Engine break in concerns

Wow guys great info but please stop jacking my thread. Please debate this on a different thread.

XL777 wrote:

Wow guys great info but please stop jacking my thread. Please debate this on a different thread.

How were the new ones broke-in, in the old days? How were the rebuilds & big bores broke-in back then?

Easy answer! They got from 5- 25 minutes of normal riding, then the rest of their lives they were throttle-whipped. Very few people gave them the factory break-in. Most would buy it today and be hot rodding it by the weekend.

As for the oil, everyone has their own opinion. I think the oil & filter should be changed after an hour of running. If the oil is clean then change it next at 100 miles, then 500. If you have spent good money to rebuild it, don't be cheap on the oil.

During the break-in I worry more about, significant changes in valve lash. Check the valve clearance when you change the oil during the break-in.

bountyhunter wrote:

PLUMMEN wrote:

bountyhunter wrote:

otakar wrote:

Since ZDDP has only been removed from oils since the end of 2007, that would mean that these cars have over 100,000 put on them per year. And yes, many of the older cars are getting wiped out. It's all over the inter nett.

It was on that TV show last week that rebuilds old classic muscle cars. One of them had a newly rebuilt engine that was running bad and they found out it was a wiped cam because the guy didn't know about the oil thing. I would not risk it.

guys have been wiping cams out on new motors long before i was around,and im sure they will be long after im gone! :laugh:
if you dont break in the cam and lifters on a car the right way depending on whether its hydraulic or solid lifter i dont care what kind of oil youre using youre gonna flatten the cam lobes.
if you stick a new cam in your sb chevy and let it sit and idle without varying the rpms for 30 mins its headed for the camshaft pile in the sky.
if you dont coat the shit out of the cam and lifters with assembly lube before firing it up so its lubricated at start up btill the oil gets there its toast
if you dont pump up your hydraulic lifters before installing them you can jack things up
...........................

guys have been wiping cams out on new motors long before i was around,and im sure they will be long after im gone! :laugh:
if you dont break in the cam and lifters on a car the right way depending on whether its hydraulic or solid lifter i dont care what kind of oil youre using youre gonna flatten the cam lobes.

I think you miss the point: according to the engine builders, there is NO RIGHT WAY to break in an engine with high lift cams if the oil does not have the ZDDP it needs. Period. That's what they say and the proof is the ruined motors. The proof is also the decades of data on reduced engine wear which is why the ZDDP was first used and increased to levels around 1200 - 1500 ppm. And BTW, cams are not the only part of the engine that ZDDP reduces wear in, they are just the ones that will fail very quickly. The ZDDP also reduces wear on bearing surfaces and cylinder walls and any other place that is stressed at start up before proper lubrication is up. It's a no brainer, you have a proven additive that has worked for about 50 years and no reason not to use it. No way I am running without it.

i know plenty of engine builders ,some of which build 1000 plus hp blown boat motors on a regular basis.
i dont hear any complaints from them about oil causing catastrophic camshaft failures.
ive also built/assembled more than my share of motors from very healthy chevy v8s to some very healthy kawasaki motors without ever having camshaft problems

PLUMMEN wrote:

i know plenty of engine builders ,some of which build 1000 plus hp blown boat motors on a regular basis.
i dont hear any complaints from them about oil causing catastrophic camshaft failures.
ive also built/assembled more than my share of motors from very healthy chevy v8s to some very healthy kawasaki motors without ever having camshaft problems

... yeah I have to totally agree...
Built my fair share of fresh motors without any wear problems over the last many years. Many different oils. Many different engines... and thier all still spinning today.

I've mentioned ZDDP a few times to racer friends and they have just "never bothered" because they've never experienced a real problem.

If you build a crap motor with minor clearance issues throughout and such, you might need ZDDP to BREAK it in, but if everything is exactly in spec, it should stay that way and run full tilt right out of the gate for a very long time with a conventional oil and proper changes.

Meh... my 2 cents.

Cheers.

Xl... Pretty simple, here's what I was taught here on these KZ rebuilds.......

Outside of torque on the engine bolts and such...
Engine Pre-Lube is a must.... Be generous on the camshaft lobes, tappets etc....

Engine oil, what ever you end up using, ZDDP or not, make sure it's a quality oil designed for wet sump engines and you'll be just fine...

Besides, after the first 50 miles, going to get dumped out for new oil and filter to remove all the filings, metal shavings, metal dust, crap etc....

During those runs, you'll want to get on a highway of sorts and run up the rpm, then let her back down, run up the rpms and let her back down to seat those rings and such...

After this first run... take her home and let her cool down over night... After completely cool down period, re-torque engine, head, side casing bolts etc to spec...

After 500 miles, change oil and filter... Check your valve clearances and if required re-shim.

After 1500 miles, change oil and filter... Check your valve clearances and if required re-shim.

Now if desired, not you can go with synthetic....

I followed this to the tee... (Info via Plum and Larry) and all worked just fine for me...

OMR

Put on another few hundred km this weekend. The bike is running great timing is better then ever boy does she scoot now found and fixed my oil leak (chain tensioner)
still looks like I'm going to have to rejet it's runnin a bit lean and is starving for fuel on a hard pull. From 6-9k rpm I'm getting hesitation

I have a buddy with a dyno so after 1000km I will take it in and tune it up.

Other then that I'm very happy with my work.

Thanks for all the input this forum has been a life and $ saver in so many ways.

HELP!! Major bad news something is seriously wrong ug....

It has been a few days after my big break in bike ride.

I took the carbs off to fix the oil leak in my tensioner got it all put back together.
The next day I went to fire it up and the battery was dead. Put a charge on it no worries. Bike fired up well and I let it warm up.
Took it for a spin and got about 1 km down the road and the bike lugged and lost all its power. I could barely get 30km at 3k rpm at full throttle. I limped it back home checked all my wires, fuel lines, timing and nothing is off. What could it be?

battery charging,loose conection someplace?

To check, start the bike and put a multimeter on the battery terminals, 14.5 is what you want at about 2K.

If no good, could be regulator/rectifier going bad,lost one or more phases from the alternator,loose or broken wiring from alternator to the regulator/rectifier, or simply a bad cell in the battery.

It is a brand new battery. I have to have a power drain somewhere.

Here is what I think it is. I statically tested my Dyna S just to double check the timing. 1/4 no change spot on. However when I tested 2/3 the light stayed on the whole time. I followed the testing instructions in the dyna instructions and pull out my plugs sure enough 2/3 were not sparking. So I switched the leads and sure enough they fired. SO looks like my 2/3 module is dead, crap! I just got it setup too. Could I have damaged it by touching it some how. The wire look all good is there a way of checking the wires? I really don't want to have buy a new dyna Im so tapped out!

I'd contact Dyna and see what thet say might be the problem.I've heard of modules failing right out of the box, so your's should have a warrenty.

Im pretty sure there is a electrical short somewhere that may have kill the dyna....

1.My electric start is intermittent so I don't use it.

2. I tend to have a short in my turn signals usually fixed by checking the wires for looseness.

3. Battery was very low after 24hrs and being full the night before.

NO fuses have blown though. This sucks!