Looking for opinions on break in oil. Brand new build with a hydraulic roller cam and roller lifters. Builder recommended something with high zinc and no synthetic to start. 10w-30.
CK5
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Break in oil
- Thread starter centexk5
- Start date
Not seeing Driven 10w30 in break in oil. Why Driven man of few words ?
And only run a good filter like wix brand gold .
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I only run wix so no worries there. Just looking for opinions on oil from people who aren’t swayed by typical Internet forum beliefs and have actually wrenched on an engine.
The Driven BR40 is what the engine manufacturer recommended for the break-in on my hydraulic roller cam 350. https://drivenracingoil.com/i-30497750-br40-conventional-10w-40-break-in-oil.html
That’s what we used and dad still uses on his bronco.
No concerns. And the super high zinc paranoia I wouldn’t buy into
Driven is the best break in oil.
Listen to the people who make the best piston rings....
I agree with the VR1 for a good conventional oil, its one of the few that don't shoot way up in temp under higher load.
Any new build with a roller cam I switch to synthetic after breakin.
Listen to the people who make the best piston rings....
I agree with the VR1 for a good conventional oil, its one of the few that don't shoot way up in temp under higher load.
Any new build with a roller cam I switch to synthetic after breakin.
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Any particular weight? I need to go through my docs and see how big of an oil pan I bought from you so I can order some stuff.
For breakin 30 or 40 weight is fine.
You probably need at least 6 quarts I would guess for your 383 with the moroso pan.
You probably need at least 6 quarts I would guess for your 383 with the moroso pan.
Gracias amigo.
I'm sure this is after the fact but do NOT use "break-in" oils EVER, liquid garbage and a complete farce ! This crap has the lowest PSI rating of nearly any oil on the market and that's a fact. I also love the guy that says "no synthetic oil during break-in" total bullshit. Skip White uses Schaeffer Micron Moly full synthetic in new builds getting dyno run that says a lot... Don't waste your hard earned money, use your flavor of full synthetic from first start up till you blow it up and sleep well, my personal favorite is Amsoil Z-Rod for any non daily driver read up on it good stuff...
Yes its possible to get a good ring seat without breakin oil, but you increase your chances the piston rings are breaking in correctly with the proper breakin oil and proper engine load for breakin. Watch the videos above from the Lake Speed Jr, the guy is a motorsports oil specialist that works with Total Seal that has tested this stuff for a living. There a lot of opinions on the subject, but when it comes down to the facts I trust him. There is a difference in the additives and base oils in the breakin oil for a reason.
And no I do not recommend leaving the breakin oil in for very long at all, take it out after a short dyno session or the initial medium load breakin on the road. And of course if you use the wrong breakin oil and try some thin stuff in a boosted BBC for example then you are unlikely to get good results.
If you want to just put whatever in and send it, then go ahead, it should be fine, it's your engine.
I have used the cheapest store brand 30wt and a bottle of zinc for last hyraulic flat tappet cam engines I rebuilt, a 250, 366, and a 6.2 diesel. They are all still running great, but all stock rebuilds with cast pistons. For my Harley rebuilds they get 60wt non-synthetic.
There is alot more opinion than science for break in oil in my view.
There is alot more opinion than science for break in oil in my view.
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Since you mentioned that it's a roller cam, just run whatever you plan on running in it. No need for fancy high zinc anything in that application. You're not breaking the cam in so to the guy that said "driven", he's right. Start it and drive it. Change it a little earlier than you would normally and then resume normal intervals after that.
I have broken in plenty of cams back in the day with cheap dinosaur-bone oil with no attention paid to zinc what so ever. I think the issue lies in the higher spring pressure applications that tend to be in your performance builds. I was/am poor so all my builds are definitely not performance lol.
Even so, for a roller motor, you're good with anything. Synthetic, conventional, whatever.
I have broken in plenty of cams back in the day with cheap dinosaur-bone oil with no attention paid to zinc what so ever. I think the issue lies in the higher spring pressure applications that tend to be in your performance builds. I was/am poor so all my builds are definitely not performance lol.
Even so, for a roller motor, you're good with anything. Synthetic, conventional, whatever.
That's why I like Lake Speed Jr's "The Motor Oil Geek" videos, he goes into the science and testing, not just opinion. They have gone leaps and bounds in the science of piston ring seal with cylinder finish, motor oil, materials, etc.
Back in the day was likely before the removed a lot of the zinc and other additives for mainly emissions purposes. Which most modern engines don't need, but at the same time everyone ran into a lot of problems breaking in old flat tappet motors with new oils.
I agree, with a roller motor the main thing you are breaking in is the piston rings.
With piston rings the most important thing (other than cylinder finish) is load, they need some load, don't start it up and run it in neutral with zero load.
Of course, breaking in a flat tappet cam does exactly that, so it's even more important to get a load on it right after breaking in the cam, because you are running out of time.
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