Break in oil?

[The Spaceman_imp]

Way back in the day when I worked at a dealership we picked up a cheap purple oil for break in. This was in the early 80's. Nothing special, just a good cheap oil that was going to be tossed in a few hundred miles then a better* oil put in. Back then we knew enough about synthetic and syn-blends that they did not allow parts to properly break in/seat in so you wanted to avoid them for the break in period.

*Better oil as defined by us or the owner of the bike.

Have you ever seen "Fast and Loud" on Discovery? They rebuild/upgrade old cars at the Gas Monkey Garage. It's a fun show.

In one episode they had a V-8 rebuilt for a '60's Shelby Cobra Mustang. They used a "cheap purple oil" to break it in, just like you mentioned. But, the engine failed during the run-in with a stuck lifter. The rebuild shop blamed it on the cheap oil and said they should have used a special high-zinc oil.

The engine shop was full of it. There might be some advantage to using a special break-in oil, perhaps the engine would last 150k vs. 125k miles with it, but the lifter shouldn't have stuck just because of the type of oil used. Gas Monkey had to pay for another engine build; I think they got screwed.

[rboe]

No, don't watch it and have not heard of it. We used it because the engine needs oil but during the break in period all sorts of crud is washed out or worn out of the engine. Basically it's a flushing oil. By definition any oil you use first is going to be a break in oil. Does sound like the shop got screwed; hard to tell without all the facts (wrong viscosity for example). On the current generation of Moto Guzzi's, if you don't use synthetic 10W60 (I think the weight is correct) it can lead to problems. "Proven" by cheap Guzzi owners running the wrong weight in their bikes and running into problems; which are corrected by the use of proper weight oil. Some of these modern engines place unique burdens on oil and the owner/operator would be wise to follow the manufactures recommendations to avoid expensive problems.

A stuck lifter. Dang!

[Gingersdaddy_imp]

I like "Fast and Loud" it's pretty cool, they burned up two engines, one was the Shelby and the other was the Bandit engine. I do not recall them priming the oil system on either of them before firing them up. I think the Bandit engine was a rod bearing issue.
I use to build race engines for a dirt track car and we always primed them before the first start up. Ran 10w30 to break it in at rpm's above 2000 for 30 min. changing the rpms. Shut it down let cool and run it for another 30 min. changing the rpms. We would then change the oil to Mobil 1 20w50 and ran the snot out of them.
Their lifter stuck because it wiped the cam lobe off. May have not used enough assembly lube on the cam and lifters. So who knows who's at fault. Aaron's pretty smart guy though.

[Fleetwood_imp]

Thank you for all the replies, so here's another question, what brand of oil are you guys running? Is the oem Honda oil good stuff?

[Gingersdaddy_imp]

I changed my oil at 600 miles and went with the Honda oil. I plan on the next change two switch to the Honda synthetic oil. I wanted to give it a little break in time before the switch. I looked at other oils, but I think I'm sticking with the Honda oils at the recommended viscosity. I looked at Mobil 1 motorcycle oil, but could not it in the recommended viscosity. Then again its what you like to run and what works for you, what you feel comfortable with. There are many choices to choose from that I'm sure would work just fine.
Just make sure you change the oil and filter at recommended intervals.

[the Ferret]

Thank you for all the replies, so here's another question, what brand of oil are you guys running? Is the oem Honda oil good stuff?

I don't see how one could go wrong using the oil recommended by the manufacturer of the product you are riding.

However..if you type "oil" into the search engine below the red banner above, you will find any number of opinions of the value of Hondas' oil as well as many other brands, weights, viscosities, blends.... ad nauseum

[HikerToo_imp]

Quick close the thread


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[Fleetwood_imp]

Alrighty, thanks for the info, I'm not trying to start an oil war lol

[The Spaceman_imp]

I like "Fast and Loud" it's pretty cool, they burned up two engines, one was the Shelby and the other was the Bandit engine. I do not recall them priming the oil system on either of them before firing them up. I think the Bandit engine was a rod bearing issue.
I use to build race engines for a dirt track car and we always primed them before the first start up. Ran 10w30 to break it in at rpm's above 2000 for 30 min. changing the rpms. Shut it down let cool and run it for another 30 min. changing the rpms. We would then change the oil to Mobil 1 20w50 and ran the snot out of them.
Their lifter stuck because it wiped the cam lobe off. May have not used enough assembly lube on the cam and lifters. So who knows who's at fault. Aaron's pretty smart guy though.

I respect Aaron's talent, no doubt the guy is a mechanical genius. He reminds me a lot of my brother in law "Rachet," (deceased, RIP) who could repair, rebuild, or fabricate anything from airplanes to windmills. However, I think a lot of the problems Gas Monkey encounters are self-inflicted. That Bandit car, for instance, had been sitting for months or years. The guys did WOT burnouts and donuts with it before they even looked under the hood. Maybe if they'd serviced it first it wouldn't have blown up.

[the Ferret]

I saw a show with Craig Boddington? Who "supposedly" found a mustang fastback in a barn. Had hay and chickens on it. They pushed the hay and chicken off and fired it up without ever lifting the hood. Then towed it back to the shop, unloaded it, fired it up and then literally burned the rear tires off. Crazy