Warning:
This is a very controversial topic !!
I wrote "Break-In Secrets" after successfully applying this
method
to approximately 300 new engines, all without any problems
whatsoever.
Links to this article now appear on hundreds of motorsports
discussion forums from all over the world. The reason is
that over time, large numbers of people have done a direct
comparison between my method and the owner's manual method,
and the news of their success is spreading rapidly.
The results are always the same... a dramatic increase in
power at all RPMs. In addition, many professional mechanics
have disassembled engines that have used this method, to
find that the condition of the engine is much better than
when the owner's manual break-in method has been used.
The thing that makes this page so controversial is that
there have been many other break-in articles written in the
past which will contradict what has been written here.
Several factors make the older information on break-in
obsolete.
The biggest factor is that engine manufacturers now use a
much finer honing pattern in the cylinders than they once
did. This in turn changes the break-in requirements, because
as you're about to learn, the window of opportunity for
achieving an exceptional ring seal is much smaller with
newer engines than it was with the older "rough honed"
engines.
In addition, there is a lot less heat build up in the
cylinders from ring friction due to the finer honing pattern
used in modern engines.
The other factors that have changed are the vastly improved
metal casting and machining technologies which are now used.
This means that the "wearing in" of the new parts involves
significantly less friction and actual wear than it did in
the distant past.
With that in mind ...
Welcome to one of the most
controversial motorsports pages on the internet !!
How To
Break In Your Engine For
More Power & Less Wear !
One of the
most critical parts of the engine building process is the
break in !! No matter how well an engine is assembled, it's
final power output is all up to
you
!! Although the examples shown here are motorcycle engines,
these principles apply to
all
4 stroke engines:
Street
or Race
Motorcycles, Cars,
Snowmobiles, Airplanes & yes ...
even Lawn Mowers !!
( regardless of
brand, cooling type, or number of cylinders. )
These same break
in techniques apply to both steel cylinders and Nikasil, as
well as the ceramic composite cylinders that Yamaha uses in
it's motorcycles and snowmobiles.
What's
The Best Way To Break-In A New Engine ??
The Short Answer:
Run it Hard !
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Why ??
Nowadays, the
piston ring seal
is really what the break in
process is all about. Contrary to popular belief,
piston rings don't seal the combustion pressure by
spring tension. Ring tension is necessary only to
"scrape" the oil to prevent it from entering the
combustion chamber.
If you think about it, the ring exerts maybe 5-10
lbs of spring tension against the cylinder wall
... How can such a small amount of spring tension
seal against thousands of PSI (Pounds Per
Square Inch) of combustion pressure ??
Of course it can't.
How Do Rings
Seal Against Tremendous Combustion Pressure ??
From
the actual gas pressure itself !! It passes over the
top of the ring, and gets behind it to force it
outward against the cylinder wall. The problem is
that new rings are far from perfect and they must be
worn in quite a bit in order to completely seal all
the way around the bore. If the gas pressure is
strong enough during the engine's first miles of
operation (open that
throttle !!!), then the
entire ring will wear into the cylinder surface, to
seal the combustion pressure as well as possible.
The Problem
With "Easy Break In" ...
The honed crosshatch pattern
in the cylinder bore acts like a file to allow the
rings to wear. The rings quickly wear down the
"peaks" of this roughness, regardless of how hard
the engine is run.
There's a very small
window of opportunity to get the rings to seal
really well ... the first 20 miles !!
If
the rings aren't forced against the walls soon
enough, they'll use up the roughness before they
fully seat. Once that happens there is no solution
but to re hone the cylinders, install new rings and
start over again.
Fortunately, most new sportbike owners can't resist
the urge to "open it up" once or twice, which is why
more engines don't have this problem !!
An additional factor that you may not have realized,
is that the person at the dealership who set up your
bike probably blasted your brand new bike pretty
hard on the "test run". So, without realizing it,
that adrenaline crazed set - up mechanic actually
did you a huge favor !!
