Crate Motor Break In Procedure

[2008LMGvortec]

There are a lot of varying opinions online regarding engine break in. Wondering what you guys think.

 

I have a lmg 5.3 goodwrench crate engine installed this weekend.

 

The procedure I am using:

1) Once the oil preluber gets here I will use that to prime the engine oil with regular (non synthetic) Mobil 1 5w-30 and zinc additive.

2) Fire it up and run between 2,000-2,500 rpms for 30 minutes under no load to break in the cam

3) Go for 5 medium acceleration runs 20-60 mph, and then 5 hard acceleration runs 20-60 mph

4) Change the oil and drive normally (no extended highway trips) for 500 miles

5) At 500 miles change the oil and consider the break in complete

 

Thoughts, Comments?

[redvett]

Roller cams require little if any break in. You can use Synthetic oil on break in oil. Delete #3 and drive normal with no hard running but many heat cycles for the 500 miles and ride on.

[2008LMGvortec]

Roller cams require little if any break in. You can use Synthetic oil on break in oil. Delete #3 and drive normal with no hard running but many heat cycles for the 500 miles and ride on.

Does the 2008 Silverado 5.3 LMG engine have a roller cam?

 

Thanks for the response.

 

EDIT: I am looking at a spec sheet and it says hydraulic roller, you are correct, thanks I wasn't aware.

[redvett]

Every GM trucks & cars had roller lifters since 1996 and some like Corvette started in the late 80's.

[2008LMGvortec]

Every GM trucks & cars had roller lifters since 1996 and some like Corvette started in the late 80's.

That explains it, I have only rebuilt a 1979 403 olds engine twice, and a 1994 saturn engine.

 

I am reading that zinc additive is a bad idea because it can damage the catalytic converter. Is this true, should I not use zinc?

[redvett]

Yes Zink is bad for CAT's but can be used for a new engine once. The Zink removal from motor oil is the reason for roller camshafts.

[Nanotech Environmental]

Delete #3 and drive normal with no hard running but many heat cycles for the 500 miles and ride on.

I'm sorry, but this method has been scientifically and dyno proven to be wrong. Same with those old wives tales about heat cycling. That only applied to engines with metalurgy and materials that stopped being used over 30 years ago.

 

The single and only most important thing to be concerned about in an engine break-in is seating those rings. There is only a short window of opportunity to do that when the engine is new or fresh.

This can only be done thru a series of fairly hard acceleration runs up thru the gears and back down with lots of engine braking.

 

 

To the OP-

Install that engine, get everything properly setup & debugged. Then, warm it up and take it out and do 20 minutes of 80% throttle runs from 0-80 mph or so, letting off and coasting down with as much engine braking as you can create.Make sure the engine is pulling hard when you're accelerating, so that those rings are being forced hard against the crosshatch of the cylinder walls. After you've done this for about 20 minutes or so, you're done. There is no more break-in to do and you can now drive the engine as you wish, knowing that it will put out optimum power and have minimal or no oil usage for a long life. Do an oil change after this process if it makes you feel better.

You only have one shot to do this, so make it count.

 

This isn't my opinion, but is a proven process, backed with dyno test results, engineering and science.

[redvett]

I guess you know more than GM Engineering. Owners manuals say to drive normally varying speeds and not doing hard acceleration for 500 miles. In fact new Corvettes have the software written so drivers cannot run WOT. for 500 miles.

 

 

I'm sorry, but this method has been scientifically and dyno proven to be wrong. Same with those old wives tales about heat cycling. That only applied to engines with metalurgy and materials that stopped being used over 30 years ago.

 

The single and only most important thing to be concerned about in an engine break-in is seating those rings. There is only a short window of opportunity to do that when the engine is new or fresh.

This can only be done thru a series of fairly hard acceleration runs up thru the gears and back down with lots of engine braking.

 

 

[Nanotech Environmental]

 

I guess you know more than GM Engineering. Owners manuals say to drive normally varying speeds and not doing hard acceleration for 500 miles. In fact new Corvettes have the software written so drivers cannot run WOT. for 500 miles.

 

 

I'm sorry, but this method has been scientifically and dyno proven to be wrong. Same with those old wives tales about heat cycling. That only applied to engines with metalurgy and materials that stopped being used over 30 years ago.

 

The single and only most important thing to be concerned about in an engine break-in is seating those rings. There is only a short window of opportunity to do that when the engine is new or fresh.

This can only be done thru a series of fairly hard acceleration runs up thru the gears and back down with lots of engine braking.

