best way to break in a sr20det?

[IAM_SO_sLOw]

i was wondering what is the correct and "best" way to break in a SR after you put it in? i heard that you should run non-synthetic oil for about 500 miles and then change the oil to synthetic... because the motor was sitting around for so long....i also heard that you dont have to really break it in because the motor was in a running car before...:tweak:
-any info would be great thanks

[Dousan_PG]

you bought a used motor
whats the break in?
drive the hell out of it!!!!

do your maintennace and then go do burnouts and donuts. hellz yes!!

btw, synthetic..ALWAYS

[Revolver Ocelot]

You might need to knock some dust off of it, since it has been sitting in a junkyard for a while.

But other than that, go out and have some dam fun with it.

[Cashizslick]

^ werd



Enjoy it . . some japeneese teenager already broke it in for ya!

[cookie]

if its used , just drive it, but keep an eye on temps, coolant level and oil level.

If its rebuilt then there are 2 schools , thrash the tits off of it from day one, or 500 miles low boost and then tits off. (also keeping an eye on it)

Remember to use fully synth and change at most every 6K miles.

C. (SR20DET as std)

[Irukandji]

^ Every 6k miles!?!

Errr I change around every 3k

as for your break in question, what aaron said

[Steeles]

^ Every 6k miles!?!

Errr I change around every 3k

as for your break in question, what aaron said

3k is standard recomended for dino oil. if you really wanna know how often to change it get on Freshalloy and search Alex Changs post about having your oil tested. the point you should change oil is when your oil starts to lose viscosity. and only a lab is gonna tell you that one. but we are trained that it should happen every 3k miles and so like sheep thats what most people do.

[FaLKoN240]

Umm yeah... +1 for used engine. It's as broke in as it's gonna get.

[cookie]

Based on the sxoc's oil test results which tested multiple oils in sr20det's...

Using a decent fully synth will last 6k miles without need for change easily.

most started to breakdown after 7.5k miles

obviously if you have a 600bhp monster oil should be changed a little more often.

I use mobil1 15-50 all the time and my oil results showed only trace amounts of wear after 100k miles on the engine which is fantastic ,my oil is changed every 6k miles

C.

[HyperTek]

will it be a bad idea to run dino oil first then change to synthetic pretty much after the motor is swapped in? like running dino oil just to get things running etc

[Dousan_PG]

i think he means 6k because he goes by Kilometers...
not Miles..
would make sense..at least to me..

1 mile = 1.6 km iirc

[cookie]

I said miles.

C.

[kuramaya]

will it be a bad idea to run dino oil first then change to synthetic pretty much after the motor is swapped in? like running dino oil just to get things running etc


If you have a used motor you are dropping in, it is broke in..just go synthetic oil..if you have just rebuilt the motor and are dropping it in would be a different story....

[Dousan_PG]

6k miles? HELL NO hell no
3k max
max
i change mine monthly due to track events
better to have good oil
6 k miles? maybe in a saturn. not on a car you bump to redline often and be stupid with. hells no

[fliprayzin240sx]

We usually drive it easy for a bit, and change the oil at 50, 500 then regular
3k miles. We do the 50 and 500 just incase there are any rust *hopefully not* or loose particles. Most redtops have been sitting in junkyards out in the element for over 10yrs.

[sdtouge]

some crazy jap has probably been breaking it in for years
just keep an eye on temps and oil pressure thats about all id recomend mainly coolant temp and oil psi.

[infinitexsound]

eh.......... breaking in a used motor... eh... i need a new one also... on the hunt...

[IAM_SO_sLOw]

thanks guys for all the info. i apreciate it. i guess ill just put synthetic oil and drive it lightly for 500 miles... i wanna break in the clutch too...im putting in a new one

[RBS14]

hell, even on a freshly rebuilt engine you don't "break it in" (baby it). You always beat the shit out of it. so that should follow with a used engine too.

[nrg]

um.. Dino oil should be changed around 3k.
I use to change my mobil1 oil around 3k, then i realized that I was wasting my money. 5k is where i change mine now.

i've compared oil from dino at 3k, syn at 3k, and syn at 5k.

tons of new cars run syn oil now, and recommand changing oils around 7 to 15 thousand miles. There's a huge web site just about this.

