Engine Break-In Oil do's and don'ts by Total Seal

-
That’s Lake Speed Jr. and that guy knows what he’s talking about.

He’s the guy in charge of oil formulation (Chief Tribologist) for Joe Gibbs racing.

I attended a seminar on “oil” at a local speed shop where he was guest speaker and this guy really knows his stuff and a really great guy too.

Months before even knowing who Lake Speed Jr. was, I sent an email to Joe Gibbs Driven Oil website with an article about a “so called VW Air Cooled expert” declaring how synthetic oils should never be used on Aircooled engines, and asked for their option on the article.

5 minutes after I sent the email my phone rings displaying an unknown area code, so I answer the phone....The guy on the other end identifies himself as Lake Speed Jr. Chief of Oil Formulation for Joe Gibbs Racing Team and proceeds to discuss research tests performed with synthetic oils in Aircooled applications for about 20 minutes with me.

I nearly fell off my chair!
 
Last edited:
I don’t doubt that he knows what he’s talking about, he just needs to say what he knows instead of saying that he knows what he’s talking about. The video doesn’t say **** about what the title says you’re gonna get. Just a lotta lip service.
 
I don’t doubt that he knows what he’s talking about, he just needs to say what he knows instead of saying that he knows what he’s talking about. The video doesn’t say **** about what the title says you’re gonna get. Just a lotta lip service.


What did you want him to say that he didn’t say, and why did he say you didn’t want him to say?
 
Thats awesome thanks for sharing! That makes me feel good about my choice to go with Lucas break in oil!
 
What did you want him to say that he didn’t say, and why did he say you didn’t want him to say?
I watched the video again and made a list of pros and cons while watching. Here are the results:

Pros:

He describes break-in oil and "the last honing oil," helps me understand what its purpose is in relation to the rings/cylinders
He explains the break-in process and why break-in oil is needed
He explains the importance of achieving the proper balance of ZDDP (too little is bad, too much is bad)
Talks about other additives that would could hurt the break-in process like moly and calcium. For example, moly is a friction reducer, and you need friction for the rings to seat properly
Talks about how having a high TBN (total base number) will result in increased blow-by. I hadn't even heard the term before this video, so I learned something!
The analysis included (also in OP's original post) was the most helpful tool for me

Cons:

Who cares about the fact they have a cylinder hone? Waste of time
4 minutes in and they still haven't talked about dos or dont's of break-in oil
They keep repeating the same info, like how you don't want to glaze your cylinder walls and you need the right amount of friction
Talking about the cylinder hone again...
Title may be misworded. They could make it less specific or cut to the chase sooner in the video

So, after watching the video again from a more objective position, I've found the pros to outnumber the cons. I think initially I was annoyed with how long it took them to finally talk about break-in oils, which is what the title implies. There seemed to be a lot talk about the break-in process and seating rings, but not specifically about the oil itself. That's fine, but I was hoping to get straight to the oil talk. While I still believe they could deliver their info better, I'll eat my crow and say I left knowing more than I did before watching the video, which is what I came for.
 
I watched the video again and made a list of pros and cons while watching. Here are the results:

Pros:

He describes break-in oil and "the last honing oil," helps me understand what its purpose is in relation to the rings/cylinders
He explains the break-in process and why break-in oil is needed
He explains the importance of achieving the proper balance of ZDDP (too little is bad, too much is bad)
Talks about other additives that would could hurt the break-in process like moly and calcium. For example, moly is a friction reducer, and you need friction for the rings to seat properly
Talks about how having a high TBN (total base number) will result in increased blow-by. I hadn't even heard the term before this video, so I learned something!
The analysis included (also in OP's original post) was the most helpful tool for me

Cons:

Who cares about the fact they have a cylinder hone? Waste of time
4 minutes in and they still haven't talked about dos or dont's of break-in oil
They keep repeating the same info, like how you don't want to glaze your cylinder walls and you need the right amount of friction
Talking about the cylinder hone again...
Title may be misworded. They could make it less specific or cut to the chase sooner in the video

So, after watching the video again from a more objective position, I've found the pros to outnumber the cons. I think initially I was annoyed with how long it took them to finally talk about break-in oils, which is what the title implies. There seemed to be a lot talk about the break-in process and seating rings, but not specifically about the oil itself. That's fine, but I was hoping to get straight to the oil talk. While I still believe they could deliver their info better, I'll eat my crow and say I left knowing more than I did before watching the video, which is what I came for.


I appreciate the thoughtful reply.

Rings are getting so technical and specific that if you aren’t using a profilometer to measure the surface geometry accurately you will have issues.

RA used to be the big number everyone nutted over. Today, no one even really look at it.

RP, RPK, RV and RVK are the 4 big measurements. There are many more you can measure, but if you hit the number on those 4, youve pretty much nailed it.

The other thing is crosshatch angle. There are many engines out there that use oil like a bandit and it’s likely because the crosshatch angle is too steep. If you visualize the pattern in your minds eye you can see what the ring does as it rotates in the bore while the piston is moving up and down.

And, an engine running say 6000 RPM may want a steeper crosshatch than the same engine turning 8000 RPM.

Second rind design, oil ring tension, crankcase evacuation all play a big part in how you finish a cylinder wall.

Now it’s getting to the point that the surface finish on the decks is critical enough that the MLS gasket needs a finer finish than say a Fel-Pro blue gasket, which needs a different finish than a composite gasket. You have to measure the surface finish with a profilometer to get it right.

Word on the street is bearing bores are going to need to be measured...unreal.
 
Thanks for taking the time to explain that,YR.
100% !
No such thing as one size fits all in anything.
The get rich quick stuff only happens on television.
 
Went to Lake Speeds oil seminar several years ago...eye opening to say the least.
 
-
Back
Top