infact I quote myself "staying of WOT but making wastegate spring boost pressure to put some pressure behind the rings" i.e. Drive the car hard but of WOT. Reason being at WOT the ECU dumps fuel in rather than using the MAF/lambda, which when the rings are bedding in is no good as the fuel acts as an abrassive making them brittle giving them a shorter lifespan when running in on mineral oil.

Likewise the mineral oil is no good when revving to redline for 2 reasons. 1 - protecting your bearings (especially the harder sputters) and 2 - for your turbo as it can't deal with the temperatures. Hence you don't go to redline until you are on semi synthetic.

If your car is mapped and you aren't changing anything on the head/turbo front then yes skip the bit about staying of WOT once you are on semi.

I've pulled engines apart that haven't used mineral oil on run in and they have lovelly glazed bores.
I've pulled engines apart that haven't been run in under pressure and they have glazed bores.
I've pulled apart engines that have been revved to redline on mineral oil and they have hotspots on the bearings.
I've pulled apart engines that have been driven hard on WOT on run in without a proper remap for changes and seen the top of the bores burned dry from running lean and I have seen piston rings that chipped from running rich.

An engine is a pretty indestructible item providing all the journals, pistons and bores are round, the quality of components are good, all the clearances are correct etc... it tends to be the map that kills them through incorrect fuelling and ignition timing. So unless someone is keeping an identical setup to previous then I would stay of WOT until remap.

But hey what would I know

[GazzaG60]

gotta agree on the mapping part.

no such thing as a running-in map as some tuners call them. i call them unfinished.

i got 3rd gear. 3/4 throttle 2.5k to 5k then lift off and let the engine run down for run-in. get those rings seated. oil change then on boost. i run 0.8bar on run in . probly only saw 0.5bar on it though.

i think run-in is for the individual. i appreciate you have built engines but we all have our ways. if you buy a buily engine from a lot of builders they want to see 400 miles or so no boost. for me thats no good.

[AndyP]

^^^^ yep ****** orange 10w40 mineral oil.

Run engine upto to temperature. Whilst oil is hot drop the oil, change oil flter for new one.
Then refil with 10w40 mineral again (fresh filter drive upto 2/3rd's of redline staying of WOT but making wastegate spring boost pressure to put some pressure behind the rings. Stay in the lower gears and drive country lane type driving for 50-100miles. Somewhere around the 60-80mile mark you'll feel less engine breaking and it revving up more freely.

This is what I have done so far, pretty much to the letter. I'll dump the mineral oil tonight and swap to a semi synthetic. Thanks for the advice

[diesel des]

Yea I agree completely about the map. I should of stated that. It is important that it is close, though wastgate boost buys some safety there. I would recommend at least a wbo2 gauge if you have tweeked anything.

Again, mineral oil will have no problem with the turbo at low boost. Cool down for a few minutes before shutdown etc. There were plenty of high performance engines around before synthetic oil took off and they didn't die that quickly.

Unquestionably synthetic is best once ran in.

But I do disagree about wot. Your engine needs wot to get good cylinder pressures to bed in the rings. Again I repeat wot to limiter, then overrun to low revs. Say in second or third gear. The short blasts keep temperatures lower and the overrun creates vacume to help draw oil up past the rings for cooling and cleaning worn material.

Again this is how I do it and I think is best, and every one will have different ideas.

No offence ment etc I'm sure you know plenty about engines.

Cheers des.