[runn141]

whenever i build an engine and get it running,timing set and coolant flowing etc. i always run the engine above 2500 rpm for half an hour for breakin on flat tappet cam. my cousin argues , says it dont need to be done. but now i hear oil dont have the zinc additive and the other one i cant remember. now i use pennzoil and im gonna continue to. so should i use the single grade with Z7 additive or the long life 15W 40 diesel oil from pennzoil? remember, im gonna be using pennzoil, i know alot of you dont like it but ive had good luck with it.

[Jmark]

ALL motor oils still have Zinc in them, some maybe not as much as they used to. The best thing to use is a can of GM breakin lube oil available at any GM dealership. (GM EOS..GM P/N 12345501 ) Also important is to use the lube that the cam company provides on the main journals and lobes and underside of each lifter.

Mark

[Rick WI]

Your cousin needs to read up what occurs after intial start between the lifters and the camshaft. He is dead wrong and you are 100% correct.

I don't know the additive pack on the 15/40 Pennzoil but I can tell you that most likely you will be just fine. Oil grades that are run in new cars, 5/30 and 10/30 need to meet more stringent requirements on zinc and other extreme pressure lubricants to decrease the potential of catalytic converter damage/fouling. What we use on the dyno for break in is NAPA 20/50, with no other break in lube thrown in. Flawless performance over the past two years.

There isn't a huge differential between this new spec sl/SM rating as it relates to zinc. What you'd see is new oils have around 600-800 PPM (parts per million) versus some of the non complient oils in the 1000-1500.

On the website www.bobistheoilguy.com under new oil anaylisis (NOA) in the forum section there is a couple of stickied lists of oils and thier additive packages. Very easy to compare and make an informed decision from.

[runn141]

Originally Posted by Rick WI

Your cousin needs to read up what occurs after intial start between the lifters and the camshaft. He is dead wrong and you are 100% correct.

I don't know the additive pack on the 15/40 Pennzoil but I can tell you that most likely you will be just fine. Oil grades that are run in new cars, 5/30 and 10/30 need to meet more stringent requirements on zinc and other extreme pressure lubricants to decrease the potential of catalytic converter damage/fouling. What we use on the dyno for break in is NAPA 20/50, with no other break in lube thrown in. Flawless performance over the past two years.

There isn't a huge differential between this new spec sl/SM rating as it relates to zinc. What you'd see is new oils have around 600-800 PPM (parts per million) versus some of the non complient oils in the 1000-1500.

On the website www.bobistheoilguy.com under new oil anaylisis (NOA) in the forum section there is a couple of stickied lists of oils and thier additive packages. Very easy to compare and make an informed decision from.

yeah my cousin is a real as#hole, i figured i wasnt wasting my time doing it i have built 6 engines in the past11 years.and i alway did that.............................thank ya

[Rick WI]

JMark is correct on the EOS, it's loaded to saturation with zinc. There is a NOA on it in the BOB's website.

[mobythevan]

i always run the engine above 2500 rpm for half an hour for breakin on flat tappet cam

Why do you do this (I'm not asking why anyone does this, I am asking why runn141 does this). Because you got instructions from the cam manufacturer telling you too, or because you searched the net and read about it, or because you just thought it was a good idea, or a friend told you too? My cam came with instructions to do this, so why would I care what my cousin would say about ignoring the manufacturers instructions?

[cabowabo]

Originally Posted by mobythevan

Why do you do this (I'm not asking why anyone does this, I am asking why runn141 does this). Because you got instructions from the cam manufacturer telling you too, or because you searched the net and read about it, or because you just thought it was a good idea, or a friend told you too? My cam came with instructions to do this, so why would I care what my cousin would say about ignoring the manufacturers instructions?

maybe its b/c he's a villege idiot j/k ya i know what your saying its been craved in stone about breaking in cams

[runn141]

Originally Posted by mobythevan

Why do you do this (I'm not asking why anyone does this, I am asking why runn141 does this). Because you got instructions from the cam manufacturer telling you too, or because you searched the net and read about it, or because you just thought it was a good idea, or a friend told you too? My cam came with instructions to do this, so why would I care what my cousin would say about ignoring the manufacturers instructions?

no cam i ever bought bought came with those instructions, and why are you asking why only i would do this? and i 1st heard this from an old school engine builder, no cam manufacturer instructions.

