Break In oil
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2004
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From: Bergen County, NJ Democrats, doing for the country what they did for Michigan
Break In oil
Things go well, I should be breaking in all the new parts of my motor in the next couple weeks. Heads, cam, rockers, push rods, basically everything but the rotating assembly.
In every new motor I ever purchased, I ran a quart or so, or Marvel Mystery Oil in the oil for the first 2K miles or so. It's a good top end lubricant.
Now, that was before synthetic oil. My car has only been run on synthetic and the internals are spotless. No grime anywhere, it's like a new motor internally.
Since I am putting on new heads, I'm considering throwing in a quart of Marvel, since it worked so well for me in the past.
Any reason I shouldn't do it?
In every new motor I ever purchased, I ran a quart or so, or Marvel Mystery Oil in the oil for the first 2K miles or so. It's a good top end lubricant.
Now, that was before synthetic oil. My car has only been run on synthetic and the internals are spotless. No grime anywhere, it's like a new motor internally.
Since I am putting on new heads, I'm considering throwing in a quart of Marvel, since it worked so well for me in the past.
Any reason I shouldn't do it?
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2004
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From: Bergen County, NJ Democrats, doing for the country what they did for Michigan
Instructor
Joined: Dec 2004
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i would throw it in but, only a cup or so. my ex girlfriend's father had a dodge that had a tapping lifter. i happened to be at his house when he pulled in his driveway. the long and the short of it is, that i heard the tapping, watched him put in 5 small cap-fulls of marvel in the oil, rev it up to 1,000 rpm's intermittently for about 20 seconds, and the tapping quit. that sold me on marvel. i also use about a cup or so PRIOR to an oil change as a flush of sorts. my understanding is that the highest majority of it is almost all detergent.
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Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 2,705
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From: Chesapeake Beach Maryland
2015 C5 of Year Finalist
I talked with CompCams tech guy the other day with a similar question. Even though I'm breaking in a roller cam, they recommend using regular Dyno oil, Actually he recommended using Valvoline VR1 for break-in. My question was that I am planning on installing the cam several weeks in advance of installing heads, rockers and the rest of the stuff. So it could be a month or two before initial startup and I was worried that the assembly lube would just flow off the journals and cam lobes. I was told by the tech that this is a legitimate concern and that in that case I could use White Lithium Grease on the bearing surfaces and the cam lobes during installation. Then prior to closing it up, put assembly lube on the lifter tips. Anyhow, I have got the feeling that the break in for roller cams is not near as critical as for the flat tappet cams.
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 12,263
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From: O'Fallon Missouri
There is no break-in for roller cams. You can even use roller lifters on different cams.
Also, if anyone thinks they must use assembly lube on a roller cam, use as little as possible, or you will clog up the rollers.
Also, if anyone thinks they must use assembly lube on a roller cam, use as little as possible, or you will clog up the rollers.
Advanced
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 83
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From: Orlando Fl
MMO#1 ingredient is Kerosene. I have used it before on high mileage cars for a short period of time to address a lifter tick.
Is is certainly NOT appropriate to use for a newer engine and certainly not break in.
If you want an oil with high levels of antiwear additivies - use a diesel engine oil ...and almost all of them are dual rated SL for gasoline engines.
20w50 IMHO is way too thick for most applications. a 10w30 or a 15w40 is the way to go.
Break it in with a 15w40 and then change to something like Maxlife 10w30. The high mileage oils have more robust additive packages.
In my 100k LT-1 I am using the Mobil 1 HM 10w30 - its a very robust oil and you can get 5 quarts for $20 at walmart.
Is is certainly NOT appropriate to use for a newer engine and certainly not break in.
If you want an oil with high levels of antiwear additivies - use a diesel engine oil ...and almost all of them are dual rated SL for gasoline engines.
20w50 IMHO is way too thick for most applications. a 10w30 or a 15w40 is the way to go.
Break it in with a 15w40 and then change to something like Maxlife 10w30. The high mileage oils have more robust additive packages.
In my 100k LT-1 I am using the Mobil 1 HM 10w30 - its a very robust oil and you can get 5 quarts for $20 at walmart.
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 35,065
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From: Bergen County, NJ Democrats, doing for the country what they did for Michigan
MMO#1 ingredient is Kerosene. I have used it before on high mileage cars for a short period of time to address a lifter tick.
Is is certainly NOT appropriate to use for a newer engine and certainly not break in.
If you want an oil with high levels of antiwear additivies - use a diesel engine oil ...and almost all of them are dual rated SL for gasoline engines.
20w50 IMHO is way too thick for most applications. a 10w30 or a 15w40 is the way to go.
Break it in with a 15w40 and then change to something like Maxlife 10w30. The high mileage oils have more robust additive packages.
In my 100k LT-1 I am using the Mobil 1 HM 10w30 - its a very robust oil and you can get 5 quarts for $20 at walmart.
Is is certainly NOT appropriate to use for a newer engine and certainly not break in.
If you want an oil with high levels of antiwear additivies - use a diesel engine oil ...and almost all of them are dual rated SL for gasoline engines.
20w50 IMHO is way too thick for most applications. a 10w30 or a 15w40 is the way to go.
Break it in with a 15w40 and then change to something like Maxlife 10w30. The high mileage oils have more robust additive packages.
In my 100k LT-1 I am using the Mobil 1 HM 10w30 - its a very robust oil and you can get 5 quarts for $20 at walmart.
The bottom end only has 30K miles, and outside of the rear main seal, pistons, and crank, everything else is brand new.
I use Maxlife as a matter of course, and change the oil and filter once a year. I barely put over 1K miles a year on the car.
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2004
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From: Bergen County, NJ Democrats, doing for the country what they did for Michigan
I was pretty dam generous too with it too!!!
Do I really need to dis assemble the lifters and clean them off?
ANYONE!?!?!?
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 5,642
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From: One day you're a Comet...the next day you're dust... Arkansas
Ouch! Since they make the s**t I would call CC and see what they say. I wouldn't use MMO as a break in lube.
Last edited by BADDUCK; Oct 21, 2007 at 06:20 PM.
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 81,241
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From: altered state
St. Jude Donor '05
Prime the daylights out of the oil pump before you start it, that will help.
Last edited by cv67; Oct 21, 2007 at 09:25 PM.
Instructor
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 221
Likes: 1
From: Topeka Indiana
Just run it and do a quick oil change and get it out of there. Just to start a conversation, all I ever run is Rotella 15/40 for both gas and deisels. I just tore down a Cummins and the crank and rod bearings were still in spec with 415,000 miles!