Piston Rings 101: Break-in Procedure - with Lake Speed Jr.

Proper break-in procedure is crucial to piston rings function and performance. In this episode Lake Speed Jr. of Total Seal talks about numerous factors that need to be considered before and during the process.

What is the correct way to break-in a rebuilt engine?
What happens when you break-in an engine?
How does combustion cylinder pressure affect ring seal?
Why do you need a load on the engine to get the piston rings to seat and cylinders to seal up?
How does improper air/fuel ratios negatively affect break-in?
Why do you need a break-in oil?
Why should you not use a friction modified, semi-, or full-synthetic oil in a new engine?
How does a Nikasil bore differ from cast iron?
What is plateau honing?
Why do improperly honed cylinders lead to increased wear and blow-by?

LN Engineering provides engine assembly and break-in guidelines for both aircooled and watercooled Porsche engines with its Nickies cylinders and sleeves. Breaking in a freshly rebuilt engine correctly is just as important as the parts used and reassembly process. If you won't break in the engine correctly, especially those with Nikasil bores, you can damage the piston ring and glaze over the cylinder bores requiring the engine to be torn down to de-glaze the cylinders and re-ring the pistons to correct for smoking, oil consumption, and blowby issues resulting from incorrect initial run-in.

[roncoburn]

great video lake its fun watching you and learning

[ct]

Great info! I rebuild 2 strokes (outboards) and since they only run with a smattering of oil, running the rebuilds SLIGHTLY rich is actually good for them since the fuel itself is lubricated. rings still have plenty of bite under load. but you guys at LN know more than me. just something thats worked for me the last 10 years. and startup (initial) is done without load for 2 minutes. thoughts?

[josephpuchel]

Hey just subscribed excellent information excellent video

[peterwalker]

Hi Lake, another great video and I'll be closely following the advice from this one and the one you made with Don for the break in of my engine soon. I'm from the UK and I'm breaking in a Triumph Spitfire engine which is just a 1300cc straight 4 pushrod engine with a hotter cam. My plan is to fill it with break in oil (I'm using Ravenol with zddp of 2500ppm) and do the 20 min cam break in on the driveway before changing the filter and oil with Valvoline VR1 and doing the piston ring break in on the road with some throttle pulls and hill climbs.
I thought that the high zddp levels are mainly to protect the flat tappets but on this one you mention the importance of zddp for the break in of piston rings and its making me think that maybe I should keep the high zddp break in oil in the engine until the rings are broken in too, with perhaps a filter change only in between the cam break in and going on the road?
What would your opinion be on this one? Many thanks!

[Nitterundercove]

I’m currently in process of engine break in. I had it at idle so I’m taking apart the engine. Had the right Lucas oil break in, sae30, my surface finish was done by flexhone. The rings was Hastings. But rich on gasoline. And the oil was forming on top still. Even before the break in. 😮

[flagstamp]

Regarding a stock rebuild on a shovelhead engine, how long do you run it before accelerating to introduce combustion pressure? Do I heat cycle it first, or just give it the beans? Thank you!

[evilbeetlekustomscreations]

Wow I was just curious on what to do with this new engine I built and you're holding what looks a VW liner or Cessna engine😊

[samsonyunited]

very informative. I got a built engine that was broken in on a bench dyno. I have 3, 000 miles on it and bliwby at high boost. staying below 20psi and no blowby. Engine builder says "Never seen rings seal at low boost and not at high boost without their being another cause" 🤔 do you think a stuck ring? no smoke idles, no smoke revving it

[onetwotwo]

Lake, I've got 3 variables of ring movement under compression and/or power. (1) An old 1940's auto book said the ring sits in the middle of the grove as the air bubble holds the ring in the middle of the groove. (2) Another one would be the ring is flat on the groove and that seal factor under movement. (3) The last theory is the ring is cocked due to the thrust side of the piston and that one angle on said stroke shows the wear pattern. Who is right? Thanks.

[stevel]

So what is your take on a new Toyota 4cyl that specifies 0w16 oil, good protection?
Should I drain the new oil and put 30w break in oil?
I read an owner of a Toyota that uses 0w16 and replaced with 0w30 and it runs fine.

[Ray_Yang]

If you apply a load to the piston, I thought the combustion gas will try to seep into the ring-wall interface and the ring will contract instead of expand. Only when an engine brake is applied, a vacuum is created and the ring expands.

[CAngel-gqcm]

Fantastic video! I always enjoy your oil related videos...
I purchased a new Harley and followed the manufacture user guide break-in procedure as instructed for the fist 500 miles. The book says change the fluids the 1st time at 1, 000 miles. However, being old school and perhaps excessive, I changed the factory fill oil and filter at 100 miles with Bel-Ray V-Twin 20w-50 Mineral oil, and then I changed oil and filter again at 500 miles with the same Mineral oil and at 1, 000 miles I changed oil and filter again, the 3rd time but I changed from mineral to Bel-Ray Simi-Synthetic V-Twin 20w-50 and is what I expect I will run moving forward.

It has been suggested Mineral is best for break-in and that I perhaps changed over to simi-synthetic a bit early? Do you see any benefit or harm in my early perhaps excessive fluid changes and then my changeover to a simi -synthetic at 1K? I now notice no oil consumption and no smoke so I hope i'm golden...

[SteelJM]

Uhoh. I just had to repiston my DR650. Suzuki uses nikasil coating on thir jugs too. I just ran a dingleberry hone through to break the glaze and gapped my rings and ran it as such. Gave it hard run in. Hope i didnt mess anything up!

[FarTooBaked]

Hello I've replaced piston rings and I have millers competition break in oil how long until my rings should be broken in properly? I was going to start it up, have a very quick check for leaks and drive it moderately until warmed up and then 80% throttle on waste gate pressure with the turbo up to about 4500rpm and then engine brake down to about 1500 and do this up down down the dual carriageway for 20 miles. I've been told to continue doing this for 500 miles, some said 200 miles, what do you recommend? It's a saab 9000 2.3 turbo engine.

[PrimalBlue-lo]

Very informative video. IN your opinion does this apply to factory cars as much as it does for newly built or race engines?

[JCcanU]

I have a question on Marriage rings and cylinder wall. I have a New Engine the Case was leaking it needed to be sealed up 800 miles on the engine and I had removed the cylinders left the pistons in the cylinder but installing I broke the seal the piston pulled out of the cylinder on the front and rear. since i was still doing my break in am i safe or should it be hone and new rings. i been told never pull a piston from a cylinder if its seated, it will never reseat after pulling ?

[bradlittlejohn]

Great video!! Very good detail! I have a ktm 530. I rehoned the cylindered because after installing a new piston I could see lines in the bore (about 3 hours of use). I had a leak down test of about 4%. I had the cylinder re nikasil. Now the leakdown is 20% and it will not start. I had to use the same rings because they are back-ordered (found out after). The ring gap is within spec. Is there anything that I can do to the rings to seal?

[AdamAnthonyAdventures]

I’m rebuilding an 80s marine engine (Volvo). I can’t take it around the block and drive it hard. As you probably know, the cam profile on marine engines are optimized for cruise RPM - on my engine 5 to 6K rpm (sustained for hours sometimes). What kind of break in do you think would be good? I can run it in the yard but can’t put load on it.

[kaivonmortazavi]

Should we assume that the same holds true for diesel engines such as the new Duramax 3.0L GM? Also, do these engines that require Dexos II 0-20 oil come from factory with break in oil?

[terrysmith]

polaris snowmobiles have nicasile cylinder along with other brands. does total seal have lateral gas ported rings for 2 cycle engines and do you know of companies that can do a good job of honing those cylinders?