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Here's How To Do It:
There are 3 ways you can break in an engine:
1) on a dyno
2) on the street, or
off road (Motocross or Snowmobile.)
3) on the racetrack
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On a Dyno:
Warm
the engine up
completely !!
Then, using 4th gear:
Do Three 1/2 Throttle
dyno runs from
40% - 60% of your engine's max rpm
Let it Cool
Down For About 15 Minutes
Do Three 3/4 Throttle
dyno runs from
40% - 80%
of your
engine's max rpm
Let it Cool Down For About 15 Minutes
Do Three Full Throttle
dyno runs from
30% - 100% of your engine's max rpm
Let it Cool
Down For About 15 Minutes
Go For It !!
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Frequently asked Question:
What's a dyno ??
A dyno is a machine in which the bike is
strapped on and power is measured.
It can also be used to break in an engine. |
NOTE: If you use a dyno with a
brake, it's critical
during break - in that you
allow the engine to decelerate fully on it's own.
(Don't use the dyno brake.) The engine vacuum
created during closed throttle deceleration sucks
the excess oil and metal off the cylinder walls.
The point of this is to remove the very small
(micro) particles of ring and cylinder material
which are part of the normal wear during this
process. During deceleration, the particles
suspended in the oil blow out the exhaust, rather
than accumulating in the ring grooves between
the piston and rings. This keeps the rings from
wearing too
much.
You'll notice that at first the engine "smokes" on
decel, this is normal, as the rings haven't sealed
yet. When you're doing it right, you'll notice that
the smoke goes away after about 7-8 runs.
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Important Note:
Many readers have e-mailed to ask about
the cool down, and if it means "heat
cycling" the engine.
No, the above "cool
down"
instructions
only apply if you are using a dyno
machine to
break in your engine. The reason for cool
down on a dyno has nothing to do with "Heat
Cycles" !!!
Cool
Down
on a dyno is important since the cooling
fans used at most dyno facilities are too
small to equal the amount of air coming into
the radiator at actual riding speeds. On a
dyno, the water temperature will become high
enough to cause it to boil out of the
radiator after about 4 dyno runs. This will
happen to a brand new engine just as it
will happen to a very old engine.
(Always allow the engine to cool down after
3 runs whenever you use a dyno.)
If you're breaking
your engine in on the street or racetrack,
the high speed incoming air will keep the
engine temperature in the normal range. (In
other words, you don't have to stop by the
side of the road to let your bike cool
down.)
What about "heat cycling" the engine ??
There is no need to
"heat cycle" a new engine. The term "heat
cycle" comes from the idea that the new
engine components are being "heat treated"
as the engine is run. Heat treating the
metal parts is a very different process, and
it's already done at the factory before the
engines are assembled. The temperatures
required for heat treating are much
higher than an engine will ever reach during
operation.
The idea of breaking the engine in using
"heat cycles" is a myth that came from the
misunderstanding of the concept of "heat
treating".
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On
the Street:
Warm the engine up
completely:
Because of the wind
resistance, you don't need to use higher gears like
you would on a dyno machine. The main thing is to
load the engine by opening the throttle hard in 2nd,
3rd and 4th gear.
Realistically, you won't be able to do full throttle
runs even in 2nd gear on most bikes without
exceeding 65 mph / 104 kph.
The best method is to
alternate between short bursts of hard acceleration
and deceleration. You
don't have to go over 65 mph / 104 kph to properly
load the rings. Also, make sure that you're not
being followed by another bike or car when you
decelerate, most drivers won't expect that you'll
suddenly slow down, and we don't want anyone to get
hit from behind !!
The biggest problem with breaking your engine in on
the street (besides police) is if you ride the bike
on the freeway (too little throttle = not enough
pressure on the rings) or if you get stuck in slow
city traffic. For the first 200 miles or so, get
out into the country where you can vary the speed
more and run it through the gears !
Be Safe On The
Street !
