Engine break in procedure?

[malice10985]

I built this 3800 engine today:

stock L36 block (honed and hot tanked w/ new cam bearings)
stock crank (polished)
clevite 77 rod and crank bearings
L32 GTP connecting rods (the new ones)
diamond 9.5:1 pistons
total seal chomoly ductile piston rings
Rotating assembly balanced within 3 grams

heads milled .030"
comp LS1 valve springs
lumpy comp cam
machned valves

Everything else stock.

How do I break it in properly?

[Timbo1969]

Use mineral oil and not synthetic for the 1st 1,000 to 1,500 miles then change the oil to the oil of your preference, then I'd take it easy and not race prob till after 2K or 2,500 miles after the rebuild, but then I'm cautious.. :D

[malice10985]

I am competing in the Kansas FBA track day on april 18th. I should log 2500 miles by then?

Look out Dallas, here I come!

What about when I first start the engine... Do I have to hold it at 2000rpm for 25 minutes or anything like that?

[L32Projekt]

Look under "Gentlemen..."
http://www.valvoline.com/carcare/art...=pht20011201ce

Seems to be the same break-in procedure I see about everywhere.

[malice10985]

I started the engine for the first time tonite. It sounds really good, but there is one major problem. It will not build oil pressure. The gauge would hardly ever go above zero.

I only ran it for a few seconds at a time, because I was afraid it would spin a rod bearing or something.

After it had run a about a minute of total time, I got frustrated. I took off the oil filter and cranked it. Oil shot about a foot in front of the engine. I lost almost a quart of oil just from bumping it over a few times. It was obviously building some pressure.

I thought maybe the oil press sensor was broken, but the engine still makes a lot of noise when it is running. That tells me that oil is not getting everywhere it needs to be.

As a last ditch effort, I changed the oil filter. I started it and reved it up to 2000rpm. The oil press gauge rose from 0psi to about 30 psi. At idle, the oil press stayed at 0 psi. I took the oil filter off again and noticed that it had bubbles in it.

DOes it take the engine a really long time to get the air out the oil galleys? Why is my brand new engine not working right??! Someone please help.

[SOONverySOON]

I dont know about with these new engines but I know on my old carb engine we had to prime the system with a drill on the distrubutor shaft. I am not sure if/how you do it on these engines.

[malice10985]

The 3800 has a crank driven ol pump. It is impossible to stick a drill in the distributor shaft and drill the oil pump.

The only thing I could think of was to somehow inject oil into the system under pressure.

[Camaro_SLP]

Originally posted by malice10985:
I started the engine for the first time tonite. It sounds really good, but there is one major problem. It will not build oil pressure. The gauge would hardly ever go above zero.

That's the exact same problem Boyd Coddington had on American Hotrod when they started up the the new engine in the car. I'm completely drawing a blank on the final outcome..They tore everything apart and had trouble finding the problem at first, but eventually found it,,but I doubt it would even be the same problem you have...so this really does no help..

[Tiago]

I hope you "primed" your oil pump?

You are suppost to pack those oil pump assemblies full of vaseline to "prime" it. Otherwise it will never pull the oil.

Other then that make sure your pick up tube is sealed properly.

[Timbo1969]

Originally posted by Camaro_SLP:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by malice10985:
I started the engine for the first time tonite. It sounds really good, but there is one major problem. It will not build oil pressure. The gauge would hardly ever go above zero.

That's the exact same problem Boyd Coddington had on American Hotrod when they started up the the new engine in the car. I'm completely drawing a blank on the final outcome..They tore everything apart and had trouble finding the problem at first, but eventually found it,,but I doubt it would even be the same problem you have...so this really does no help.. </font>[/QUOTE]The pickup tube was hitting the bottom of the oil pan... :D

[bobrules]

Bubbles in the oil?

It's wierd that you got 0 psi then 30psi. I won't even try to guess at it. Is the valvetrain making noise? If your not getting oil through the engine you will def hear it.

My oil sender went bad, it would read 0 psi at idle and like 30 at 2200RPM. I drove the car for months like that, obviously, I was getting oil. A new oil sender fixed my problem.

As for break in, assuming the block was honed you wash the block down like normal. Use transmission fluid and keep wiping the bores down with paper towels until there is no black residue or dirt/grit coming off. Make sure the bores are absolutely immaculate before building. Cleanliness is so important.

For break in, jack the rear, rev the car @ 2000RPM for an hour (yes I said an hour). Break in is now done. All that stuff about "taking it easy" for the first couple hundred miles is crap. After you break it in for an hour, change the oil and assuming everything ran right drive it like you normally would. At this point there is nothing "mechanical" left to break in. The cam has been broken in, all the assembly lube has been purged. There is no single part in the engine is going to break because you romped on the engine before 100, 1000, or 2500 miles. After 500 miles change the oil again. Thats it.

Obviously your past this stage, but just for future reference or anyone else wondering.

[malice10985]

OK everyone, here is what happened.

There were two 19/32 oil galley plugs located behind the cam thrust plate. When I had my block hot tanked at the machine shop, the machinist forgot to reinstall those two little plugs. [img]graemlins/twak.gif[/img]

I never, ever, would have thought of that, but Jeff from Intense racing did think of that. I called him and asked him. He said that since machininsts never do work on 3800 II blocks, they don't remember to reinstall those two little $.010 plugs.

I tore off the timing cover last night and got the plugs in. Problem solved. The Engine runs great.

Without the plugs, the bottom half of the engine was getting plenty of oil, but the heads and valvetrain were getting none. The oil pump and and timing chain were absolutely drowning in oil. Again: [img]graemlins/twak.gif[/img] THe moral of the story is: tell your machinist about weird crap that most engines don't have.

As far as break in was concerned, my buddies all agreed that I was to: break in in like I drive it. I let it idle for a long time with a 195* thermostat, then went out and romped the hell out of it for about 2 miles. I wanted to change the oil after that, but my friend made me leave because he had to get up early for work. :rolleyes:

I drove the 78 mile trek home shifting between 4th and 5th gear. I would slow down, speed up, etc...

I changed the oil this morning and have since put another 60 miles on the engine. It has not consumed a drop of oil, so I guess the rings are seated properly.

oh yeah... Tiago.... I packed the oil pump with assembly lube prior to installing it.

[OneQuickV6]

Sounds stout! What are the specs on your cam? Dished pistons, valve reliefs, etc? Any other details you don't mind sharing? Did you by chance cc your chambers after having them shaved 30 thou? Thanks in advance:)

[WickEdSix9838]

a way to prime the oiling system is to unplug all the spark plugs and just turn the motor over until it gets pressure....kinda late in the thread but oh well.....

[bobrules]

Originally posted by WickEdSix9838:
a way to prime the oiling system is to unplug all the spark plugs and just turn the motor over until it gets pressure....kinda late in the thread but oh well.....

Will it ever build pressure that way?