[orion::S14]

Yep...change Mobil 1 at ~5k or so.

Look around the web for oil tests...on a healthy motor, good synthetics have been shown to be AS GOOD as NEW dino oil at +15,000 miles.

All that's required is normal check for level...my car doesn't burn any oil, but leaks a little form the turbo drain (new pan going on this week, actually)...so I have to top off every ~1000...but I'm HAR Don my KA-T, and have never had issues over the last ~25,000 miles with only ~5 oil changes.

[/offtopic]

- Brian

[Steeles]

Brian, do you change your filter more often than that or not? I let mine go for awhile and change the fitlter every four depending on the look of the oil.

[orion::S14]

I typically use Purolator "Pure One" filters and let it go the whole ~5000...one filter.

And truthfully, it's probably more like ~4700-4800 miles per change...to be exact.

Sidenote: It's good you have to worry about that, now that your car's back on the road! :P

- Brian

[Steeles]

hehe yeah it's a good feeling :p I'm actually under the stupid thing now. moving the front harness up out of the way. the new wheels and the lower stance finally nessesitated it. so soon as I get some more electrical tape I'll be putting it back together. I'm running out of daylight here. Sat is oil change day.. lol. needs an alignment too...

[Cashizslick]

Yep...change Mobil 1 at ~5k or so.

Look around the web for oil tests...on a healthy motor, good synthetics have been shown to be AS GOOD as NEW dino oil at +15,000 miles.

All that's required is normal check for level...my car doesn't burn any oil, but leaks a little form the turbo drain (new pan going on this week, actually)...so I have to top off every ~1000...but I'm HAR Don my KA-T, and have never had issues over the last ~25,000 miles with only ~5 oil changes.

[/offtopic]

- Brian

Still tho, seeing all that filthy oil pour outta my SR after a 2.5k change is VERY unsettling.

[orion::S14]

Looks can be decieving...only way to know is to get it tested.

Blackstone Laboratory: http://www.blackstone-labs.com/free_test_kit.html

You send a sample, they process and send results for $20.

Oil is black and dirty in ANY motor with over 50,000 miles on it, unless it was treated REALLY well. Next time, change your Mobil 1, drive for a ~100 miles, and drainit into a clean pan...see how nasty it looks. Pour it back in and continue driving, knowing that even though it's black and funky, it's still new Mobil 1.

Or just get it tested. I plan to test mine next change, just to see.

- Brian

[nrg]

yep, blackstone is great. there's a web site where someone did testing on mileage. i think mythbuster did this test too.
color doesn't mean jack in oil. my 5k mobil1 wasn't even close to being as black as 3k with dino oil.

[S14DB]

50miles to break in cams, 500miles for clutches. After that you need some full pulls to redline and then down to stall speed in the same gear you did the pull in to get good vac on the rings

If it's used then just change the oil and filter after 50miles to get rid of rust and debris that were in the engine.

[TheTimanator]

3k miles or 3 months?

I use Mobil 1 syn or better but I don't drive the 240 much anymore, 300-500 miles a month (especially right now). So it could take me up to a year to put 5k miles. Should I change it based on mileage or should I also do it every 5 months or something?

[orion::S14]

Oil breaks down from heat, and gets contaminated by blow-by gasses and condensation.

If it were not for that, you'd never have to change it.

The reason they say 3 months is b/c that'd be for people who live 2 miles form work...drive there, drive home...they never get the oil hot enough to burn off the condensation, and it gets contaminated.

If you drive your car rarely, but put it through it's paces when you do (and drive for +10 miles each trip)...you'll be fine going by mileage. When it's just sitting there, it won't "go bad".

BUT...in your case, I'd change it once a year...despite the miles. It's only $30 for a full change with Mobil 1 and a good filter.

- Brian

[tripleb]

umm did you just drop it in or did you rebuild it or modify the internals at all

because if you rebuilt it at all, do not listen to any of these jokers you need to break it in .

if you do it the long way take it easy for the first like 1500 miles and change the oil and filter every 500 miles then you are good to go. the short way would be to take it easy for 500 miles and then change the oil and filter and go at your own pace

if you just dropped it in use whatever oil you want and just change it on a regular schedule. i change mine at like 2000 miles mainly cause it is burning oil at present and needs a rebuild and is getting contaminated like crazy
:)

[dacalac]

From what I was told, it's best to baby the engine and stay out of boost for at LEAST 500 miles and make sure to keep an eye on all your gauges. You can use crap oil to begin with to take out any nastiness that could have gotten in while the engine was sitting around.

