Note:
You should NOT break in an engine by running it for long periods sitting at an idle! Now that you know it runs, leave it alone until you can drive it on the highway. Proper break in should be done under load on the highway at speed, with short bursts of brisk accelleration/decelleration every couple minutes.

 

Coolant level--Yeah, that's essentially what I did, and the level was always good.

Sprayer--wow, that's not a bad idea at all! Didn't think of that. Thanks!

As I said before, I was told buy the guy who rebuilt this engine(been in business for at least 35 years) to run it at 2000 rpm for 20 minutes....he never said anything about driving on the road.

I now know that letting this engine idel before it has been completely broken in is BAD. I won't do that any more.....damn I wish I knew it was that bad....


So I have to ask.....it takes the truck--what seems like--3-5 minutes just to read maybe 140 on the mechanical gauge......when is it safe, temperature wise, to start taking it to a high rpm(I'd think you'd need to let it warm up first)?

Thanks a ton, everyone.

 

Above the thermostat rating. Again driving the truck puts the engine under load and it warms up more quickly. Use your rebuilder's recommendations if he is waranteeing the engine, but I have been building hi performance engines a lot longer than 35 years, and I wouldn't break in an engine by letting it sit and run at a set RPM.
My Solstrice has an accurate digital temp gauge that also sends the temp to the computer. It will take nearly 10 minutes to reach 190 at idle on a 70* day (we try to warm it up to >190 before making a competition run, so we drive it around to warm it up if possible), but will reach cold (doesn't register <160) to 200 in less than 2 minutes driving. We spray the radiator and intercolor with cold water with the engine running between runs if the temp is >210.

 

That is pretty "standard" for camshaft break-in on any flat tappet cam.


If you want to ensure the rings break-in, you NEED to work the engine hard enough to keep cyl pressures high. That means work the engine fairly hard. It doesn't mean running it at or near maximum speed.........After you break in the cam, take a ride up to Gorman and back!!


Running it unloaded at 2000 RPM doesn't do much at all for ring break-in.



Cheers,


Rick

 

I would suggest having another conversation with your engine guy. It sounds like you have a new camshaft in the engine. Running the engine at 2000 rpms for 20 minutes is a typical cam break-in routine. That needs to be done immediately, afaik, and the last thing you want to do is let it run at idle waiting for the engine to overheat. But again, check with your guy for his recommendations. He may also want to know if there's a potential problem, causing it to overheat, and he may be willing to help you.

 

Yes it is std break in for FT cam, but we do it under load: cruise 500 miles @ ~ 2K RPMs with a short burst of hard accelleration to near redline followed by foot off the gas decelleration back to 2K ~ once every 5 minutes. That stretches the timing chain, makes sure the lifters are seating in their final position and gives the entire engine a burst of high pressure/volume oiling and extra oil draining back to the pan to flush and cool the moving parts. The closed throttle decelleration pulls extra oil up onto the cylinder walls to help seal the rings and flush off any machining debris out of the metal pores.
With solid lifters we would drive it for 20-30 minutes then reset the valves, retorque the heads. Drive it the rest of the 500 miles, and check/reset the valves once more, then button it up.
Break in doesn't need to happen immediattely after assembly if a good assembly lube was used and oil pumped thru the engine. Rebuilders wrap their engines in plastic and may warehouse them for months or even years before they are installed and run. As long as kept clean and dry it won't hurt anything if it is allowed to just sit.

 

Ok--Attention!!!! A BRAND NEW CAM WAS INSTALLED. You guys are correct, that is the only reason why this needs the 20 min at 2k rpm. The machinist said it himself."If it wasn't for that brand new cam, you would only need to do the usual driving breaking, but because it's new, you have to do this different break-in first"

AX--I'll have a talk with the builder if I have a chance and see what he thinks. I am extremely timid about pushing this engine too hard(even though I've already messed up), if you can tell, .


HT32--, well, this truck is far from on the road, unfortunately. However, about the ring sealing, hmmmm, didn't know that. I guess I'll have to do that when it gets on the road.

52 merc--Yeah, I have been feeling like I need another talk....but I feel really awkward. See....the engine was finished and "delivered" last august or September at the latest.......I didn't get it in the truck until Nov-Dec. And it didn't run until just a few weeks ago. Do you think he might void some kind of warranty since it took me soooooo looooong to get my act together(I just wasn't ready--I have no other excuses)???

