What's the best oil for Running in a Rebuilt engine??
Fully synthetic?? Semi?

it's a S2 engine, overbore, new shells, pistons, rings etc.
Any other advice for running in????

should i turn boost right down? What sort of miles need to be done??

Cheers

 

Never use synthetic to run a S2 engine in mate, you need to use a good but cheap mineral oil like castrol or something.

Disconnect the actuator arm to prevent you boosting.

Most people do between 1000 - 5000 miles.
The more the better really.

 

I just rebuilt one and i ran it in for 500 miles on the advice of the local rs owners club.Thinkin about it,when i got the car new,ford did the first service at 600 miles and told me i ccould floor it from then on.As far as runnin in,dont go over 4000 rpm and it is advisable to drop the boost down.The oil i used was a 10-40 but cant remember what type it was.It wasnt good quality but I was told that if you put good oil in you dont get it run in properly coz you get very little wear.It sort of makes sense to me.Hope this is right mate.Mine is lovely now its run in.(think it was a mineral oil)

 

the orange bottle from halfords

 

ZVH.You say between 1000-5000 miles.Thatsa hell of a lot isnt it?That could take 6 months mate.Is that true?

 

5000 miles

I say 1000 is plenty. Progressive miles, gradually bringing boost in towards the end.

 

I had my engine built buy Burton and they gave me a schedule to follow.

1, run engine on mineral oil at 2000rpm for 20 mins.
2, change oil and drive car for 200 miles.
3, change oil at 1000 miles.
4, change to a synthetic oil at 5000 miles.

Matt.

 

Cheers for all the replies,

does anyone know the what visc. of oil to run in on??
10w-50
15w-50
10w-40???

 

just stick some 10/40 mineral oil in it , the first couple of hundred miles are the most inportant , dont drive really slow for 1000 miles and then wack the boost up and drive it hard , as you run it you can raise the revs you take it to , remember as well as it driving the car too hard running in you can drive it to slow as well!!

 

The best advice is to run in on a 15w-40 or 15w-50 Mineral Oil for around 1000 miles. After that change to a 5w-30 Semi-syn if you have a Zetec engine or a 5w-40 if non-zetec. You could also consider a 10w-40 or a 10w-50 depending on the set-up of your car and the type of driving you do, track days etc.

The below may be of some help in explaining about oils:

Building a good oil.

It is impossible to make a good 5w-40 or even 10w-40, using only mineral oil. The base oil is so thin, it just evaporates away at the high temperatures found in a powerful engine that is being used seriously. Although there are chemical compounds in there to prevent oil breakdown by oxygen in the atmosphere (oxidation) they cannot adequately protect vulnerable mineral oil at the 130 degC plus sump temperatures found in a hard working turbocharged or re-mapped engine.

The answer to this is synthetics. They are built up from simple chemical units, brick by brick so as to speak; to make an architect designed oil with properties to suit the demands of a modern engine.

The synthetic myth

The word “synthetic” once meant the brick by brick chemical building of a designer oil but the waters were muddied by a court case that took place in the USA some years ago. The outcome was that the right to call heavily modified mineral oil “synthetic” was won. This was the marketing executives dream; the chance to use the word “synthetic” on a can of oil without spending much extra on the contents!

Most lower-cost “synthetic” or “semi-synthetic” oils use these “hydrocracked” mineral oils. They do have some advantages, particularly in commercial diesel lubricants but their value in performance engines is marginal.

TRUE synthetics are expensive and in basic terms there are three broad catagories, each containing many types and viscocity grades:-

PIB’s (Polyisobutanes)

These are occasionally used as thickeners in motor oils and gear oils, but their main application is to suppress smoke in two-strokes.

The TWO important ones are:

ESTERS

All jet engines are lubricated with synthetic “esters” and have been for more than 50 years but these expensive fluids only started to appear in petrol engine oils around 20 years ago.
Thanks to their aviation origins, the types suitable for lubricants work well from
-50 degC to 200 degC, and they have an added benefit. Due to their structure, “ester” molecules are “polar”; they stick to metal surfaces using electrostatic forces. This means that a protective layer is there at all times, even during that crucial start-up period. This helps to protect cams, gears, piston rings and valve train components, where lubrication is “boundary” rather than “hydrodynamic”, i.e. a very thin non pressure-fed film has to hold the surfaces apart.
Even crank bearings benefit at starts, stops, or when extreme shock loads upset the “hydrodynamic” film.

Synthetic Hydrocarbons or PAO’s (Poly Alpha Olefins)

These are, in effect, very precisely made equivalents to the most desirable mineral oil molecules. As with “esters” they work very well at low temperatures and equally well at high temperatures, if protected by anti-oxidants. The difference is, they are inert and not polar. In fact, on their own they are hopeless “boundary” lubricants, with less load carrying ability than a mineral oil. They depend entirely on the correct chemical enhancements.

It is a fact that “PAO’s” work best in combination with “esters”. The “esters” assist load carrying, reduce friction and cut down seal drag and wear, whilst the “PAO’s” act as solvents for the multigrade polymers and a large assortment of special compounds that act as dispersants, detergents, anti-wear and anti-oxidant agents, and foam suppressants.
Both are very good at resisting high-temperature evaporation, and the “esters” in particular will never carbonise in turbo bearings even when provoked by anti-lag systems.

So, in conclusion, Ester gives the best protection and Ester/PAO combinations have great benefits because they work well together. They are more expensive but worth it if you wish to do the best for your engine.

Cheers

Guy.

 

Welcome to Passion Ford Oilman!

 

Thanks for the welcome.

If I can be of any help to you on this forum regarding any oil related issues, please ask.

Cheers

Guy.

 

hey oilman, what kind o oil is "710"? found it written on my cap?

 

5000 miles . It would be time for another rebuild in a cossie after that distance

 

ForeigneRS,

On which cap did you find this, Car or Oil container?

Cheers

Guy.

 

I don't think I will bother running this engine in... Straight up to full power

I did 1000 miles running in last time, it took me 4 and a half days. I reckon 600 miles on this one can be done in a day

 

710 turn up side down =
0IL

 

AAAAhhhhhh I see

 

but what exactly is there to 'run in?'
Just rings and shells.. depends on what these are made from but
The initail 'running in' should take about 20 mins @2000 Rpm then where is technically nothing else to 'run in'

 

A whole new engine lol

 

in your case maybe! bufty

 

sorry guy, couldn't resist the old "710 cap joke".

hopefully, your knowledge and experience can be put to better use on the forum in the future.

 

Who's a bufty?

 

you! im only joking mate

 

Not me mate, you must have me confussed with someone else

 

Have you got a Dizzy yet so ya can run it in! Give me a shout when ya get it run in man, you should take it to the Speyside stages on the 21st to help the running in process