Guide me on break in

usetaboost

SAY CAR RAMROD!!
Joined
May 4, 2005
Any day now if it ever gets above 3 degrees outside. I've already prelubed with stp and engine break in additive. Just wondering how long until I pull the valve covers off and retorque the head bolts? DO I do it after break in? My car is set at stock boost level, I have a chip but was going to wait until I get some miles on it before I put it in. How long do I have to drive like my mom before I can put my foot down?
 
This is a fairly opinionated subject.

As far as retorque goes I think it kinda depends on what you used to put it together. If you used stock style TTY bolts then I wouldn't touch it.

As far as break in goes here is my style. I like to run it fairly hard as soon as possable. Example: Start it up and give is a couple of WOT "blips" and then break in the cam. (if you have to) Then do a 4-5 of pulls at about 10 psi. Then granny it for a about 500 miles. I change the oil and inspect the filter media after the cam break in, the first 4-5 pulls, 100 miles, 500 miles and then when ever I get the urge to inspect the filter. I don't think I forgot anything. HTH james
 
Sounds like my break in advise is gettin around. :) Do NOT use the STP. Pour in half a bottle of lucas oil stabilizer and a K&N oil filter. Dont get the synthetic type. Add 5 quarts of straight 30 weight dinosaur oil. Make sure all the sensors are adjusted and working. Fire it up and take it straight to 3000rpm. Go between 2500 up to 3500rpm...back and forth for about 15 minutes. After you're done, shut down and let the engine cool. Drain the oil and throw in 5 more quarts of 30 weight, and the second half of the bottle of oil stabilizer. Warm it up and take it out on the road. Make sure you have the boost turned down. Go wide open throttle at 10psi or so (no more than that), and wind it up to about 1000rpm below redline. You need to pressurize the cylinders to expand the rings to help them seat, and wind it up to help the valves seat properly. Drive it around for about 30 minutes on the street, and do the wide open throttle run, through a couple gears, and do it about 5 times. When you get back, let it cool and drain the oil. Throw on a new K&N, and fill it up with one of the 4 oils:
Royal Purple
Redline
Valvoline SYN
Quaker State "Q" High rpm.
I would do the quaker state because its not a full synthetic, for about 500 miles. Then after that, always run a synthetic, with the exception of running a good dino oil once every 15000 miles or so, to get rid of the glaze on the cylinder walls, that synthetic can leave. This glaze can cause major leakdown and blowby AND compression problems.
After about 10,000 miles or so, start running a good additive for the sake of the flat tappet cam not going flat. EOS is good, but I prefer Valvoline SYN additive. They make a SYN oil and a SYN additive. The SYN additive has massive amounts of moly, zinc and phosphorous.
Avoid any and all oils that have the starburst symbol on them. ESPECIALLY for the break in oil. These are oils that the EPA has reduced additives in dramatically, to help engines burn cleaner. But its that main reason cams are going flat.
 
I have read in a lot of magazines and threads on this board that rotella is best for breakin a flat tappet so that's what I got sitting in there now. I put a bottle of comp cam break in lube. I bought the stp but haven't put it in yet. As far as head bolts I bought new arps. Just kind of wondering how long I have to go before retorquing them, if I have to drive easy with no boost?
 
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