[runn141]

Originally Posted by cabowabo

maybe its b/c he's a villege idiot j/k ya i know what your saying its been craved in stone about breaking in cams

im sorry i cant understand this one.

[mobythevan]

I just wanted to see if you understood why a cam should be broken in this way, or if you just did it because someone told you to.

Once you understand why, then you can enlighten your cousin.

My cam is a Lunati and came with the instruction card.

[KULTULZ]

Originally Posted by runn141

...so should i use the single grade with Z7 additive or the long life 15W 40 diesel oil from pennzoil? remember, im gonna be using pennzoil, i know alot of you dont like it but ive had good luck with it.

I wrote PENNZOIL a few months ago as to the percentage of zinc in their diesel blend (they are owned now by SHELL) and while SHELL readily gives the percentage of zinc in their formulation (Rotella), PENNZOIL would not. IMO, I would use ROTELLA (API CI-4 Plus Shell Rotella T for break-in) (street engine) as it also has detergent/dispersant packages racing oil does not.

From- -eTRUCKER NEWS-

New Products

Shell Rotella T meets CJ-4 specs

By Sean Kelley

Shell Lubricants announced June 21 that a re-formulated Rotella T motor oil will meets all of the specification criteria for the new API CJ-4 service category for diesel motor oil.

The company will make the new oil, designed to work with 2007 on-highway engines, available in bulk and drums July 1 and by quart, gallon or pail Oct. 15. New lower-emission diesel engines will require an engine oil with different characteristics than is currently available. The new formulation is backwards compatible with pre-2007 engines and can be mixed with CI-4 oils currently on the market.

CJ-4 oils must meet more stringent requirements than previous oil; they must be able to handle higher engine temperatures and higher levels of soot while using new detergent packages that rely on less phosphorus, sulfated ash and sulfur, says Dan Arcy, technical marketing manager for Shell Lubricants. CJ-4 oils “also helps maximize the durability of Diesel Particulate Filters,” Arcy says. Engine OEMs are deploying DPFs to trap emission particles.

The new Rotella T motor oil has also met the specification requirements for Caterpillar ECF-3 and Detroit Diesel 93K218 and has gained Cummins CES 20081, Mack EO-O Premium Plus 2007 and Volvo VDS-4 approvals.

Shell will continue to make its API CI-4 Plus Shell Rotella T motor oils available in bulk and drums beyond the introduction of the new CJ-4 formula to meet customer demand. For large fleets, Shell will also market Rimula Super, which also meets the CJ-4 standard.

-SHELL LUBRICANTS USA-

-TECH ARTICLE MUST READ-

There was a discussion on this forum not too long ago on this subject. It contained much tech info.

[Studebaker]

Shell Rotella T has high Zinc content and is a good (and inexpensive) oil. The reason to run the engine at 2000 RPM for initial 20 minutes is that there is a lot of mating friction at new parts mating surfaces like between the flat tappet lifters and cam lobes! Pressurized oil is supplied to the cam bearings but the only oil the cam lobes recieve is oil being flung off the crank as it spins. At idle speed there can be insuffiecent oil flung off the crank to adequetely oil the lobes when frictional break in pressures and heat are high. "Flat Tappet" (Lifters) is actually not entirely correct term. The lifters face, (where the lifter contacts the cam lobe) actually is Not exactly flat. It has a very slight crown machined into it. Lobe contact actually causes to the lifter to spin in the bore, allowing the oil to cool and lubricate the face of the lifter for reduced wear.