running in - how?

Post by **kathyshack** » 27 Mar 2008, 09:43

I was told to do varying speeds so as not to get any flat spots.

Post by **Rozzo** » 27 Mar 2008, 20:17

just drive it as normal right from the off

i don't hold with this max revs rubbish as 3000rpm in fifth on a gradient will do more damage than 4000 revs in third. keep the weight off it is the key but run it in too steady and it'll glaze and burn oil all its life

best thing is to forget its a recon and just drive it like an old un. get 1 early oilchange in to remove the metal from the new surfaces bedding in then jobs a gud un

Post by **andysimpson** » 27 Mar 2008, 20:28

HarryMann wrote:Thought there was something in the Wiki on this... will have a dig a round, if not there perhaps shold be broad suggestions.

I would think VW really looked into this before making recommendations.

Post by **toomanytoys** » 27 Mar 2008, 20:36

ermie571 wrote:
toomanytoys wrote:Like Andy says.. dont baby it but dont full throttle it either.. not at least for 300 thrn for only a few seconds at a time at 3000+...

Simon,

with the 1.9 3,200 revs was just over 60mph in 5th gear on the clock. The green area of the rev counter was 1800 to 3500 I think (haven't seen it for a while). Know I touched 4000+ a couple of times, but very rarely.

"Normal" driving was around the 2500 mark. Am I right in assuming its not speed thats the critical thing, its the revs (although closely linked).

so, first 300 miles no more than 3000 revs. Not got a rev counter running on either of the other 2.1s so will be interesting to see what this relates to. Me thinks I won't be in 5th gear much to start with, or I will be lugging it!

thanks for the advice folks

Emma

Its nothing to do with speed... its all to do with rpm and load.. I wouldnt "baby" it for a couple of hundred, but I wouldnt full throttle it either.. important thing is not to use too high a gear.. less throttle and a few extra rpm.. in a lower gear.. then occasionally a burst of more throttle here and there.. and let right off with a few rpm on too.. prob like your normal ish driving style.. to load up the rings and beds them in..

Post by **maxstu** » 27 Mar 2008, 20:47

Hi Em,
The guys who fitted my VEGE recon said just drive normally and within the law. Obviously not in fifth gear in a 30 mph zone or in third trying for 70mph!! And just keep her in mid-range, stretch her legs a little now & then and use the gears appropriately.
As you mentioned earlier living near The Downs will give your new engine the ideal workout.
And I've got farningham hill to contend (3/4 miler fourth gear jobbie) with most days. So that should have sorted out the new rings and bores for me?! All will be revealed next tuesday.
Good luck
Stuart

Website · Post by **syncrosimon** » 27 Mar 2008, 21:08

I seem to remember from my two stroke racing days that the piston rings only bed in to the cylinders when the engine is accelerating. The rings need to have contact to bed in and give long service and good compression, so as has been said before, keep the revs changing as much as possible, lugging the engine at low revs makes the rings stand out and press against the bores hardest, when the engine is new this is bad, as it scores the cylinders surface, and will lead to premature bore wear. driving normally expands the rings enough for them to rub lightly on the bores, and gently bed everything in. equally engine braking, ie holding third down hills to keep the speed is also good for running in ( as long as it is gentle) as this expands the rings the other way, and again helps the bedding in process. You want to polish the cylinder bores with the rings, not score them by lugging, nor glaze them by sitting on the motorway at 50mph all day. I agree with avoiding lugging more than not revving, light throttle, more frequent gear changes, holding her longer in a gear, so as not to lugg the engine on change up.

Good luck..

Post by **maxstu** » 27 Mar 2008, 21:55

I seem to remember from my two stroke racing days

Cut to Apocalypse Now film scene with Robert Duvall.
"Aahhh! I love the smell of Silkolene on the morning...."
Sorry couldn't resist that one.

Post by **ELVIS** » 27 Mar 2008, 21:59

saw this a while back

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

interesting reading

Website · Post by **syncrosimon** » 27 Mar 2008, 22:18

It was the smell of Shell R, that was the oil of choice, and had a distinctive enough smell that you could tell who was running it.

Post by **andysimpson** » 27 Mar 2008, 22:23

ELVIS wrote:saw this a while back

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

interesting reading

I would agree completely with all of that. All the engines i have done have had a good thrashing(especially customers, need to seet everything before giving to them to "run in") and i have done LOTS, never had to pull any back apart because of my actions.

Post by **andysimpson** » 27 Mar 2008, 22:30

toomanytoys wrote:
ermie571 wrote:
toomanytoys wrote:Like Andy says.. dont baby it but dont full throttle it either.. not at least for 300 thrn for only a few seconds at a time at 3000+...