 

 

 

That section of the owners manual isn't written by the engineering group, but rather by the warranty group. It has nothing to do with what is the right way or wrong way, but rather what will satisfy the bean counters, who don't know shit.

 

 

Like I said, this isn't my opinion. It's also not about me knowing more or less than GM engineering. It's just a proven fact, pure and simple; those rings need to be seated at the start, or they'll never seat.

 

Want an engine to be an oil user, get lower fuel economy and put out less than ideal HP, then by all means do the 'slow break-in' method. Want an engine to work right? Then break it in properly, such that the rings get seated.

You don't need to hit WOT for this to happen. In fact it's recommended that you don't. 80% throttle is usually adequate. New Vettes will easily do that.

[Grumpy Bear]

The 'run it like you stole it' to seat rings stopped when honing bores in your back yard ceased and roller cams became bread and butter. I haven't broke a motor in like than in decades. Low revs. Low loads. No constant speeds. Frequent 20 minute cycles and change the oil a few times in the first thousand miles. I get a quarter million miles plus, plus, plus. My motors use no oil and my economy numbers are better than most. My repair bills are small and routine. I must be doing something wrong.

[Nanotech Environmental]

The 'run it like you stole it' to seat rings stopped when honing bores in your back yard ceased and roller cams became bread and butter. I haven't broke a motor in like than in decades. Low revs. Low loads. No constant speeds. Frequent 20 minute cycles and change the oil a few times in the first thousand miles. I get a quarter million miles plus, plus, plus. My motors use no oil and my economy numbers are better than most. My repair bills are small and routine. I must be doing something wrong.

 

(Bold) The need to seat rings never stopped. Not sure where you would have got that idea- Your reasoning & position doesn't appear to be based on fact......Every cylinder on every type of piston automotive IC engine is still honed to a fine crosshatch, same as it ever was. Pistons and rings still play the same role as always. Nothing has changed in that regard. Has it? Roller cams play no role in this, nor did they.

 

Your rationale for your fuel mileage numbers isn't based on your break-in methods & is totally unrelated in your case. I'd suggest that the fuel mileage results you're getting has more to do with your vehicle spec and driving style. You're driving a smaller, & much lighter vehicle with a smaller engine than probably at least 95% of GM pickup drivers. In your case I suggest that you only compare your results to drivers of '14 & up RCSB 4.3 liter Ecotec pickups (with the same 2wd or 4wd, as yours) that are (mostly?) driven at relatively slower speeds on similar terrain.... ;) That's the proper comparison for that. Haven't seen many trucks like that on these or other boards.

 

250 k miles is well within expected life of a GM truck engine. Many go much father than that, especially outside of the salt belt.

 

I get long lives out of my engines as well, along with no oil usage and good fuel mileage. I also get more power out of mine than average. I break them in properly. The only problem I have is that the damn vehicles rust away before the motor is worn out.

 

The fast break-in method actually has science and many dyno tests backing it up. The slow method only has opinions......That's all it ever had...nothing more.

[Grumpy Bear]

Science is what you want so science is what you’ll get.

 

Automation, finer bore finishes and harder block or liner materials over the last few decades has dispensed with old school break in procedures. Break-in is allot faster and less debris are deposited in the oil with finer finishes. Harder block materials require much finer finishes.

 

How fast? Molly filled rings on properly honed Nitride bores break in in about 15 seconds. They are plateau honed from the get-go as are all modern motors. Larger shop race motors hit the dyno broke in and are there for sorting out the tune. There ring/bores were fixture hand lapped. Thin stainless rings or other exotics on finer finishes (OEM) are broke in pretty much on assembly. 500 miles is more of a polishing than a running in and done to control heat and ferret out flaws that got past QC. Just good common sense.

 

The kind of break-in procedure your recommending was true of ductile iron chrome faced rings on bores finished with 400 grit stones or coarser and cast iron rings in raw iron blocks honed without torque plates and often not even round.

 

You can dismiss my success with my methods and call them opinion if you like but it so I’d like to see what you call proof. I’m offering a half dozen personal OEM built quarter million mile motors I can vouch for that I run in that are flawless right down to their under 5% leak downs at 200K miles. The world is full of them whose initial running is by the un-trained and uncaring. Failures are a scant percentage of the successes. What I’m hearing (reading as proof) are stories of methods used when I was in short pants based on your class room reading and internet searches. Me? I build them, not read about them and have for over 5 decades.

 

Two things will glaze a cylinder. Running the plateau down erasing the valleys that hold the oil by natural wear or overly aggressive running in and load forced oil starvation OR filling the valleys with varnish from cold running such as a stuck thermostat or really crappy oil or and fuels. Glazing technically is a lack of sufficient and proper texture to hold oil. Both assume the motor was properly built to begin with.

