Breaking in a motor with synthetic oil...

[emagdnim]

Will this just cause the seating and breakin process to take longer or will it cause the rings to never seat properly?... If after 500 miles or so the rings have not seated properly and the motor burns oil is it still possible to use conventional oil and continue on the breakin process or are you sol and you have basically done a rebuild for nothing.

Thanks in advance.

 

[bubba-dough]

The rings won't seat with synthetic oil. The initial breakin is what seats the rings. They are either gonna seat or not. Yeah you probably wasted a rebuild. But you may be one of those lucky ones you hear about once in a while.

 

[vristang]

Synth oil will prevent the rings from seating.
Hopefully you can disassemble the motor re-hone, and re assemble with new rings.


Good Luck
jason

 

[HISSIN50]

An engine can be built ready for synthetic but your builder would have told you probably (and you would have asked for it).

Good luck.

 

[Grn92LX]

500 miles to break in rings????

Here, read Barry R's response. Do what he says.

http://bbs.hardcore50.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=12510&highlight=engine+break

 

[emagdnim]

I dont understand why the rings wouldnt just seal over time as they wear with the cylinder.. why is it such a hit or miss situation.

 

[tunedin302]

The rings won't seat with synthetic oil. The initial breakin is what seats the rings. They are either gonna seat or not. Yeah you probably wasted a rebuild. But you may be one of those lucky ones you hear about once in a while.

I was always told that the first 500 of breakin should be done with mineral oil and then a change to synthetic can be made.

 

[Michael Yount]

As JT says above, it can be built with synthetic in mind and ring seal will occur just fine (assuming it's built/machined properly). There are PLENTY of new cars out there that run synthetic right from the start, and they are not 'broken in' on regular dino oil. In fact, most aren't even started up until they're driven off the production line. One example are BMW's new cars -- all run on synthetic - that oil goes in from the start - and they're cranked the first time to be driven from the production floor to the trailers for shipping. My wife's car was bought new -- 9 years and 84k miles later it's doing just fine. Doesn't burn a drop (or leak) and it was run from the first start up on synthetic.

However -- if that wasn't discussed by you/your builder/your machinist -- then you'd probably be wise to run dino oil for initial start up and then switch to synthetic.

 

[emagdnim]

Someone fix my engine with a miracle or something I seriously cant deal with this im just gonna drive my car off a cliff or something .. F U C K

 

[304billet]

U should just change the oil to dino oil 10W-30W and monitor oil consumption and try breaking it again on 500 miles of increased loads. If that does not work, try putting it on the chassis dyno to see if the increased load there will seal the rings.

Ur engine builder should have put some warranty on the motor. If he told u to use synthetic then it is his fault and he should repair it at no cost to u. Almost all engine builders guarantee their rings to seal. If he told u to use dino and u used synthetic, then that is ur fault.

 

[Grn92LX]

I think one of the main reasons not to use synthetic on break in oil is because that original break-in oil isn't gonna be in the car for much more than a few miles. At about $25 for 5 quarts of synthetic, it gets pricey.

 

[emagdnim]

U should just change the oil to dino oil 10W-30W and monitor oil consumption and try breaking it again on 500 miles of increased loads. If that does not work, try putting it on the chassis dyno to see if the increased load there will seal the rings.

Ur engine builder should have put some warranty on the motor. If he told u to use synthetic then it is his fault and he should repair it at no cost to u. Almost all engine builders guarantee their rings to seal. If he told u to use dino and u used synthetic, then that is ur fault.

Im the engine builder Its ok im over it now I guess.. Ill just hope for the best and if it burns oil it burns oil its not gonna be massive amounts ill just have to add it every couple hundred miles.

 

[maverick0716]

Don't get too freaked out yet. Just switch to dyno oil right now, and continue the break in.

 

[Michael Yount]

"add it every couple hundred miles" -- uh, that IS the definition of massive amounts.

Mav - it's 'dino' oil - short for dinosaur. As in fossil-derived. "Dyno" oil is usually the synth you put in for that extra 1/2HP on the dyno run.

 

[emagdnim]

I consider massive amounts when its noticable such as when your actually driving and you see blue etc.

 

[vristang]

Im the engine builder Its ok im over it now I guess.. Ill just hope for the best and if it burns oil it burns oil its not gonna be massive amounts ill just have to add it every couple hundred miles.

I feel that pain. I had to rebuild my 408 after just a few thousand miles because I was sold low tension rings. The lesson learned: Don't just use the parts that come in the kit, check the part numbers.

Maybe I just missed this part of the discussion, but have you checked that the oil control problem is due to the rings? Compression test/leakdown test?

If I understand this correctly the main concern is that synth oil will glaze over the cyl walls. The glazing then prevents the rings from seating. If this is correct then all you need to do is break up the glaze on the surface of the bore, and your good to go. Maybe changing the oil and making a few "spirited" runs is all it will take. If nothing else, it wouldn't be that bad to rebuild the motor again, with just a clean up hone of the bores and new rings.

good luck
jason

 

[Michael Yount]

If you're adding oil every couple hundred miles -- it'll be smoking blue....you may not notice it in the mirror, but those behind you will at that consumption rate.

 

[KDK1988GT]

I was always told that the first 500 of breakin should be done with mineral oil and then a change to synthetic can be made.

thats what I have done with my motors..

 

[bubba-dough]

Just my opinion but...
He may get lucky but I doubt it. I have always been told that synthetic oil is too slick and will glaze
the cylinder walls on a fresh hone thus needing to be re-honed. I have also seen a few of these post about 500 mile breakins. Don't get that confused with initial breakin which is what actually seats the rings. They are either gonna seat or not in the first few minutes. They can't seat if the cylinders are glazed and need to be re-honed. The 500 mile thing is a safe number to change to synthetic, unless your engine was built to run synthetic right off the bat.

 

[emagdnim]

I find that alot of people dont really know or have first hand experience with it and just repeat what others have told them and usually its a endless chain because the guy that told him was told by someone else who was also told by someone else. Ill try it wont hurt.