The Tuul Crib 7,339 #1 Posted November 7, 2019 About to get the 16 s back together l normally use rottela 30 w. In my tractors. What is the best break in oil and when seating the rings whats your standard procedure? A guy at work here swears by putting the engine under a load right off the bat is the best way. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lynnmor 7,828 #2 Posted November 7, 2019 I would use 10w-30 in the brand of your choice. New rings require some speed to wear in and new bearings do not want high speed or load. Just run it in a moderate way and change the oil in 5 to 10 hours. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shallowwatersailor 3,214 #3 Posted November 7, 2019 You may want to find actual break-in oil such as the Lucas SAE 30 Break In Oil with ZDDP. Or at least add ZDDP to the oil that you do use. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pullstart 66,843 #4 Posted November 7, 2019 Is the block a fresh bore, or just new rings? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tom2p 2,394 #5 Posted November 7, 2019 many available 'break in' motor oils are just poor quality motor oil ; some have additional zinc (with little/no benefit) just use a quality motor oil ; thinner rather that thicker - especially for cold startup change soon after break in to get rid of contaminants 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest 88vic #6 Posted November 7, 2019 I really hope he is pulling your leg Crib. Do not put a heavy load on that motor right off the bat or you may lose your investment. As others have said run the motor , easy mowing , light loads such as running it around the yard, 3/4 throttle, until you think you have 5-10 hours on it and change the oil. I personally use mobil 1 but the rotella is an excellent choice. After your change then use it like a horse ! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Tuul Crib 7,339 #7 Posted November 7, 2019 1 hour ago, pullstart said: Is the block a fresh bore, or just new rings? Basically I just honed out the cylinder and put new rings in Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WHX?? 51,784 #8 Posted November 7, 2019 Just use whatever oil you intend to use in the future & change & 10 hrs or so. Lets ask Mike @prondzy how he breaks in his builds. He's done more rebuilds in one week than I have done in my life. 1 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
prondzy 3,889 #9 Posted November 7, 2019 (edited) A kohler is cooled/ lubricated by the dipper on the connecting rod so rpm is important, after a rebuild i run my engines wide open throttle, no load 3600rpm for 1 hour. Dump the oil and replace, then run the next 5 hours hard under load, full throttle 3600rpm to finish break in, i usually pull a 1 bottom plow. You want the heat load to seat the rings and valves. I have built dozens of Engines doing this without failure. 9 hours ago, WHEELHORSEFAN*16 said: I really hope he is pulling your leg Crib. Do not put a heavy load on that motor right off the bat or you may lose your investment. If it blows up at this point you either put it together wrong or you had a bad part from the beginning, babying it will only prolong the inevitable. 9 hours ago, WHEELHORSEFAN*16 said: As others have said run the motor , easy mowing , light loads such as running it around the yard, 3/4 throttle, until you think you have 5-10 hours on it and change the oil. Not putting enough heat load on the rings will only increase the likelihood that it will burn oil and puff white/blue smoke when running after your "break in" remember kohlers use splash lubrication to oil the cam and crank they were designed to run at 3600rpm so these components can stay lubricated. As far as break in oil i use sae 30 in the cheapest brand available, $1.99/qt. Your going to dump in 1 hr. Then i switch to a better brand for the next 5 hours and beyond. Edited November 8, 2019 by prondzy 1 6 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WHX?? 51,784 #10 Posted November 7, 2019 (edited) agree 110% Mike but you explained it better than I could have …. 30 minutes ago, prondzy said: burn oil and puff white/blue smoke when running after your "break in" and I have a motor to prove that... I should have chained it to a tree and let it dig to China instead of intermittent putt putts at tractor shows. Edited November 7, 2019 by WHX24 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Herder 2,355 #11 Posted November 7, 2019 Think of how a high performance engine is brokenin on a dyno. Dead slumber to a full scream and held there. If it stays together, it's now test proven. Nothing sounds cooler. 4 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WHX?? 51,784 #12 Posted November 7, 2019 More tru for diesels. When I got my new to me Dodge with the Cummings I was told to hook her up to a load and crank on it and don't let it idle much. I thought that was a bunch of cockadoodledoodoo. After some research yah that is right...need heat to seat them rings and diesels being cold blooded as they are. So I hooked it up to a 14 ft enclosed, threw a bunch of in it, couple of heads in the cab and went to a tractor show in PA! 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pfrederi 18,690 #13 Posted November 7, 2019 Fascinating discussion. Remember when your Dad bought a new car. Manual said gentle acceleration and.braking no high speed but vary you r speed and try to coast a lot (high vacuum sucks oil up around the rings). Cars were shipped with break-in oil and had to be changed fairly soon. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stepney 2,354 #14 Posted November 7, 2019 Im a firm believer in Valvoline VR1 high zinc, and Rotella 15-40 diesel engine oil. Too much zinc can be worse then not enough. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Achto 29,405 #15 Posted November 8, 2019 4 hours ago, pfrederi said: Manual said gentle acceleration and.braking no high speed but vary you r speed and try to coast a lot This is more of a common break in for a gas engine that has an oil pump. It is a common recommended break in practice for Harley's. Splash bath engines need RPM's to throw the oil around to lube things. Fact: Briggs had manufacturers remove the throttle control from their push mowers to keep customers from killing engines. Diesel engines need to have the snot worked out of them right from the start. At work we fire up brand new diesel engines and they go under 100% load with in the first 15min. 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Herder 2,355 #16 Posted November 8, 2019 12 hours ago, Stepney said: Im a firm believer in Valvoline VR1 high zinc, and Rotella 15-40 diesel engine oil. Too much zinc can be worse then not enough. Zinc is your protective metal in the oil, it adheres to the moving parts and helps to harden them. It protects the cam and lifters. Synthetic oils are good but should be used in roller engines, that's just my belief. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lynnmor 7,828 #17 Posted November 8, 2019 ZDDP has been added to motor oils for three quarters of a century but it has been greatly reduced with the first downgrade ever with the SN specification. It is hard to find oil that still works like it should, so many have moved to diesel oils to better protect their old gasoline engines. I found that the Kohler brand oil still has the old specs and will use that. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