Watch your speed ! When
you're not used to the handling of a new vehicle,
you should accelerate only on the straightaways,
then slow down extra
early
for the turns. Remember that
both hard acceleration and hard engine braking
(deceleration) are equally important during the
break in process.
On the
Racetrack:
Warm the engine up
completely:
Do one easy lap to
warm up your tires. Pit, turn off the bike & check
for leaks or any safety problems. Take a normal 15
minute practice session and check the water
temperature occasionally. The racetrack is the
perfect environment to break in an engine !! The
combination of acceleration and deceleration is just
the ticket for sealing the rings.
Go For It !!
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Yeah - But ...
the owner's
manual says to break it in easy ...
Notice that this technique
isn't "beating" on the engine, but rather taking a
purposeful, methodical approach to sealing the
rings. The logic to this method is sound. However,
some will have a hard time with this approach, since
it seems to "go against the grain".
The argument for an easy break-in is usually:
"that's what the manual says" ....
Or more specifically: "there are tight parts in the
engine and you might do damage or even seize it if
you run it hard."
Consider this:
Due to the vastly improved metal casting and
machining technologies which are now used, tight
parts in new engines are not normal. A manufacturing
mistake causing a tight clearance is an extremely
rare occurrence these days. But, if there is something
wrong with the engine clearances from the factory,
no amount of gentle running will fix the problem.
The real reason ???
So why do all the owner's manuals say to take it
easy for the first thousand miles ???
This is a good question
...
Q:
What is the most common cause
of engine problems ???
A:
Failure to:
Warm the engine up completely before running it hard
!!!
Q:
What is the second most common
cause of engine problems ???
A:
An easy break in !!!
Because, when the rings don't seal well, the blow-by
gasses contaminate the oil with
acids
and other harmful combustion by-products !!
Ironically, an "easy break in" is not at all what
it seems. By trying to "protect" the engine, the
exact opposite happens, as leaky rings continue to
contaminate your engine oil for the rest of the life
of your engine !! |
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What about running it in the garage ???
Maybe you have a new snowmobile and it's not quite
winter yet, or a new bike and it's snowing...
The temptation to fire up a new vehicle in the
garage just to "hear"
the new engine run can be very strong.
This is the worst thing for a new engine, in fact,
my advice is:
don't even start it up until you're ready to
warm it up
for the first ride.
The reason is that brand-new rings don't seat all
the way around the 360 degrees of their
circumference. The gas pressure from hard
acceleration forces the rings to contact the
cylinder around their entire circumference, which is
the only way the rings can properly wear into the
exact shape of the cylinder to seal the combustion
pressure.
Now, imagine if the engine is run in the garage.
There is no load on the engine, so the rings are
just going up and down "along for the ride". Only a
small portion of their surface is actually
contacting the cylinder wall. The ring area that
does contact the cylinder wears down the roughness
of the honing pattern on the cylinder walls. Once
the roughness of the cylinder is gone, the rings
stop wearing into the cylinder. If this happens
before the entire ring has worn into the cylinder
and sealed, you will have a slow engine no matter
how hard it gets ridden after that point.
The difference between what happens in an engine
running in the garage, versus one being ridden is a
hard concept to put into written words, so if I may
use the sounds that we all can relate to: it's the
difference between "zing-zing-zing" and "bwaaaaaaaaaAAAAAA"
During "zing-zing-zing" the rings don't get loaded
for more than a split second, whereas during "bwaaaaaAAAAAA",
the engine is in 100% ring sealing mode.
Recent Snowmobile Info:
Yamaha's break-in recommendation for the RX1 has
been to idle the engine for 15 minutes. Some
owners found that the heat build up from doing this
was so extreme, that their taillight had begun
melting (!!!)
Yamaha has since changed the recommendation to three
5 minute idle periods.
Why would Yamaha recommend a break in method which
will prevent the rings from sealing as well as
possible ??
This is a good question
...
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A
Picture's Worth A Thousand Words:
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The piston
on the right was broken in as
per MotoMan's instructions.
After a full season of hard racing:
- Perfect Ring Seal ...
