Running-In...Wide Open. Yehaw!

[honest muz]

Giday,
I'm kinda taking a survey here, in a quest for knowledge. I've been taken to task on a subject and could do with being set straight, in a caring and sharing environment. I'm told that i should abandon the manufacture's recommendation and rev the engine beyond their suggested rpm. I'm at 900 km into the life of a new civic. The following "counter-revolutionary" piece states that.....If the rings aren't forced against the walls soon enough, they'll use up the roughness before they fully seat. Once that happens there is no solution but to re hone the cylinders, install new rings and start over again.

http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm

Out of everything on the mototune website, the statement above is the one that requires the greatest leap of faith for me.

Any takers?

[aaronng]

Do a search. The Mototune method has already been discussed over before.
But the trick in this method is to make sure your engine is warmed up properly before you give it heavy throttle.

http://www.ozhonda.com/forum/showthread.php?t=35753
http://www.ozhonda.com/forum/showthread.php?t=57227
http://www.ozhonda.com/forum/showthread.php?t=8450
http://www.ozhonda.com/forum/showthread.php?t=28200

[Zilli]

motors are run in from the factory these days

just get in a cane the crap out of it.... get the motor ready for the rest of its life

[aaronng]

No they aren't. They are just built to fine tolerances and finish that running in is not like the traditional method of running in. You just have to run in the piston rings, drivetrain, clutch and brakes.

[EuroDude]

motors are run in from the factory these days

just get in a cane the crap out of it.... get the motor ready for the rest of its life

Hope u warm it up first before thrashing it.

Most engine wear is caused when the engine is cold.

[EfiOz]

His idea isn't revolutionary, it's been tried and tested for years. The only problem is that people get load and rpm confused.

[panda[cRx]]

Hope u warm it up first before thrashing it.

Most engine wear is caused when the engine is cold.

u should do ads for magnatec

[EfiOz]

Are his ears big enough for that?

[honest muz]

His idea isn't revolutionary, it's been tried and tested for years. The only problem is that people get load and rpm confused.

Thanks Efi this makes sense for me. Some piston/ring sets have a tapered slot which wedges the rings to the cylinder wall on the upward stroke, and more so, on the compression stroke.

BUT

Why is there a limited time to be able lap the rings to the cylinder hone? Rings are hard. The bore is less hard. Why do I have to get it done in the first 20 miles?

[EfiOz]

The bore surface isn't so hard when it's fresh. It's a mess of asperities which look like a microscopic mountain range. All of this is brushed flat by the action of the rings running over them.

The problem is that if it's done with too much speed (i.e. rpm) andnot enough load (throttle) then you end up polishing the bore and not bedding the ring to the exact shape of the bore at all. The speed creates too much heat from friction and the lack of load won't push the ring against the surface to make it wear into the correct shape. At best, it won't quite build the same dynamic comp ratio of a well bedded engine, at worst it'll guzzle oil and suffer pretty bad blow by.

[honest muz]

The bore surface isn't so hard when it's fresh. It's a mess of asperities which look like a microscopic mountain range. All of this is brushed flat by the action of the rings running over them.

The problem is that if it's done with too much speed (i.e. rpm) andnot enough load (throttle) then you end up polishing the bore and not bedding the ring to the exact shape of the bore at all. The speed creates too much heat from friction and the lack of load won't push the ring against the surface to make it wear into the correct shape. At best, it won't quite build the same dynamic comp ratio of a well bedded engine, at worst it'll guzzle oil and suffer pretty bad blow by.

Ok, I'm a buyer. Thanks Efi.
But, what bugs me from Motoman website is the photos of the hat-full of 14 pistons. They look immaculate on the wall of the piston. Some carbon on the crown, but nothing on the side, even above the first ring! They look like they've been spun up in the lathe.

[fatboyz39]

In regards to breaking in, i gave the motor alot of load i.e full throttle to certain rpm and back off. Just tried not to hit redline. Try to avoid freeway driving i.e keep at constant revs.

My motor only seen 100km on the streets before on the dyno to be tuned. Till now nothing is wrong with it *touchwood*, its making more HP then expected !.