That's the only thing keeping me from talking to him, I don't want to get tossed out the door because I'm not his problem anymore.

AX--That isn't too hard on the motor? Keep in mind this is a ole-little-stockie-223. , this is not a built performance motor. -------So that's what I should do to seal the rings?


-----------------------------------------
Beyond that, hopefully the next time we start the engine should be the last time until it's road worthy. Once it has it's 20 min of proper break-in for the cam, I'm not going to start it until I can drive it off the lot.

Thanks you guys for the comments, again.

 

No, it is actually to recommended procedure for most new cars specified in the owner's manual. It is actually easier on the engine since you are causing the mating wear the engine needs in short bursts and then dousing it in oil and coolant cooling it off and flushing away any particles, rather than building up the frictional heat by running the engine for extended time at one speed. That's a part of the reason the engine is running hot, at a steady speed you only get a steady minimum amount of lube and cooling.
Note that I did not say to do burnouts, but drive at say a steady 45mph (or whatever your truck speed is @ 2K RPM) in high gear then press the accellerator to the floor accellerate to 60 then release the pedal and coast back down to 45. The parts of the engine actually change shape and wear points at different RPM and stress.

 

Ok, well when the time comes, that'll be what I'll do. And so you are to do this preferably the first time the truck is driving on the road?

As I said, even if this thing get's broken into the proper way in the next few days, the truck itself will probably not be on the road for at least another month, and that's assuming everything that needs to happen goes well, and I have the money to do it.

So the actual driving part of the break-in is quite a ways away.

 

When I got my engine back from rebuild with the new cam in it the shop owner who did the job specifically told me that the cam would have to be broken in before there was any load on the engine. As has been stated, it was a 20 minute run at 2000 rpm. He said this was a must and also, that once I had started, not to stop!

So, I have seen and heard lots of different break in routines and they all make sense and have good technical backing.

But in support of mORO.... (and not trying to dish any one else - Love you guys - really). In case of conflicting advice, you must follow the directions of the man who honors your warranty!

 

I hope I still have some kind of warranty. Either way, we'll see. I'm going to hope that some fans and a spray bottle of water helps....but if that doesn't help keep it cool.....I don't what I can do after that.

 

It'll be close , and you'll be sweating more than the engine. But, if it gets up to 210, that's gonna be normal for a new engine on cam break in. If it goes to 225, shut it down.

Mine was a royal pain that first 1000 miles. Talk dirty at it - that helps!

 

When I lived in Md (back in the stone age) we had a radiator shop where the guy had a book that listed individual engines and the flow rate that the factory called for to keep a particular engine runiing ''normal'' When I had tbl cooling a 351C he looked it up and found that Clevelands required x gallons per minute, turned out that my Walker radiator was flowing too fast. We fabbed a restrictor for the bottom outlet and fooled with it until we had that flow rate and my cooling problem went away. Now it will set in traffic idling with the A/C on, run 190 all day long and it doesn't puke when it shuts off. Obvioursly, all this hinges on the rest of the system being in good order. Can't hurt to look into it.

 

UPDATE: Well, I talked to a teacher of mine who owns a machine shop(but not the guy who rebuilt my engine), and he gave me some pretty tough news to swallow: A new cam in an engine should not be allowed to idle AT ALL. You should start it up, and immediately get it up to RPM. I know you gais said this, but I didn't know it was to this degree of urgency. I asked him--"shouldn't I let it warm up??"--He shook his head. I said, "So you're saying to turn it on, and with it completely cold....just take it up to 1.5k+ rpm!?!?". He nodded his head "yup". .....


I have to be honest....I have let that engine idle for a combined--at least--25 minutes; with maybe 2-4 of that at higher than 800 rpm.

Guys/gals, you have no idea....I think I actually feel sick.

I can't believe I may have potentially already ruined/sealed my brand new engines fate. God damn.

...And I guess you learn the hard way....real hard.

 

Well, except you don't know that you ruined it. I might try to start over and try the 2000rpm break in. You've got nothing to loose right?

And btw the cam break in has nothing to do with the temperature running hot. The Hot temp is because of the extra friction of all the new parts that have not worn together yet.