OK, so I just rebuilt the V8 in my 04 Disco. I need to know what best oil to use for break in of the new parts before I get to the first start up.

Old engine had 147k miles. Slipped liner.

*New bare block dropped in with 77k miles. Pinned liners.
*All lower end components were swapped into new bare block
*New complete heads from same 77k mile block. Kept lower mileage valve train.
*New valve seals.
*Reground and polished crank. .010
*New .010 main and rod bearings.
*New piston rings.
*New Oil pump
*New chain, cam pulley, crank pulley.
*New seals, flex plate, ARP studs, etc etc.

So, when firing this thing up and breaking her in, what is the best oil to help this along? The cam and tappets were in perfect condition, so they remain.

Do I need run in oil, break in with non synthetic, or just go for the Rotella T6 5w-30 and I'll be fine?

 

I would run break in oil, it is quite costly $10 or so a quart but it is worth the money.

1 quick story there is show on TV GasMonkeyGarage, well just this year alone they have wasted two engines on startup. one being a 400 Pontiac the other a 302 Ford, both because they did not use brake in oil they just used zinc additive. there engine rebuilder was not impressed

 

Funny, it was watching that latest episode with the zinc additive that got me thinking about the run in oil in the first place.

Good show.

Anybody have any suggestions on good run in oil and where to get it? Process before switching it to a good day to day oil?

 

I Just broke an engine in with Rotella 15/40 and a bottle of Redline zinc additive. Worked fine for me.

 

Since you are in AK I would assume you have a block heater and a garage and don't need to run thin oil to prevent issues on cold start ups.

I'd go with the Rotella 15w40 rather than the 5w30.

 

Block heater yes, garage no. Sooner or later.

So with temps hitting -25 at some rare points each winter, I need to keep the oil in operating temps for the season.

Good thing is, I think the local Wally World has both weights in stock pretty cheap. It'll be nice to grab Rotella cheap as the local auto shops have a hard Alaska mark up on everything.

Found that the Royal Purple run in oil is pretty affordable on Amazon Prime. $8.02 each. They are on their way now.

 

I used rotella 15w40 with a quart of amsoil break in oil for the first 25 minutes and again for the first 500 miles. Now I'm switching to royal purple for the remainder of the life of this engine.

 

I just did a oil pump/timing chain/rod & main bearing replacement and used Kendall 20W50 GT-1. Supposedly has higher levels of ZDDP for flat tappet cams; recommended by one of the better race-tune dyno shops in the SF bay area, as they use it when breaking in new engines on their dyno.

 

OK, RP run in oil came in. Looks liek I may possibly have the car ready to fire up this weekend.

Anybody have a link to a good initial start up procedure after a rebuild? Outside of the engine, the car has been sitting mostly stationary for over a year. I want to make sure I take every precaution to give it the cleanest and smoothest start up.

 

First and foremost, make sure you have gas. Second, make sure you're topped off with oil. If you didnt pre-filled the oil filter then put some extra in there. Third, make sure you have enough coolant and make sure everything is connected up. DOUBLE CHECK EVERYTHING. Once you've done all that, you're ready to start. Get yourself a bottle of water, a snack, and some music. Sit them in the passengers seat. Once you have all that, start her up. Immediately bring her up to between 2000 and 2500 rpm and hold it there. Good, now get your music going and get a drink if water. You need to sit there for the next 25 minutes and hold it between 2000 and 2500 rpm. Don't stay in one place, actually alternate between the two for the entire time so everything stays lubed evenly. Now cut it off and change your oil/filter. Drive her pretty easy for the next 500 miles and try not to idle too long during that period. Once you have done that 500 miles, change your oil and filter again. Hooray! You're done!