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Advice on breaking in a fresh engine.

2K views 18 replies 9 participants last post by  Coyote Red 
#1 ·
today i'm picking a up a rebuilt engine for my Falcon. It's never been run or started since the rebuild, and it's been sitting on the stand for a couple years. any advice or pointers for breaking in a fresh engine? what do you guys use for oil? how long till you change it? retorquing stuff later on?

btw, it's a 1969 spec 200ci Ford Thriftpower six.
 
#3 ·
get the zinc additive (lucas oil or whatever you like for the flat tappit). follow the rpm run guides for cam wear break in. tempering steel (cam lobes in this case) is a proven process, don't fuck with a proven process because "you knowed better den hem". Pics of new motor?
 
#4 ·
I would pull the valve cover and oil pan and pour break in lube (sometimes called assembly lube) on the lifters, rockers, cam, crank bearings, and piston walls. You can get break in lube and oil at Carquest and such, it should contain HIGH levels of zinc or ZDDP. If you can not get break in specific oil get any conventional or semi conventional blend, and add ZDDP yourself. Modern synthetics have been rumored to wear old style flat tappet cams excessivly due to lacking lubricity. The zinc is a high pressure lubricant that used to be in the oils when this car would have been new. I ran my break in oil for about 100 miles then changed it out.

When you do fire it let it run for ten to fifteen minutes altering the RPMs between 2000 and 3000 in steady movements (don't just blip the throttle but cycle it in that range). This is to ensure that oil is splashed and pushed around the entire rotating assembly. (This was the break in that Comp recommend when I broke in my new cam.
 
#5 ·
If it was assembled correctly with asseble lube, you will not have any prblems from it being stored on a stand for a couple of years. If I remember right, you have to prime the 200 oil pump. Before you get it in the vehicle, I would do this.

Everyone has their own beliefs on how to break in an engine. Mine is to run it a little, (not more than 50 miles), change the oil and filter, run it to 500 miles, change the oil and filter again. From there on you are golden. I have never had a problem using standard Quaker State 10-30 for this, and I run engines for a long time. BUt that's just my view...
 
#6 · (Edited)
use the zddp additive and assembly lube for break in with dino oil of your choice.
after that you can look into oils that still have zddp in them.
valvoline vr1 race oil has plenty of zinc and phosphorus for cam lube.
also mobil 1 5w40 is about the highest you can find. 1200ppm zinc and phosphorus.

run it 15 to 20 mins, over 2k rpm, under 3k rpm. no idle time! no steady rpm time!
once your driving it change the oil at about 500 miles.
change it again at about 1500. then its ready to run.

good luck
 
#14 · (Edited)
Block is now in primer, and the head has been torqued down.
Interesting note: whoever did this motor replaced the non-adjustable rockers with adjustable rockers (either aftermarket, or possibly 144 spec). Is this God's way of telling me to stab a street/strip cam into this bitch before it goes into the Dirty Bird?
 
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