- No Scuffing ...
- Lots of Trophies !!!
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These Honda F3 pistons
show
the difference.
Although these pistons came
out of engines which were raced for a full season,
they weren't set-up with any special clearances or
other preparation.
These engines were never worked on prior to being
raced. They were totally stock as built by Honda.
The only difference was the break in method they
used...
The one on the right was
broken in as per MotoMan's instructions.
The one on the left was
broken in exactly according to the owner's manual.
The resulting leaky rings have allowed pressure to
"blow by" down into the crankcase on acceleration,
and oil to "suck-up" into the combustion chamber on
deceleration.
Needless to say, this bike was slow !!
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It's up
to you:
The loss in power from an easy break-in and
the resulting poor ring seal can be anywhere from 2%
- 10% !!
In other words:
The gain in power from
using this break-in method can be anywhere from 2% -
10% !! |
Update -
Some have felt that the piston which
was broken in hard in the above photo is too clean to be
true !! "That piston is impossible, there must be some trick
going on."
So, here I present: "The Impossible Piston Museum"
Here are 14 pistons from 14 different
bikes, with several manufacturers represented. Some are from
streetbikes and some from racebikes.
All of the engines had
the correct jetting, the reason some have black carbon
deposits is because they were run on "pump gas", which burns
dark regardless of the jetting. Whereas the lighter ones
were run on oxygenated race fuel, which gives a very light
tan to gray color. (Many of the black-carboned pistons were
from racebikes.)
Disclaimer:
Absolutely no photo altering or
physical cleaning of the pistons is allowed in the museum
!! We run a legit exhibit, and all the artifacts on display
are 100% genuine.
Note:The controversial piston in the above picture is the
last one in the middle row, and it's indicated by the
arrows.
You can take a closer look by clicking on the photos to see
the full sized versions:
It looks like there are more than
14 pistons, because the area in the 3 photos overlap. It's 3
segments of a panorama photo to give you multiple views of
this extraordinarily rare collection.
The pistons have been stacked for
display purposes only, they aren't going back into engines.
Always be super
careful
when handling pistons, as the aluminum
is soft and very easily dented, causing combustion leakage,
and friction ... neither of which is good for power.
As in any museum, some of the specimens are better examples
than others, but the point is that none have any leakage
past the top ring, because they were all broken in by the
method described here !
The only impossible thing
about these pistons ... is that it's impossible to achieve
this result with an easy break-in.
What about street bikes
???
This piston is from a 650
Honda Hawk. The brown discoloration that extends up
into the piston pin bore is burnt oil from the
extreme heat leaking past all 3 rings !!
The uneven heat leakage was so bad, that it caused
the cylinder to distort and become out of round,
causing piston to cylinder
scuffing in the tight part of
the "oval" cylinder.
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When I showed the customer his
pistons, he said:
" I don't understand
how that happened, I followed the owner's manual
break-in
instructions 100%
!! " |
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Why would
Honda recommend a break in method
which will prevent the
rings from sealing as well as possible ??
This is a good
question ... |
Q:
What's the third most common cause of
engine problems ???
A:
Not changing the oil soon enough after
the engine is first run !!
Change Your Oil
Right Away !!
The best thing you can do for your engine is to change your
oil and filter after the first 20 miles. Most of the wearing
in process happens immediately, creating a lot of metal in
the oil. Plus, the amount of leftover machining chips and
other crud left behind in the manufacturing process is
simply amazing !! You want to flush that stuff out before it
gets recycled and embedded in the transmission gears, and
oil pump etc...
Why do the manufacturers recommend waiting until 600
miles to
flush out all the loose metal ???
This is a good question ...
3
more words on break- in:
NO SYNTHETIC OIL
!!
Use Valvoline, Halvoline, or similar 10 w 40
Petroleum Car Oil for at least
2 full days of hard racing or 1,500 miles of street
riding / driving.
After that use your favorite brand of oil.