 

Even OEM’s get a stinker once in a while.

[Nanotech Environmental]

Science is what you want so science is what you’ll get.

 

Automation, finer bore finishes and harder block or liner materials over the last few decades has dispensed with old school break in procedures. Break-in is allot faster and less debris are deposited in the oil with finer finishes. Harder block materials require much finer finishes.

 

How fast? Molly filled rings on properly honed Nitride bores break in in about 15 seconds. They are plateau honed from the get-go as are all modern motors. Larger shop race motors hit the dyno broke in and are there for sorting out the tune. There ring/bores were fixture hand lapped. Thin stainless rings or other exotics on finer finishes (OEM) are broke in pretty much on assembly. 500 miles is more of a polishing than a running in and done to control heat and ferret out flaws that got past QC. Just good common sense.

 

The kind of break-in procedure your recommending was true of ductile iron chrome faced rings on bores finished with 400 grit stones or coarser and cast iron rings in raw iron blocks honed without torque plates and often not even round.

 

You can dismiss my success with my methods and call them opinion if you like but it so I’d like to see what you call proof. I’m offering a half dozen personal OEM built quarter million mile motors I can vouch for that I run in that are flawless right down to their under 5% leak downs at 200K miles. The world is full of them whose initial running is by the un-trained and uncaring. Failures are a scant percentage of the successes. What I’m hearing (reading as proof) are stories of methods used when I was in short pants based on your class room reading and internet searches. Me? I build them, not read about them and have for over 5 decades.

 

Two things will glaze a cylinder. Running the plateau down erasing the valleys that hold the oil by natural wear or overly aggressive running in and load forced oil starvation OR filling the valleys with varnish from cold running such as a stuck thermostat or really crappy oil or and fuels. Glazing technically is a lack of sufficient and proper texture to hold oil. Both assume the motor was properly built to begin with.

 

Even OEM’s get a stinker once in a while.

Which is why the proper break-in method is all done in 20 min. or so. Not 500 miles.

Glazing has nothing to do with a proper breakin process, but can definitely result from a too-slow break-in.

 

You missed the real points of my last post. Perhaps you should read it again, more thoroughly. You're also cluttering your arguments up with a whole bunch of unrelated stuff, Same as your earlier post.

 

I built my fair share of motors as well. You're not the only one out there that's been inside an engine. I'm definitely not who you think I might be. Perhaps, you're not the expert you think you are. And no, the break-in for rings hasn't changed in the way you think it has. Just because you think and believe something doesn't make it real, or true.

Perhaps you should do some real research into why those rings need proper seating & the difference it makes. If the rings seated & broke in like you claim, there'd never be anyone complaining about oil usage problems on here, or on any of the other boards. But alas........

 

Nuff said

[intheburbs]

Which is why the proper break-in method is all done in 20 min. or so. Not 500 miles.

Glazing has nothing to do with a proper breakin process, but can definitely result from a too-slow break-in.

 

You missed the real points of my last post. Perhaps you should read it again, more thoroughly. You're also cluttering your arguments up with a whole bunch of unrelated stuff, Same as your earlier post.

 

I built my fair share of motors as well. You're not the only one out there that's been inside an engine. I'm definitely not who you think I might be. Perhaps, you're not the expert you think you are. And no, the break-in for rings hasn't changed in the way you think it has. Just because you think and believe something doesn't make it real, or true.

Perhaps you should do some real research into why those rings need proper seating & the difference it makes. If the rings seated & broke in like you claim, there'd never be anyone complaining about oil usage problems on here, or on any of the other boards. But alas........

 

Nuff said

 

The oil consumption issues with these trucks is primarily driven by the AFM system, not poor break-in.

 

I have two non-AFM trucks, and neither has any oil consumption issues, even after a 5,000-mile trip pulling an 8,600-lb trailer running the engine at 3,000+ RPM with occasional spins over 5500 when ascending/descending steep grades in the Rockies.

[KARNUT]

In my younger days the 70s my break in process was, I leave the lot hunt my running buddies and line them up. I got my 74 barracuda so hot the engine paint was gone by the end of the night. Fast forward a decade my gas and diesel pulling rigs were pulled off the lot hooked up to a trailer and pedal down to the max. Dozens of cars and trucks later no engine failures. At least half my rides were factory high performance or modded that way. The one thing I noticed when I did test and tuned at the track was some people's tendency rev their engines i never did that. Crank her up warm up put it gear go like hell, to the speed limit of course.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk