Dual valve springs during break in asked 1k times

[Challenger RTA]

There are two locations on the cam that feed oil to the rockers , drivers side and passenger side. In the video above I turned the crank by hand until I found it.

 

[MerlinsMopars]

Always learning. That's why I am asking. I ran that break in oil for a while. 150-200 miles at 4.30 gear ratio. Changed it to vr10-30 Valvoline racing but still huffing a puff of blue when I get aggressive. Carb needs a drop or 2 in jets but hanging richer for the time being. Seems like rings still aren't quite seated but it definitely loosened up. I noticed both the motor and converter were working better.

 

[MerlinsMopars]

Didn't mean to confuse. I was talking about the motor I broke in last year. Not to be confused with the one I am building now

 

[MerlinsMopars]

There are two locations on the cam that feed oil to the rockers , drivers side and passenger side. In the video above I turned the crank by hand until I found it.

I always rotate the crank while priming it. Air/ oil canisters work well. It's a good thing to see oil coming out the top end first
Fired up quite a few without confirming it without any problems tho. That's why my thread matters.
Everything has changed. Even if it's only been 2-3 yrs. I thought motors were staying idle but the new options are sooo different. Maybe lucky on my last motor but I realized that I need to address the new world with old motors too. Change is good but, more time consuming and costly.

 

[Xcudame]

It wasn't a dyno. Just a "run-in" station that supplied oil and turned the motor over at a break in rpm. I've never seen another like it, but that doesn't mean they aren't out there. The main thing is to pre-oil the heck out of the engine first, then set up everything to insure a quick first time fire up! Timing set correctly, carburetor dialed in to work (AVS and TQs work great for this) and a distributor that works. I love to use tried and true parts from one car to another. May not be dialed in perfect, but will work.

 

[Racer Dave]

I would never start a fresh engine without priming, so that is number one.

As far as the springs, you might get away without removing the inners....or not. Think about it like this:

.513" lift x 402 lbs/in spring rate is 206 lbs PLUS the seat pressure of 115. So at full lift the springs are exerting 321 lbs of force back through the valve train. Dividing by the 1.5 rocker ratio that is 214 lbs pressure directly on the cam/lifter interface. Nowhere near big roller cams but still quite a bit of pressure on the small tangential contact of the lifter and lobe!

Whatever you decide make sure the cam lobes and lifter bottom faces are slathered with a good moly-based cam lube. Lastly, typical break-in is 20-30 minutes at elevated rpm, like 2,500 +/- 500 rpm (don't keep it steady for too long), which is primarily to keep oil pressure up and get the lobes and lifters to become friends and start spinning. You should already be confident the lifters are free to spin in their bores from checking during assembly. And you don't need to do the 20-30 mins. all at once if it's not convenient... but you need to do it.

 

[MerlinsMopars]

I would never start a fresh engine without priming, so that is number one.

As far as the springs, you might get away without removing the inners....or not. Think about it like this:

.513" lift x 402 lbs/in spring rate is 206 lbs PLUS the seat pressure of 115. So at full lift the springs are exerting 321 lbs of force back through the valve train. Dividing by the 1.5 rocker ratio that is 214 lbs pressure directly on the cam/lifter interface. Nowhere near big roller cams but still quite a bit of pressure on the small tangential contact of the lifter and lobe!

Whatever you decide make sure the cam lobes and lifter bottom faces are slathered with a good moly-based cam lube. Lastly, typical break-in is 20-30 minutes at elevated rpm, like 2,500 +/- 500 rpm (don't keep it steady for too long), which is primarily to keep oil pressure up and get the lobes and lifters to become friends and start spinning. You should already be confident the lifters are free to spin in their bores from checking during assembly. And you don't need to do the 20-30 mins. all at once if it's not convenient... but you need to do it.

I pulled the inners and following the instructions. I have to give it the best chance it can get. I was trying to cheat, so to speak, but the videos swayed me among other people talking about it.
All the rest is common procedure.
Going to install real soon. Sooo close. Tension is building. I have been waiting for this for 3 yrs.
A few more days isn't going to hurt anything.

 

[pschlosser]

I pulled the inners and following the instructions. I have to give it the best chance it can get. I was trying to cheat, so to speak, but the videos swayed me among other people talking about it.
All the rest is common procedure.
Going to install real soon. Sooo close. Tension is building. I have been waiting for this for 3 yrs.
A few more days isn't going to hurt anything.

The "old school methods" don't work anymore with today's oils. I recall breaking in a motor or two at the quarter mile track, back in the day. After a rebuild, we'd fire it up to make sure it ran, then off for some harsh driving conditions were often the recipe for a "proper" break-in of the cam and rings.

These days, it seems wise to baby the camshaft (at least for flat tappet lifters) during break in.

 

[Racer Dave]

The "old school methods" don't work anymore with today's oils. I recall breaking in a motor or two at the quarter mile track, back in the day. After a rebuild, we'd fire it up to make sure it ran, then off for some harsh driving conditions were often the recipe for a "proper" break-in of the cam and rings.

These days, it seems wise to baby the camshaft (at least for flat tappet lifters) during break in.

Likewise Good point on the oils. Many modern oils lack the ZDDP (Zinc) that is necessary for flat tappet cams (solid or hydraulic). It's not needed in most modern engines since they have roller tappets; thus much less friction. There are some oils that have high ZDDP (search the web) and one of those should be used, or a ZDDP additive. My personal preference for my racing engines is a high ZDDP conventional, but that's just based on my experience. YMMV.

 

[pschlosser]

.... or a ZDDP additive.

These wont work as well as you think. For driving with a broken-in engine, this is fine.

But, for a new break-in, the additive is not at all ideal. It doesn't really blend with the motor oil until the oil heats up. On a fresh motor, by the time it the oil gets hot, the camshaft and tappets will already be zinc starved and considerably worn.

My recommendation, USE THE PREMIX ZDDP BREAK-IN OILS when braking an engine in.

 

[MerlinsMopars]

Drivin br30 and z paste on the cam, lifter lobes, pushrod tips, and valve tips is what I am using. Lifters spinning. Following the instructions to a tee. Preset timing to 30-35° and fully prime oil and fuel. If that doesn't work, it wasn't going to happen anyway.

 

[MerlinsMopars]

I pulled the kevko pan and pump last night and welded a tab back on the pick up because I had just cut it off previously. Wasn't comfortable with it being off.