After the 500 mile mark change out for synthetic and go ahead and ease the car into boost. change the oil once more around the 1k mile mark to make sure there isn't anything left over.

I don't know if anyone else has mentioned this before but what about using that Seafoam product? Is it safe to use on turbo cars?

[Steeles]

malarky. I just rebuilt mine. it got pushed to 7 psi for twenty hard miles. brought it home changed the oil then drove the snot out of it for 300 miles and changed the oil again. drove the snot out of it for another 1500 miles stuck some synthetic oil in it and still drive the snot out of it. works like a charm. the only thing you dont do during break in is hold constant RPM. keep your RPM's varied while driving and compression braking is good for it during this time.

any seating of the rings that needs to be done WILL be done in that first twenty miles. thats from ring manufacturers.

[IAM_SO_sLOw]

i was just going to use like some cheap synthetic oil for the first 500 miles and then change to mobil 1......

i also was going to use seafoam...i use to use it on my ka... i heard it is safe on turbo cars as long as you dont boost it...so just leave it at idle for about like 10-15mins and it SHOULD BE FINE.

[tripleb]

well i suppose if its going to blow a seal or anything it would happen pretty quick
i know most places recoommend the break in procedure i stated but then again thats to make sure the warrenty stays in place on the rebuild (if you did not do it yourself)

i guess its whatever makes you comfortable. I would not pound the crap out of it unless i had to. like if i had a race and i just finished it the day before

[dacalac]

malarky. I just rebuilt mine. it got pushed to 7 psi for twenty hard miles. brought it home changed the oil then drove the snot out of it for 300 miles and changed the oil again. drove the snot out of it for another 1500 miles stuck some synthetic oil in it and still drive the snot out of it. works like a charm. the only thing you dont do during break in is hold constant RPM. keep your RPM's varied while driving and compression braking is good for it during this time.

any seating of the rings that needs to be done WILL be done in that first twenty miles. thats from ring manufacturers.

But the OP was talking about an SR swap and not a rebuild. If it was a rebuild I'd follow your advice though. :)

I think seafoam would but the only problem is that you're supposed to take the car for a "spirited drive" which I would imagine is a nice hard run. If that's the case might not be good for breaking in a straight swap.

[Steeles]

But the OP was talking about an SR swap and not a rebuild. If it was a rebuild I'd follow your advice though. :)

I think seafoam would but the only problem is that you're supposed to take the car for a "spirited drive" which I would imagine is a nice hard run. If that's the case might not be good for breaking in a straight swap.

True. when I first did my swap back in 02 I didn't even change the spark plugs. I got in it broke the clutch in and then did burnouts down the road leaving the shop. two days later I took a 300+ mile trip to Atlanta, tore ass around the city for two days and then drove back home. ran moil 1 synthetic the whole time. never had a problem out of it. two and a half years of abuse later I went in search of an electrical problem and did some upgrades. put it back together and lost a ring land a month later. now it's rebuilt and better than ever.

[SRd240sx]

i usually take it easy and change the oil after 500 miles, but i don't think it's really necessary.

[RBS14]

Just for anyone reading, even though it's not exactly on topic, I just want to clear something up. What Steeles said about fresh motor break-in is TRUE. DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT baby a freshly rebuilt engine. Those are myths about babying it. Doing so will result in a "girly engine" as one well-respected engine builder once told me. The rings won't seal properly. Might as well have not rebuilt the engine in that case. Beat the living hell out of it right away. The afore mentioned engine builder's preferred method of break-in is to drop the freshly built engine in the car, fire it up, back it up 5 ft. onto the dyno and start doing full pulls. Even with fresh cams. He's never had an engine blow or lose compression doing this. Including his personal 510 with a 430hp ca18.

Another thing to note is that part of all factory manufacturers break-in and testing process for brand new engines is to take it to (and bounce off) redline multiple times (in cycles). Even if you doubt what different people say, I think OEM's know what is best in this case.

[tripleb]

yeah you have apoint if thats what the OE spec is then beat the hell out of it.