New engine and trans break in procedures

[Eagle_Adam]

Ok i know there's going to be a lot of opinions but i want to hear everybody's. I am going to pick up my truck tonight from the guy that been doing the work for me, he rebuilt the L18 and put in a new 5speed! Im super stoked to finally get it back, this will be the first new engine i have ever had in a car/truck that i have owned so i want to know what to and not to do AND WHY.

[frodo70444]

Ok i know there's going to be a lot of opinions but i want to hear everybody's. I am going to pick up my truck tonight from the guy that been doing the work for me, he rebuilt the L18 and put in a new 5speed! Im super stoked to finally get it back, this will be the first new engine i have ever had in a car/truck that i have owned so i want to know what to and not to do AND WHY.

 

i would take it easy on the engine for the first 500 miles and then change the oil after 500 miles i think they call it break in oil and ofc ourse u want to put the same type of oil back in it ya know name brand weight all that good stuff but im not a pro it is just my oppinion!

[Z-train]

Break the cam in per manufacturers specs,Add a Zinc additive.Once the cam is broken in put a few miles on it to seat the rings,Change the oil& filter.Cut teh filter open to make sure everything is good.Add zinc to the new oil and drive it like your gonna drive it.500 miles,dump the oil again.

[datzenmike]

Drive it! Do not baby it, this isn't the 50s. Engine metal, rings, pistons and more importantly oil has come a long way since then. You want the rings and cylinders to wear into a tight sealing surface to contain combustion compression as soon as possible. Lots of acceleration followed by slow down in same gear. Up down up down. Do not run at the same steady speed or gears. Keep changing speed and or gears. As little idling as possible, drive it hard, not saying 6,500 RPM shifts. Do not lug the motor at low speed and heavy throttle, keep revved up. I'm saying hard acceleration between 2K and 4K. A good long afternoon of this and change the oil. Break in oil? Not on your life! They are designed to promote wear to speed the break in but it wears everything else. Keep good quality oil in it and do the job yourself! Do not use synthetic for the first 2-5K miles, they can retard the break in period. Drive it hard !!!!

 

http://www.mototuneu..._in_secrets.htm

 

Check the motor and tranny oil level, don't rely on someone else's say so. Keep an eye on the temp and oil pressure gauges and look under the car regularly for leaks from the motor or tranny. Find the cause of any suspicious sound, vibration or smell. A new motor will often run slightly hot as it breaks in. No worries.

[Eagle_Adam]

Thanks mike now that's an opinion and the why i was hoping for!

[Eagle_Adam]

Keep em coming guys! i cant wait to get the hell out of work so i can go pick up my truck!

[DISLEXICDIME]

i am with mike drive it like you stole it the first time you drive it

[deadmonkey]

yeah, Mike has it dead on. I just rebuilt my motor and I've been reading everything I can get my hands on for break-in. The worst thing you can do is leave it at one RPM for an extended time. I have a 20minute drive each way to/from work. the speed limit is 35 most of the way, then 45, but hardly any stops. I drove her down the Smucks and back today for the first time and did as many Accel, Decels as possible but it wasn't hard because its all stop/go traffic.

 

On my drive to work I think I am going to leave early and take the side streets here and there to break up the long constant RPM stretches.

 

Even my machine shop who did the work on my motor says to use Zinc additives with each oil change.

Don't redline the damn thing for awhile, the last thing you need is to have a bearing slip. I know a guy at work who put thousands into a rebuild and just wanted to punch it before the 2k mile break in period. Needless to say it slipped a bearing and he had to redo a bunch of stuff.

[Master-O-Turbonics]

DO NOT DRIVE A BRAND NEW TRANSMISSION!

Put the car on very secure stands and with the engine running run the transmission through all the gears repeatedly for 30 minutes. This is standard procedure for any new manual transmission or a rebuilt transmission with new synchros.

I would use Royal Purple Synchromax fluid. Its safe for use with brass synchros and helps the transmission shift super smooth and lower trans oil temps.

[Eagle_Adam]

Thanks for all the input guys! i drove about 100 miles yesterday stop and go fast and slow. I love the way she drives!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i found a new way to work that gets me off of I-5 it take a little bit longer but o well. The guy that did the work for me said he did drive the first 30 miles or so and that he was of the thought process that it should be run hard to get everything situated.

[Z-train]

DO NOT DRIVE A BRAND NEW TRANSMISSION!

Put the car on very secure stands and with the engine running run the transmission through all the gears repeatedly for 30 minutes. This is standard procedure for any new manual transmission or a rebuilt transmission with new synchros.

I would use Royal Purple Synchromax fluid. Its safe for use with brass synchros and helps the transmission shift super smooth and lower trans oil temps.

And what exactly is"breaking in" on a stick tranny?

[DanielC]

Basically what DatsunMike said.

Wide open acceleration forces the piston rings tight against the cylinder walls, helps then seat. closing the throttle after that, pulls a little more oil into the cylinder, and the extra oil washes the wear particles away, into the oil. So, change the oil often, at first. you are probably beyond this, but I would suggest the first oil change pretty much after the first time the engine is ran. There is a lot of wear during this initial run, and you do not want that in your engine. There may also be some dirt left in the engine from the rebuilding process, in spite of the best efforts to get it all out.

