What Oil to use to run my motor in ??

[FE 4 ME]

Hi Guys,
   I'm hoping at some stage ( fingers crossed sooner rather than later ) to fire up my motor, or at least every so often crank it here and there to Lube the motor...what is the best oil to use for a new ( well it was in it when i got it and it looks like it's been reco'd ) to run it in ?  is something like Castrol Magnatec ( i do have a full bottle ) ok to use on a new motor ??

your input would be great please

thankx

"Have A Great Holden ( FE ) Day !!!"

FE 4 ME

[fe350chev]

hey mate

I know when they run in v8 supercar engines and the like they use normal mineral oil and not synthetic. so i would assume it would be the same for any engine. running in process required the piston and rings and bearing components to wear themselves in or bed in, not glaze up. Thats why they say to vary the loads and speeds of an engine during the process (but never high revs). this loading up, say up a hill makes the rings spread out and heat cycles the engine's pistons to get the minimum operating clearance levels established etc.

I would think the viscocity would be more cruicial than brand etc too because if sitting for a long time, the oil needs to be able to get through to vital parts quicker when cold, same goes for quad cam jobbies with lots of upper end galleries to feed, hence they use 10/30 or 15/40 oils. i know for sure that its better to have a warmer day to do things like this too. most guys i have talked to into engine building have said that its better to use a thinner oil in any application rather than too thick, especially in a diesel, at the expense of burning some, as oil also cools engine parts, especially the piston crown, if too thick there is insufficient splash and circulation. so u can imagine a tight new engine being like a wiper blade on a windscreen with sufficient flow of water (this is how my trade school teacher described it).

i know in our go kart engines that run up to 15000 revs all day long, that if u dont put enough fuel and have too much oil mix (2 stroke) ppl think its better to add more oil but from experience with mates, this doesnt allow enough cooling and they lock up in the bore.

so in short, a new engine needs to have the first hours to wear the parts in so that the piston, rings/bore act as a seal againt fuel/air compression and oil scraping off the bores. not so much for the bearing as these effectively float under oil pressure. there are additives or running in oils. its also worth noting that all the aftermarket parts these days are far superior than back in its original days, adding weight in my view of using a running in oil over standard. its only an old grey though, so i think a normal say 10/40 mineral oil would also do.

in short, ity probably better not to just keeps starting it every now and again, because if its never going under load and heat cycled, gum and shit will build up on rings and other components, creating the opposite effect to what your trying to achieve. best just to wait til you are ready to use it properly and do it then rather than periodic idling under NON NORMAL driving conditions.

an engine that has been thrashed a bit more than normal at normal temp will outlast an engine driven by granny 2km everyday and never warming up or under full load, mainly in the ring department.

ive managed to bring back engines that were smoky under load (if valve stem seals or upper end this wont work) by using a real thin oil, thrashing the shit outa the engine, spraying solvent or injector cleaner into the engine, to get the rings to seat again. but we only did this when there was no other option. ppl, buy thicker oils to "stop smoke" this only exacerbated the issues by gumming up the rings.

anyway, im not engine expert but know a fair few blokes that are and have listened to them a lot.

There will be lots of different opinions on this, but a low power engine like a grey will suffer from ring problems and oil contamination rather than wear due to over reving etc.

[FCRB26]

pretend your back in 1959 go buy a bottle of oil put it in and off you go.

I run penrite or penzoil 

[FE 4 ME]

Thankx guys..
  cheers fewithrb30 for explaining behind the reasons why there is a method and structure to running a new motor in ( my motor is a 186, and i was thinking of just dry cranking over..no ignition, just turning the motor to lube the motor, opposed to just having the motor six for months dry )

FE 4 ME 

[fe350chev]

probably the cheapest nasties oild would resemble 1959 oil like some coles shit 

[fastjbav6]

Hey FE 4 ME,
If your going to run in your motor I would recommend running in oil which is a straight 30 weight.
Fill the oil filter with oil and squirt some oil in the cylinders prior to starting.
The motor would need to fast idle at 2000 RPM for 20 minutes to "bed in" the cam and lifters.
Make sure you keep an eye on coolant temperature and oil pressure at this stage.
Squirt some oil down the carby every few minuets to lube the valves and top of cylinder bores.
Then after some tuning adjustments drive it at varying loads to "bed in" the piston rings. I usually find a steep hill and drive up at full throttle in a high gear at lower speeds to expand the rings against the bores to make maximum contact.
Starting from a standing start at various loads also helps. I've done this many times without any problems.
After approx 1000 kms I would change the oil and filter. I use Gulf Western 20w-50. That's my personal preference. I am in no way associated with the oil company or its agents.
Hope this helps you out.

Regards Seb

[FE 4 ME]

Thank you Seb for your detailed reply, full of vital and useful info ( well all replies have helped ) cheers for taking the time also to reply to this thread, i will no doubt take in what you said...i do recall similar instructions i was given many years ago when i had a motor reconditioned, but i didnt know what type of oil they used, but thankx for reminding me, and given me more info and knownledge...

it sure will help

everything helps, so thankx guys for your input and advise

"Have A Great Holden ( FE ) Day !!!"

FE 4 ME

[GMVAN]

FE 4 ME  Years and Years ago when I did my mechanic apprenticeship the company bought 6 new XA fowlcan panelvans I remember 1 guy running it in by the book(dealers warranty) and the another guy flogging the crap out of his and I will let you work out which one lasted longer.(it was the one who got flogged) also they had to give them all back to the dealer to get them serviced so we put a dab of paint in places that you could not see easy eg:sump diff trans plugs and dissy base and they all came back with the paint not cracked so we knew that the services were not done properly, just something to remember when you send a car to get it serviced.      Grubby

[FCV08]

FE4ME

Being an ex Mech, I would go with Seb's advice. The 30W (Running in Oil) oil is the way to go. Don't use any oils with a friction modifiers as they do not allow the bedding process to occur. Those friction modfied oils just assist in polishing the bore and not bedding in the rings.

Cheers

Craig D