I am confused. I am having a roller cam installed in my 78 L-82 Do I need a break in oil or can I stay with my Quaker State

 

Use your QS or whatever you like
You dont need a special break in anything

 

Make sure the installer checks the distributor drive gear for compatibility with the cam gear. Check with cam supplier. And uses assembly lube on it!!

 

No, you don't have to break in a roller cam.


Break in oil? If there is a good assembly lube used on the motor, not really. But, how much is a container of break in lube? How much is a new cam?

 

 

Are you having a roller cam installed in an already broken in engine? If yes, then no you do not need break in oil. A roller cam by itself does not need to be broken in like the flat tappets did/do. However, if this is a fresh rebuild of everything then other parts will still require a break in period and break in oil can help.

 

This is the correct answer! Fresh total rebuilds with a roller cam require a breakin and breakin oil just like any other new engine would demand.


Personally, I would do a 20-30 minute breakin in procedure with breakin oil with a roller cam only. Why wouldn't you? Plenty of documentation from very credible sources suggesting the same. Its easy and a no brainer....

 

 

this,,, you still have rings to break in,,,

 

Breaking in rings is different from cam break in.

 

they still need to be broken in properly with break in oil or you may have massive blow by as the rings have not seated.

 

There are other parts that need to be broken in like cam, crankshaft bearing, rings, distributor gear, crankshaft and cam timing gear and a few others. Basically any place where metal contacts metal needs a break in oil,

The beauty of the roller cam is you don't have to break in the cam lobe with the roller lifter so you can take it out as soon as it's running and do the procedure for breaking in the rings

 

What kind of break-in oil do the car manufacturers use?

 

No break-in oil is necessary. But, I would run regular non-synthetic first. I would also recommend you get it running and take it out and seat the rings as soon as you can after it's running. First do 5 or 6 medium throttle acceleration runs up to 3000rpm or so coasting back to 10-20mph between then do 2 or 3 hard acceleration runs up to 5000rpm coasting to 10-20mph between. Once you have done this you can change the oil. You can then run synthetic if you want or run normal oil for another 500 miles if you want.

 

Manufacturers do NOT use Break-In Oil because it is NOT needed. All engine parts, including rings will break-in perfectly fine with normal oil. No oil on earth can stop parts from breaking-in. Because microscopic high points on any part will immediately wear down as required for the part to support the load applied to it.

Remember, rings are forced out against the cylinder walls by combustion pressure behind them in their backspace between the ID of the ring and the piston's ring groove back wall. That's how rings are designed.

If an engine has any trouble breaking-in, it was not built correctly. Period.

Break-In oils are the absolute worst oils on the market, because they provide dangerously little wear protection. Many engines have been ruined during break-in because of people using those worthless oils. And the people involved want to blame everything in the world other than the oil. They just don't know, what they don't know.

540 RAT

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The guy only asked about a new cam install. Whats does that have to do with breaking in rings in his current, already broken-in L-82?

 

You dont theres too much BS on the internet that will convince some these are made of paper mache

Someone better call GM and tell them they dont know what they are talking about cause some guys blog says different.

 

Gotta disagree with you there. The roller cam won't need break-in. The crank bearings should be riding on a wedge of motor oil, if they are contacting at all, someone ignored clearances. I've never seen a procedure for breaking in a distributor gear or a timing set either.

 

Yes, engine is broken in.

 

Then just keep using you QS as suggested.