Valvoline VR-1 racing oil has pretty high amounts of ZDDP in it.

[banzai510(hainz)]

IMportant to make sure he primed the oil pump!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

call him and ask if he put oil in the pump housing first before start up.

 

What I do is open valve cover and and pour oil over the rockers and down the front on chain.

 

Pour some gas in carb or prime the carb up using the fuel pump if possible

[datzenmike]

I primed my oil system with a modified spindle and an electric drill down the dizzy hole. Took about 10 seconds for the oil to flow out of the cam. Flushed old oil from the rods and mains. Pretty neat.

 

Late for that now or the tranny. The tranny will either work or not. Nothing to really 'break in' although some metal particles are bound to flake off when first used. I don't think that GL oil is very detergent so solids will sink to the bottom and stay there. The drain bung has a magnet to collect ferrous metal anyway.

[Spades]

new engine: make sure the engine was put together with assembly lube, if properly assembled, then squirt oil on the valvetrain, prime the oil pump, and fire it up. I suggest using an oil with high zinc content and NO SYNTHETIC OIL FOR THE FIRST 5K-10K MILES!

 

keep the RPM's varied, don't hold it at one steady RPM. Do not let it sit at idle for long periods of time. change gears often, keep the RPM's from idle to redline. Keep close tabs on oil pressure, oil consumption, and all other fluids.

 

after the first 50 or so miles I change the engine oil, run it for another 500 or so, then change the oil again, and then go to a normal 3k/3months.

[Eagle_Adam]

Banzai i called him and he said he did prime the oil pump and carb, thanx for lookn out tho! I will post pics later today

[Eagle_Adam]

Question for you guys, i had a friend say that the engine should be run on premium! Im willing to do this if it will help but i have never heard anybody else say anything to this effect. lemme know what you think and why please.

[DanielC]

The ignition timing, compression, and type of fuel are all related to each other. The basic rule is DO NOT LET THE ENGINE KNOCK!

If the compression is close to stock, you should be able to run regular, with normal timing. If the compression is higher than stock, you might have to run premium, or maybe a mid grade of gas, or retard the timing, or some combination of both.

[Master-O-Turbonics]

And what exactly is"breaking in" on a stick tranny?

 

The synchros on a manual transmission must have time to micro-machine themselves to the friction surfaces of the gears for proper engagement and life of the transmission.

It is standard practice in our racing transmissions to give a 30 minute break in period with the vehicle on a lift just off of the ground and constantly going through all of the synchronized gears. The synchros have to be broken in properly to give the longest possible life of the synchros, and that goes for street and racing vehicles.

In a transmission with NEW gears(i.e. not just a synchro and bearing rebuild) after the synchro break in, we give transmissions a slow drive with on and off throttle situations on the transmission while staying in gear so the gears can micro-machine themselves to each other.

 

Royal Purple Synchromax is what fluid I suggest for any datsun/nissan manual transmission.

[Z-train]

The synchros on a manual transmission must have time to micro-machine themselves to the friction surfaces of the gears for proper engagement and life of the transmission.

It is standard practice in our racing transmissions to give a 30 minute break in period with the vehicle on a lift just off of the ground and constantly going through all of the synchronized gears. The synchros have to be broken in properly to give the longest possible life of the synchros, and that goes for street and racing vehicles.

In a transmission with NEW gears(i.e. not just a synchro and bearing rebuild) after the synchro break in, we give transmissions a slow drive with on and off throttle situations on the transmission while staying in gear so the gears can micro-machine themselves to each other.

 

Royal Purple Synchromax is what fluid I suggest for any datsun/nissan manual transmission.

Sorry,Dude-no sale.Synchro's "breaking in"means that they are wearing.Wearing means the clock is alreading ticking on their eventual demise.Put it togewther and beat on it.If it comes apart that means something was wrong in the assembly.No transmission(auto or stick) gets a "break-in"from the factory.If a "break-in"was required,the factory would do it.

 

By "micro-machining" the synchro's,you are actually shortening their life.Also,gears don't work by "friction"They work by "interference".There might be some"friction" but it is in consequential in a new or rebuilt box.

[defdes]

Sorry,Dude-no sale.Synchro's "breaking in"means that they are wearing.Wearing means the clock is alreading ticking on their eventual demise.Put it togewther and beat on it.If it comes apart that means something was wrong in the assembly.No transmission(auto or stick) gets a "break-in"from the factory.If a "break-in"was required,the factory would do it.

 

By "micro-machining" the synchro's,you are actually shortening their life.Also,gears don't work by "friction"They work by "interference".There might be some"friction" but it is in consequential in a new or rebuilt box.

Looks like a Tranny Throw Down!

[datzenmike]

 

 

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[Z-train]

 

 

As i head out to Christmas dinner,i thank you for this image.I now won't be inclined to eat so much.

[datzenmike]

Merry Christmas Bill. There'll be more room for Christmas 'cheer'.

[Z-train]

Merry Christmas Bill. There'll be more room for Christmas 'cheer'.

Like-wise,Mike.And cheery it was. over 30 people at my sis in laws place.My wife is taking the wheel barrow back out to the barn after rolling my ass in the house.