Simon,

with the 1.9 3,200 revs was just over 60mph in 5th gear on the clock. The green area of the rev counter was 1800 to 3500 I think (haven't seen it for a while). Know I touched 4000+ a couple of times, but very rarely.

"Normal" driving was around the 2500 mark. Am I right in assuming its not speed thats the critical thing, its the revs (although closely linked).

so, first 300 miles no more than 3000 revs. Not got a rev counter running on either of the other 2.1s so will be interesting to see what this relates to. Me thinks I won't be in 5th gear much to start with, or I will be lugging it!

thanks for the advice folks

Emma

Its nothing to do with speed... its all to do with rpm and load.. I wouldnt "baby" it for a couple of hundred, but I wouldnt full throttle it either.. important thing is not to use too high a gear.. less throttle and a few extra rpm.. in a lower gear.. then occasionally a burst of more throttle here and there.. and let right off with a few rpm on too.. prob like your normal ish driving style.. to load up the rings and beds them in..

It is to do with speed, you should see some manufactures instructions for dealers for cars with running issues very early in life, most involve topping up coolant after due to starting to boil up. When i worked for volvo years ago there instruction (italian tuning) 6000rpm loaded for 1 minute and then a further 5 mins at 5000rpm, the only way we could actually do this was to do it in first going up and down a short dual carriageway, sometimes we had to give up because of overheating but it always made them run much better.

Post by **HarryMann** » 28 Mar 2008, 01:30

t was the smell of Shell R, that was the oil of choice, and had a distinctive enough smell that you could tell who was running it.

THink you might mean Castrol 'R'

Castor bean vegetable oil, sweet smelling...

But you wouldn't be too keen if you had to clean the engine out after been left there a season, leaves a right royal mess inside, no, modern oils are marvels, thank lucky stars

Post by **maxstu** » 28 Mar 2008, 02:08

I too am in agreement with the link posted by Elvis. All I read made total common sense. Warm the engine gently to temperature then hard revving to spread rings against new honed bores. Cool down period. Oil change. Go racing. Win trophies and go home with the top totty. In my dreams.

However...... and I submit this with some sense of trepidation.....as Andy Simpson rightly pointed out;

I would agree completely with all of that. All the engines i have done have had a good thrashing(especially customers, need to seet everything before giving to them to "run in") and i have done LOTS, never had to pull any back apart because of my actions.

how many of us are really getting brand (or VEGE recon in my case) spanking new, out of the crate, completely fresh engines? Most have been started, revved, checked or PDI'ed to check all is in accordance with the PDI service sheet and no oil/coolant leaks occur. Revved up again to check tickover is correctly set. Revved up again to top up coolant. Zapped down the backstreets to check gears are straight too.
Have you ever seen the guys unloading/loading new vehicles at Tilbury Docks?? Scary revs and clouds of blue smoke from spinning tyres. But hell, according to this article, they're doing you a favour.

Then Mr & Mrs I MUST RUN IT IN CAREFULLY take hold of their new pride & joy and worry about a bit of over revving damaging the engine while perfecting the clutch bite parking at Pet's R Us.
So what is left for us to do? Nothing really. It's all ready been done for you. Apart from just drive it normally. And do all things suggested in previous postings, I suppose?
The link showed perfect and not so perfect pistons from a Honda F3. I believe thats a CBR600 motorcycle. And one thing Honda do is build great engines, car's or bikes. And if Honda were to build a Caravelle or Westfalia you could probably wildcamp on Mars. Then we wouldn't be having this conversation. Afterall they've probably accumulated more racing victories than any other manufacturer.
Finally, is there really any similarity between a 16000 rpm peak revving, DOHC, 100 BHP, 160 mph'er, 400lbs crotch rocketship and my 2 tonne, flat four, push rod, 79bhp, 4000rpm max, old battleship? Apart from they both require petrol/oil/coolant and a bit of revving.

Post by **DiscoDave** » 28 Mar 2008, 07:20

when i had my old one reconed by laurie petit he gave me a bolocking fro driving like a girl, he said drive it hard but don't go over 70mph for the first 500! so i did and it leaked, so he replaced the seal and that leaked and then explodedso he came all the way down to my mums and fixed it in the pooring rain outside on the road and then it was fine!

Post by **toomanytoys** » 28 Mar 2008, 08:16

andysimpson wrote:It is to do with speed, you should see some manufactures instructions for dealers for cars with running issues very early in life, most involve topping up coolant after due to starting to boil up. When i worked for volvo years ago there instruction (italian tuning) 6000rpm loaded for 1 minute and then a further 5 mins at 5000rpm, the only way we could actually do this was to do it in first going up and down a short dual carriageway, sometimes we had to give up because of overheating but it always made them run much better.

There you.. God speaks and so go thrash the a*** out of it.....