Break in new rebuilt motor without water
 

Has anybody ever broke in and seated rings without water? If so please explain how its done. Also open for opinions.
This has been done so don't tell me it cant be done. Just don't know what the run time or block temp should be.

never heard of it

I have heard of it but if my memory is correct it is for cast rings only not chrome molly

gm tried this with the 400 small block with limited success they could get the rings to seat but you usually had to replace head gaskets

Anyone else heard of this?

Yeah man, it's good :jump:

I wouldnt do it just because of the temp deviations pending metal thickness

in other words some spots on the rings would get hotter than others, with water jacket present the temps would be consistent thruout

Please explain why the temperature would vary so much

different thickness of metal all around the sleeve.....for example where the water ports are that would be air back there behind the sleeve then just a few more inches around its solid steel ..............so in the end the area where the water port is would get lots hotter running it dry like that

2 different kinds of heat transfer, the transfer of heat by conduction will be much slower than convection

conduction
convection

Sound like a try to shorten run-in time...
Instead experimenting- whats wrong with the standard procedure?

Running a so called running-in-oil, which is mostly a thicker mineral oil.
The controlled friction gives the possibility and needed time to adjust opposing parts.
This is, of course, abrasive done.

Frequent oil flushes and filter changes are mandatory.

Reason not use synthetic are the lower friction abilities of synthetic oils.

Frequent speed changes of the engine are also necessary during the run in time- so no highway...
The longer you take care for the run-in of an engine, the more you get out of it.

Exception: Race engines, they are build to be disassembeled after each race, so they can afford tighter gaps from the beginning.

Yeah the whole point is so I can give a rebuild back to the customer and it ready to be used and not have to worry how he is breaking it in

Ah, I understand.
But if you buy a new car there is always a recommandation how to use it the very first time.
A rebuild engine is way more sensitive than a brand new engine- I would point that out to a customer.

Yes but if the rings are seated when it leaves then I don't have to listen to him bitch about it in month that it has a lot of blow by

What about cross-hatching the cylinder?

There are only a few able to do this right.

I copied this because I'm lazy:
After an engine is overhauled or has a major repair it is run in a test cell to ensure operating characteristics and to begin the break in process. However this process may take as long as 100 hours of operation to complete.
The driver, is in control of engine break in for 98 % of the time that it takes to occur. This is a serious responsibility when you consider the expense and aggravation of having to remove, re-hone and re-ring cylinders that have glazed and not broken in.

Sounds like a short-cut dreamed up by somebody who does not own the engine.

Interesting conclusion to something you must know nothing about:moon:

Apparently you don't much about it either, or you wouldn't have asked. :tttt:

Glad it's not my engine you're working on! :w2:

I've heard of starting a fresh rebuild without water. I've also heard of dumping Ajax down the intake to seat the rings. Your break-in practices are up to you, but there's a reason the standard practices are standard, they offer a compromise between quick break-in and long engine life. Speed up break-in too much, the engine may not make it through the warranty period.:ouch:

Not to mention the old-school vs. new-school angles.

No I personally have not done it before that's why I started the thread!! Al tho I have seen it done....Just because it don't make sense to you don't mean it won't work. if I had a dyno on sight I would reconsider a different method. When I watched it being done there was an infrared temp gun pointed at the side of the block when it got too a certain temp the motor was shut down. I don't know what temp that was. If I knew I wouldn't even have asked. This motor was in a machine that I operated for awhile right after it was rebuilt and the rings where seated from day one virtually no blow by. So anyways I will be doing this and will report back thanks for everybody's concerns and opinions! :c::c:

I worked at an engine rebuild shop 25 yrs ago,I test ran many engines that we built.I made adapters for fuel&water. I imagine to do that now maybe tough to do,one would need ecm's etc :humm:

I was really happy with the results I got by doing this The engine left with virtually no blow by Since everybody thought it was such a bad idea I guess I will keep the rest to myself

I guess that I'm a little late to the show. IMO running it w/o water would allow the bores to be egg shaped. The thin side would egg and the thick side would stay put.

I understand the reasoning behind having the engine up to temperature for break in.

I think and I could be wrong.......I'd turn up my hot water heater and use the hot water to get the engine warmed up. Maybe even w/o a fan. Could use a spray of cool water to hose down the Radiator which would allow you to maintain a reasonable temperature of 200ish.

This way the bores would bee the same temperature and wont egg.
Thats how I would do it anyway.

Well I'm not taking it back apart to check and see if they are round or not


Posted from my ifail when I should be working