Getting ready to break-in my new 22r rebuild... I have some quaker state 5w30 oil that I want to get rid of - because I don't care for quaker state, and I don't really need 5w30 where I live... would it be ok to use this oil in my first round of oil changes when breaking in the new motor? Is there a preferred oil to use during initial break-in? Does it really matter what oil you use considering the short duration that it will be in the engine before changing it out?

Thanks,
Ken

>>>*I wouldn't be concerned at all. About the only oil I won't use during breakin is synthetic.....*EB

i used 5w30 for the first 200 miles or so on my new engine. it was a constant reminder to change it out -- it really made my valves tick badly.

i run 10w40 year round, works the best in my experience.

I've heard that from a lot of different people but can't seem to get a consistent reason why. What's the reason you don't run synthetic oils during break-in? Ring seating?

becuase it's too dang good at preventing wear.
there are more than a few that say the rings and bearings won't run in right unitl they got some solid wear between everything. that bieng said, every new corvette is delivered from the factory with Mobil 1 synthetic in the crank case. personally, I ran the first 20 minutes on my new motor with non-synthetic.

For breaking in my 22R, I just used the cheapest 10W30 I could find. Worked for me!

Valvoline 10w-30 (non-synthetic) everytime! But Im kinda anal that way ya know. Take it through the revs while checking for leaks and funny noises all the while keeping an eye on temperature readings. Shut her down after a good 20 minutes and change the filter and top off coolant and oil. Drive it a good 500 miles varying your RPMs, do a few hills with the engine under load and then do a full oil and filter change, recheck valve settings and retorque the head bolts just for GP's. Should last ya along time and keep a smile on your face.

~Darin <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/baby.gif" alt="" />

IF the new motor is built for synthetics with extremely tight tolerances and IF the manufacturer says so, sure, gopher it. For all else, I'd put at least 1500-3000 miles on it following Darin's regime before putting synth in. Rings won't fully seat for a very, very long time. Which itself is pretty powerful testimony for the value of synth oil.

I run DuraBlend because I'm cheap and I still want to change the oil often to remove contaminant fluids.

My dad uses straight 30w oil to break-in his engines, then he switches to a multi-viscosity oil, I've never seen him use 100% synthetic oil though, usually because the engines have a short life on the track.

About how long does it take for an engine to " break in". Once the rings are seated should MPG's improve?