best oil to break engine in???

[ocbaud]

what is the best conventional oil to break in an engine?
i heard that earlier this year, the government made all the oil manufaturers remove something from most of their oil products. i forgot what it was called, but its supposed to be good for breaking in non-roller engines.

i've heard that some off-road and race only oils still have it in there. anyone heard about this?

also, is there anything special i need to do for my dip stick before i put it in. its just a normal chrome stick, but will it read right since i have a 7 quart pan???

also, should i use sealant on my valve covers? the covers when they are bolted down look to be sealing really well.

[Kenneth]

yeah, I want to know too!
I'm about to pick up the 350 I just bought and the guy wants to give me his "non-detergent" oil which he says you've got to use to break in the engine properly. Fine, he's throwing it in along with some other goodies. But I'm a bit concerned b/c the containers look old, they're sealed, you have to use a can opener to open them. I haven't seen that kind of oil for awhile. Anyway, is there a specific oil to use?

[rolson1039]

im not what you would call a super mechanic but anytime ive ever had to break in a new "rebuilt" motor ive used Castrol GTX in itand the first oil change came after 500 miles then 2500 then every2500 thereafter

[1FaastC10]

i'm with Bob, Castrol GTX all the way. the intervals i go by are a bit different though. i change it at 500, then at 1000, then again at 3000

[Destructo]

I'v heard to break in new engine with regular oil and then if you want to run your synthetic or whatever in it after the break in period.

[76HighSierra]

Man, if you guys knew the base stock that was in Castrol GTX, you wouldn't be using it. I used to swear by it myself until I read an in-depth study and testing into various brands of oils. It's comparable to that 99cent Dollar Store stuff. Not trying to piss anyone off, or start an argument, just telling what I've learned. About the best conventional oil that's out there, is Valvoline Max Life. The additive that you're talking about, that was removed (or drastically reduced) in conventional oils, is Zinc. Break your engine in with Shell Rotella. I know that's a diesel oil, but it has the highest zinc content of pretty much any conventional oil. After break in, go with a good synthetic, like Mobil1 or Castrol Syntec. Your engine will love you for it.

[ocbaud]

i planned on running mobil1 after breakin. i'm happy someone knew what i was talking about in the removed additive. i asked about 3 guys at o'reilyes and they didnt know a thing

[ocbaud]

http://www.valvoline.com/pages/produ...asp?product=94

thast the oil i was talking about

[toytruck]

Straight 30w Valvoline.

[1FaastC10]

Originally posted by 76HighSierra
It's comparable to that 99cent Dollar Store stuff.

all oils have to pass the same tests to be put on the market. so no one oil is "better" than the other. Pennsylvani grade crudes (quaker state, pennzoil) have a higher concentration of parafine in them, and tend to sludge up engines quicker. i had a 350 that i built, and tore down at 20,000 mi, and couldnt find any sludge in it whatsoever. clean as the day i put it together. as long as it gets changed at a regular interval, you should be fine with just about anything out there.

[ocbaud]

anyone know where i can get the oil i posted a few posts ago?

[Destructo]

Advance auto parts carries the valvoline VR-1 racing oil. I put it in my dirt-bike and just noticed that from that website it said not for wet-clutch applications, oops :p

[ocbaud]

the vr-1 and the regular racing are different oils.

[low 84]

Originally posted by toytruck
Straight 30w Valvoline.

thats what i use. then i just switch to regular 10-30 valvoline

[Destructo]

Originally posted by ocbaud
the vr-1 and the regular racing are different oils.

I figured they might be, but wasn't sure. I think you'll be fine on a good conventional oil, unless you can find the good stuff.

[Captkaos]

I always break my motors in with non-detergent oil, brand doesn't matter to me. It is all coming out in 600 miles.

[67_SS396]

Be sure to toss in a container of GM's EOS. It's definately cheap insurance.

[79BIG10]

Go to Wal-Mart and get some Delo400. It's made for diesels. It works great in my ZZ4. The thing with diesel engines the oil has to be cleaner and this oil proves it. When I took off my valve covers one day to look I didn't see anything but aluminum and clean oil even after 1000 miles since the last oil change. Plus it's cheap.

I agree for sure with 67_SS396 in to use some GM EOS- Very cheap insurance to make sure the cam gets broke in correctly.

[Tom]

You want some sort of strait 30w dino oil with a can of GM EOS in also. Change at 500miles to whatever weight dino oil you want, wait until at least 3000miles [IMO] to go synthetic.

[Slonaker]

Originally posted by ocbaud
anyone know where i can get the oil i posted a few posts ago?

It says on the page you posted, "Available at NAPA."

Slonaker

[76HighSierra]

Originally posted by 1FaastC10


all oils have to pass the same tests to be put on the market. so no one oil is "better" than the other. Pennsylvani grade crudes (quaker state, pennzoil) have a higher concentration of parafine in them, and tend to sludge up engines quicker. i had a 350 that i built, and tore down at 20,000 mi, and couldnt find any sludge in it whatsoever. clean as the day i put it together. as long as it gets changed at a regular interval, you should be fine with just about anything out there.

Yes, all oils have to pass certain tests to be classified as SJ, SF, etc., but the threshold is deplorably low. There are some oils that not only meet the criteria, but exceed it. These are the oils I'm reffering to. There are many variances in oil quality. You're basically stating that most conventional oils are created equally. This couldn't be farther from the truth, but yes, if you change it often enough, pretty much anything will do.

[bpmcgee]

In all the books I have about rebuilding engines, everyone specifies 30w non-synthetic engine oil for the break-in period.

They say to switch it right after the 20 minute breakin period to get rid of startup lube, etc that's in it, and replace it with whichever oil you prefer, replacing it again at 500 and 1000.

Brian

[ocbaud]

i'll be using the valvoline racing oil 10w30 for the first 20 minutes or so to break it in. then i'll dump it and replace it with some more of the valvoline racing oil. after 500 miles i'll drop it and put mobil1 in it

[bpmcgee]

OC,

For what it's worth, the books I have specifically say NOT to use multi-weight (i.e. 10w30) oil for the break in. I'm not sure I could explain why, though.

Brian

[Tom]

Originally posted by bpmcgee
OC,

For what it's worth, the books I have specifically say NOT to use multi-weight (i.e. 10w30) oil for the break in. I'm not sure I could explain why, though.

Brian

Yup. use 30w STRAIT oil only, and use that GM EOS stuff I told you about. Go to chevytalk and every single big shot over there recommends it [grumpyvette etc.] and those guys really know what they are talking about.