Using Break In oil after engine overhaul

There was a topic around here where SV mentioned using break in oil. I was at the caseih dealer Thursday and asked about it. No they didn't have it but he said they usually use Rotella cause it is high in zinc. This prompted some research.

Break in oil is basically non-detergent mineral oil that doesn't have all the friction reducers that regular oil and synthetic oil has. The regular friction from the plain mineral oil is what causes the rings and cylinder wall to wear in much quicker and seat the edges of the rings after a few hours.

However with a new engine with a new cam you don't want the cam lobes to wear like you want the rings and cylinders. So they add a bunch of zinc and phosphorus to break in oil to keep the cam lobes from getting wore down during the break in period.

So when I get my C221 bored to C301 engine back from the shop with its original cam, I plan to use the 30 weight HD 30 weight non detergent oil that can be bot which is what we used to run in mowers all the time.

Then run it for a number of hours or a day at varying rpms and loads to break it in. Then drain and replace with a 15w40 of choice brand.

That is my plan now anyways. But I wanted to open this up for discussion and see what you experts have to say. Thanks.

Zinc is the missing ingredient in modern oil,,something to do with plugging the catalitic converters on newer cars and trucks. Racing oils still have a larger amount of Zinc it them. I rebuild around 15 engines here per year, I use 2 containers of the zinc additives in engines with 5 gallon oil capacities,, thet don't seem to break in well with out it. Deere offers a break in oil, which is okay to use too,,but since the local Deere dealers care less and less about their customers,,,I buy less and less from them...My local Auto Zone store is 15 miles from me,,they will deliver even one container, or alternator free and happily,,my Deere dealer don't even want to answer the phone...

We use 30w non detergent to break ours in. Then 15w40 diesel oil after that.

I always started fresh race motors with 20 weight. Start and
ran a bit maybe a couple of passes on the road in front of the
house. Then change oil and filter nothing cleans like hot oil.
That was with roller cams and moly rings. Flat tappet cams
get the special cam lube. Pre lube set static timing, I have
seen a fair number of flat tappet cams ruined by cranking to
get the timing right. I remember the wisdom of the day was
dumping a can of STP down the valley was all the cam and
lifters needed, which is not true.

Thanks. What is the cam lube you use and how does cranking over ruin the cam lobes?

I'm no expert by any stretch of the immagination but your commment ..... "they usually use Rotella cause it is high in zinc" ...... I would suggest doing some on line research, there is a LOT of good and bad information about modern motor oils having (or not having) the zinc additive(s), and especially about Shell Rotella. A lot of stuff is true and some is not true at all. Remember that there are various kinds and classifications of most major oil brands, Shell Rotella included. I think Shell sells a lot of that product based on false information floating around and they aren't in any hurry to clarify what is and what is not true.

If you are using moly coated rings they are almost broke in before you drive it out of the shop.

I beg to differ when you say that all break-in oil is non-
detergent, but that is not the argument of my post.
My question is this: If break-in oil is indeed non-detergent, how many modern engine manufacturers recommend or use
non-detergent oil from the factory?

The rings and pistons came from Reliance. It doesn't say if they are moly coated or not. Anyone know?

I'm think what I was reading was more about old cast engines. Modern aluminum engines are a whole different ballgame for oil and additives. I don't know what they are doing with modern diesels either. Diesel fuel and gasoline aren't really the same that they were back in the 40's to 60's. Which begs another question.

Are there any gasoline additives that should be used during a break-in period? I suppose the Vet has an opinion on this.

No need to add anything to the fuel.

MOST important thing is to put the engine to work immediately.

Break in oil

More information
Break in oil link

BC here is the Reliance Break in procedure.Sorry about the condition.I have used dozens and dozens of their kits and have never had a problem. They do not say to use a break in oil but they do recommend to use Lucas break in additive to the oil that you use. We use straight non detergent 30 wt on gas and Valvoline 15w40 on diesels and a bottle or two of Lucas depending on the size of the engine. We break them in on a dyno and tell the customer to run them 40 hours before changing and we don't have comebacks. br>

I would use a quality oil (like 5w20) with a zinc additive for a short period (2 to 6 hours) then change it. The light oil will get the break in you are looking for. I
don't understand what nondetergent oil has to do with break in = other than the "wear" metal will stay in the engine and continue to cause excessive wear.

John Deere has Break-In Oil. Use that. They know more than just about anybody about these things.

Looked over the Reliance data and the Deere data. Both say to run a minimum of 100 hours before changing oil.

Deere says to break in with heavy loads with minimal idling.
-
Reliance (After the run in procedure) says to not allow the engine to idle for more than 5 minutes or operate for extended periods of time with little or no load during the first 100 hours.

If you couldn't read Reliance, I blew it up for the initial run in period which they say preferably do on a Dynamometer.

1. 1 minute, no load, low idle.
2. 2 minutes, no load, high idle.
3. 5 minutes, 50% load, 2000-rated speed.
4. 10 minutes, 50-75% load, 2000-rated speed.
5. 10 minutes, 75-100% load, rated speed.
6. 2 minutes, no load, 1500 rpm.

If I can't hook up an implement on my 2606, it looks to me like the only way I can simulate load is to drive around in different gears. Not sure which gear has more load, low or high?

Guess I'll look around for the Lucas additive and then avoid idling for a 100 hours and spend 2 weeks driving around the section at various speeds (or not and just do the best I can).