Viewer
Questions:
Q:
If break- in
happens so quickly, why do you recommend using petroleum
break- in oil for 1500 miles ??
A:
Because while
about 80% of the ring sealing takes place in the first hour
of running the engine, the last 20% of the process takes a
longer time. Street riding isn't a controlled environment,
so most of the mileage may not be in "ring loading mode".
Synthetic oil is so slippery that it actually "arrests" the
break in process before the rings can seal completely. I've
had a few customers who switched to synthetic oil too soon,
and the rings never sealed properly no matter how hard they
rode. Taking a new engine apart to re - ring it is the last
thing anyone wants to do, so I recommend a lot of mileage
before switching to synthetic. It's really a "better safe
than sorry" situation.
Q:
My bike comes with synthetic
oil from the factory, what should I do ??
A: I recommend
changing the factory installed synthetic oil back to
petroleum for the break-in period.
Q: What about
the main and rod bearings, don't they break - in ??
A:
Actually, the
operation of plain bearings doesn't involve metal to metal
contact !! The shiny spots on used bearings are caused from
their contact with the crankshaft journals during start up
after the engine has been sitting a while, and the excess
oil has drained off. This is the main reason for not revving
up the engine when it's first started.
The subject of plain bearings is one of the most mysterious
aspects of engines, and will be covered in a future issue of
Power News. In it, I'll reveal more information that fully
explains the non-contact phenomenon.
Q: Why
change the oil at 20 miles ?? Doesn't the oil pick up
screen catch the aluminum bits ???
A:
It's true that the
screen stops the big pieces, but many areas of the engine
aren't within the oil filtration system. The oil that is
splashed around will circulate metal debris to the
lubricated bearing surfaces. For example, transmission gears
and their ball bearings are unprotected by the filtration
system, and even the cam chain makes a perfect "conveyer
belt" to bring metal debris up into the cylinder head !!
A close examination of a new engine will reveal lots of
aluminum deposits on steel parts. This aluminum coats and
tightens up the clearances of the parts, which creates a
loss of power. Most of the time I spend "blueprinting" an
engine is actually inspecting every part and
"de-aluminizing" them !!
I prefer to remove the oil pan and clean the aluminum
bits out of a new engine out that way, but a $20 oil
change is an easy and inexpensive way to flush the initial
particles that come loose in the first miles.
Q: What
about motorcycle V.S. car oils ???
A:
This is a topic all by itself !! It will be covered in a
future issue of Power News.
Q: Will this
break - in method cause my engine to wear out faster ???
A: No, in fact,
a poor ring seal
will allow an increase in the by products of combustion to
contaminate the oil. Acid contamination and oil consumption
are the 2 reliability problems which are the result of
an "owner's manual" or "magazine tech article" style easy
break-in.
By following the instructions on this page, you'll find that
your oil is cleaner and the engine will rev quicker. Plus,
you'll have much better torque and power across the power
range from the vastly improved ring seal.
Reliability and
Power are 100% connected !!
What are
some of the other common myths about engines ??
Here are some popular engine tuning
concepts in which the truth is
quite the opposite
of what is commonly thought:
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- Bigger Ports
- Polishing The Ports
- Ignition Advancers
- Flatslide Carburetors
- Fuel Injection Tuning
- Cam Timing
- Jetting
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Intake Porting !!
Smaller Intake
Ports Gain 7 % More Power !!
Never Before Seen in Magazines
.
Learn How to Do it Yourself !!
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If you've found the
Break In Secrets article interesting, please sign up
for Power News Magazine.
Find out why the manufacturers recommend an easy
break in,
and the revealing evidence
which provides answers to those
good questions
we've all wondered about.
(The questions the manufacturers wish you wouldn't ask ...)
Plus, find out how much more power the readers of this page
have gained, as well as
photos and analysis of other engine parts in long term tests
of this process.
Whether you're into motorcycles, cars or snowmobiles, Power
News Magazine contains
the most provocative engine tech articles in the world ...
... you'll never think about engines in the same way again
!!
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