Running-in /Maintaining B20VTEC motor

[GSi_PSi]

Hey guys ive got my engine back from my engine builder and its completed. Before installation , which is coming very soon
I have few questions regarding running in of the engine and maintaining
For the intial running-in which oil should i use?
How long do i run it in for? keeping revs below 5k but giving it a bit of a load before then?
I herd there is a special oil for new rebuilt engines>?

Thanks :)

[JasonGilholme]

ask your engine builder. If they're good they will be able to tell you all of this information easily.

[GSi_PSi]

i want to knoe what other people have done, so i can find the best information.

[Limbo]

apparently there are 2 schools of thought on this.

1) Take it easy for the first 1,000km
2) warm it up & thrash it

[GSi_PSi]

^thats what im worried bout, i dunno which route to go with

[Mr_will]

warm it up. then drive it like you stole it

[B18cEG]

Maybe the warm up and thrash it is a good technique that way, is warms up to operating temperature (sould be done anyway) then when you thrash it the rings expand fairly fast and bedding in to the sleeves fast before the cross-haching is too warn.

[delsol9000rpms]

you can buy a run in oil or just use a mineral base oil. dont go thrash your motor, warm it up and drive it under load.

[damienm]

i ran my b18cr with running in oil for 1200kms and drove it under load meaning 5th gear low revs wide open throttle.

[JasonGilholme]

The reason i say ask your builder is because then if anything happens you can just say i was doing what you told me to do. :thumbsup:

It is a big question though, with two prominant answers. I do believe in the low RPM + WOT approach is the best.

[CRXer]

The reason i say ask your builder is because then if anything happens you can just say i was doing what you told me to do. :thumbsup:



:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

[GSi_PSi]

Going to be installing motor on sunday hopefully finished by next week.
Okay so i buy mineral based run-in oil? where can i get this?
And So to thrash after warm up or go easy on it.?
The thing is but i wont be able to activate vtec untill CRXer helps me out with the extra vtec wires so should i take it to redline non-vtecing it?

[CRXer]

u'll find it very hard to get to redline sam.
if your stuck on the low cam profile your motor will run out of puff way before redline & will just have nothing left to push u there.
the motor will start getting upset as the airflow starts getting choked up thru too small of a valve opening,not good for a new motor.
just stay in the working range of the low cam till u get vtec hooked up,your motor installer is quite capable of getting vtec hooked up for u,if u want it done straight away.

have u sorted out the dizzy yet?

[GSi_PSi]

well im going to be bringing a OBD2 Type-R dizzy to bens, would it run on my car ? or will we need to fix up the pins and that? You said we could re-pin with a OBD1 plug. and i can get a complete OBD1 VTEC dizzy but it needs a new coil put in it?.

[CRXer]

i said there is a "good chance" u can repin the obd2 dizzy plugs to obd1.
ive never tried it,but i can see it being able to be done,considering most pins in most plugs on honda looms are interchangeable.

if u can get the obd1 dizzy easy enough,then just use that & just pull the working coil out of the typeR dizzy & transfer it to the obd1 dizzy.

your best bet is just take all the dizzy bits & pieces u have or can find with u to the motor swap.

[Dart]

Engine builders ( THE DODGY ONES) will say no warrenty for anything....when you take them to court and get 25 grand out of them for a blown engine they might understand there has to be a warrenty....true story

Put your car on the dyno straight away and use the dyno to load up your engine ...4th gear load it up to bed the rings in if you dont do this your compression wont be good..you will get blow by

[Benson]

Engine builders ( THE DODGY ONES) will say no warrenty for anything....when you take them to court and get 25 grand out of them for a blown engine they might understand there has to be a warrenty....true story

Put your car on the dyno straight away and use the dyno to load up your engine ...4th gear load it up to bed the rings in if you dont do this your compression wont be good..you will get blow by


Well said. Dyno are great way to run in newly built motors. :thumbsup:

[LowEk]

Well said. Dyno are great way to run in newly built motors. :thumbsup:


yes they are but be prepared to pay for it. but atleast then you can redline all the way home from the dyno. :)

[Dart]

use the valvoline 30 weight oil ( running in oil)to run in the engine on the dyno ....I would not red line your new engine on this oil ,,,,once you have done the dyno change your oil ..I would put new 30w oil in again for 1000 k do not use synthic oil till done 5000....( if it is a dedicated race engine after the dyno change oil and race ...clearances will be done different for race engine usually)

[GSi_PSi]

ive bought castrol gold 5w-30. i still duno which method to use.
im going to be driving it to get it tuned any way. So i put load?
I have a feeling im going to be tempted really badly to just beat on it.

[tinkerbell]

ive bought castrol gold 5w-30. i still duno which method to use.
im going to be driving it to get it tuned any way. So i put load?

hey, just a thought,

why dont you ask your engine builder what oil to run when you ask him/her how/how-not-to run in the engine that he/she just spent lots of time building for you?

asking teh internets how to run-in an engine is actually just asking for trouble...

[Limbo]

when i had vtec problems, i could still redline in the lower cam. It just didn't have the kick it would normally have, and the engine did struggle abit


u'll find it very hard to get to redline sam.
if your stuck on the low cam profile your motor will run out of puff way before redline & will just have nothing left to push u there.
the motor will start getting upset as the airflow starts getting choked up thru too small of a valve opening,not good for a new motor.
just stay in the working range of the low cam till u get vtec hooked up,your motor installer is quite capable of getting vtec hooked up for u,if u want it done straight away.

have u sorted out the dizzy yet?

[Benson]

yes they are but be prepared to pay for it. but atleast then you can redline all the way home from the dyno. :)

Yeh 150-200 for dyno time is nothing compare to a 5k engine build

[OMG.JAI xD]

I might have missed it.
But I havent read anyone say. DONT LET IT IDLE.
That includes warming it up.
Start it. For 2-3seconds when you have your oil circulating, keep the revs up.
Between 2-3k RPM. Doesnt need to be held at a certain rev. Range the revs.
Keep doing that for 5-10 minutes. Till the fan cuts in, maybe twice just to be sure. Like bleeding the cooling system.

Then you can let it idle. But not for long.
Drive it ranging from 1-5k rpm, but leaving it in gear when cruising, and let the revs slowly drop with your vehicle speed.

Should be alright after that. Try drive it abit harder here and there.

And importantly. Before initial start up. Cut off fuel and spark.
Crank the engine for 5-10 seconds so oil pressure is spread around to where its needed most.
Then start it.

[fatboyz39]

thats good advice..rep ya!

[na-118]

i work on trucks but its basically same concept, we do heaps of engine rebuilds probably 50 every 6 months, how we can it it is,,,, we actually complete building the motor, its still on the stand, have a test bay hook everything up, run it in around 1500 revs for 45 minutes, and change the oil, engine rebuilders should have warranty on them, the myth of running it in for 1000 odd kms is a load of bullshit, unless your engine rebuilders are dodgy,

[Nepolian]

ask your engine builder. If they're good they will be able to tell you all of this information easily.


i want to knoe what other people have done, so i can find the best information.


The reason i say ask your builder is because then if anything happens you can just say i was doing what you told me to do. :thumbsup:

It is a big question though, with two prominant answers. I do believe in the low RPM + WOT approach is the best.

Everyone knows the two known "running in" process, but..............if you wish to have some sort of warranty, just ask the builder as said.

Its very well to ask a forum for ideas but when the shit hits the fan, no one will care. Sorry but it has to be said!

Id say drive it normally and hit WOT occasionally and change oil at 500km and at 2500km. But thats me!

"Ask the builder"!