Did you just get your engine rebuilt?
Do you wish to enhance its performance and ensure it lasts much longer?
Then you surely need to “break-in” before you run it for the first time!
How long does it take to break in a rebuilt engine? Not much, we promise!
Remember, if it isn’t for your car’s engine, you would never be driving around the streets, winning competitions with your friends, and having a time of your life!
Thus, to ensure your vehicle boosts to its maximum capacity, you need to have an engine that is well-maintained, healthy, and strong!
Where most cars come with new engines fixed in place, there are some that may need to be re-built from scratch to help improve performance.
Hence, what is a break-in?
If you’ve just had your car repaired and using it for the first time in days, here is what we’d suggest you do on a priority basis to ensure the engine’s life and performance remains unmatched!
But before we proceed, you need to know what break-in is!
Contents
What is the break-in of a rebuilt engine?
A break-in means checking your engine thoroughly before using it for the first time! Just like a doctor checkers their patient for the entire symptoms for correct prognosis, you need to make sure the engine is right in shape!
By break-in, we do not literally mean breaking in your engine or breaking it down!
From inspecting the headers and alternators to lubricating the pump, look more closely at the loose engine parts to ensure everything is set well in place before you jump into starting it for a ride!
Why is “break-in” important?
Just like for you to stay healthy, a regular visit to the doctor’s clinic is important, similarly to ensure your car’s engine remains in a good shape, you need to handle it with care!
A constant check on your engine’s strength adds to its durability, ensuring you get to enjoy the lifelong performance of your favorite car without any hassle!
Thus, a few minutes are all that it requires checking your engine before you speed out of the main gate!
How long does it take to break in a rebuilt engine?
Yes, you may be an avid driver who loves speeding through the streets and has their car all fancied up with blinding accessories, but do you ever think about the engine and check it with a professional?
We believe what most car owners fail to understand is that if your car isn’t making “funny noises”, there is nothing wrong with it! Until the day the engine stops powering on, only then you’ll run to a professional for help!
And then, you’ll have to spend all your salary plus savings on getting the engine rebuilt!
This is why here we ask you to intervene! Keep a close check on your car’s performance. And the safest way to do this is through breaking in the engine!
See the gauge at the front? Mark the 500-kilometer mark and without wasting another mile, break in the rebuilt engine.
500 to 1000 kilometers is the time where professionals ask car owners to break in their rebuilt engine. But how do you do it? We’ll explain that in the next section!
Top Tips to help Handle Break in Your Engine
Okay, so we have already discussed why the break-in is important and how long does it take to break in a rebuilt engine?
But what we haven’t told you just yet is that how do you actually do? Is it about opening the bonnet with a bottle full of water and a few drivers in hand? Well, shockingly, a break in your engine is beyond “that”.
Here are a few things that you need to take care of during the break-in:
-
Inspect the engine accessories
Yes, we know you think you already follow this step but let us tell you, merely opening up the bonnet and screwing nuts and bolts with the hands isn’t considered as through “inspection”.
What we mean here by inspection is to thoroughly check your engine accessories including the headers, pumps, battery, and alternator. Check for any leaks even if the engine has come in a single piece after rebuilding.
-
Check pressure Lubrication
Before starting a rebuilt engine, it is crucial to check for pressure lubrication!
What is it?
It means rebooting the oil pump by switching on the engine with the spark plugs. Moreover, NEVER add cold water to the system when the engine is up and running.
To ensure your car engine performs at its full capacity, lubricate the pumps and add room temperature water! Take a tip from the pros here!
-
Run the Engine in sets
We’d suggest you opt for three sets of 15 minutes where you run the engine at 1800 to 2400 RPM.
Why?
This is so the engine can take its time to cool down while you can check the levels of oil in the pump, pressure lubrication, and more that would lead to enhanced performance. Moreover, there are performance tuners that help in getting better fuel efficiency.
Moreover, we’d suggest you take a closer look at the valves too! If you hear tapping sounds during the break, it definitely means there needs to be tightened before you can get back to running that engine.
Once the camshaft is broken in rightly, your all-clear to start over!
-
Lubricate the pump
Although, before you get your hands on the rebuilt engine, the professionals have surely tested to ensure everything works fine!
But, we’d suggest you prime the pump and the oil system, lubricating it generously to avoid dry start-up. This way, you’ll be a break-in to extend the life of your rebuilt engine and enjoy great performance.
-
Change oil and filter
For a rebuilt engine you must pay special heed to its care. opt for more frequent changes of oil and filter to ensure the performance remains uncompromised.
What we suggest is that after the first break-in, you change the oil at 50 miles, 500, and 1000 miles. It may sound like one difficult task, but believe us, you’ll be thankful afterward!
Frequent oil and filter changes promise enhanced life of your engine and car both, hence letting you enjoy longer drivers without unexpected stops!
-
Taking care of the Flat Tappets
If your engine uses a hydraulic flat tappet camshaft, we suggest you run the engine between 2000 to 25000 rpm, hence taking the load of it.
Why is it important?
When breaking in the camshaft, the first 30 minutes are crucial, and hence, when you motor the rebuilt engine in the suggested range, it only adds to its life and performance!
-
Varying throttles
A hard throttle isn’t recommended initially with a rebuilt engine. Go for medium throttles and break them into a set of five to six with reaching 4500 rpm each time.
Then let go of the gear going down to 20 miles per hour! Next, accelerate harder reaching up to 5,000 rpm, and coast back down to 20 miles per hour, once again!
Accelerating your rebuilt engine in a set of five or six helps speed the break-in process while giving you an inside of the engine’s health and performance before hitting the road.
-
Use quality engine oil
Just like a good diet helps you lead a better life, similarly for your rebuilt engine to perform at its full capacity, you need to “feed” it with a high-quality oil.
That is correct!
For a rebuilt engine, we suggest you use mineral-type engine oil for the first 4,000 kilometers. Once you hit the mark, you can shift to the alternative, much cheaper engine oil option and continue running it.
But why do we suggest so?
If you do not use a “good” unconventional, mineral oil for your engine for the first few kilometers, there are higher chances the pistons will freeze and the engine stops working.
Hence, be careful in choosing the type of oil you use for a rebuilt engine to ensure uncompromised performance!
Conclusion
A rebuilt engine has been repaired and put together from scratch. And because it has already been used and repaired, you need to be extra careful in taking care of it.
Once the rebuilt engine has been reinstalled in the car, we’d suggest you intervene with the break-in.
But how long does it take to break in a rebuilt engine? The process may not take much time if you follow the above-mentioned steps rightly.
The only advantage that a break-in serves is improving the performance of your rebuilt engine and making sure it lasts over a lifetime.
Visiting professionals for car engine repair can be very expensive and in some cases, you might end spending all your savings on it! And as we always say, it is better to be safe than sorry hence, a break-in can help you save hundreds of dollars every month!
