Is this normal after break in?

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DartVadar

DartVadar

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I just recently completed the break in on my 360 (I think it went well), I just changed the oil and I don't know if its normal looking or not. The drain plug has a magnet on it and there was something stuck to it. It was gray in colour and looked like assembly paste, didn't seem gritty or anything. The oil was kinda murky looking, looked nice and golden when it was draining out though. I can't feel any grit when I stick my fingers in the oil and rub it between my fingers though. I also cut open the oil filter and it looked pretty clean, no shavings or anything, just the weird coloured oil.

Is this normal? Shouldn't it still be new looking considering it has very little run time on it? The engine has new rings, pistons, cam, bearings, pushrods, rocker arms, heads ect, everything was new. Everything sounds really good, rocker gear seems fine and not loose after. Good oil pressure, RPM never fluctuated during break in besides by the pedal, ect...

Also I ran the break in oil and additive that was recommended by my engine builder.
 

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As long as there isn't a marble sized amount of metallic fluff on the magnet your OK. Piston rings lapping into the bores, lifters wearing to lobes, valve spring dampers riding against the inside of the springs. Not to mention thread lube. There is a fare amount of metal being worn off of things during breakin. Some metal fluff is to be expected on the first oil change. I like to strategically place some hi strength magnets in my engine to help capture the trash before it can go through the oil system.
 
The best way to tell is put the drain plug to your tongue and tell me what it tastes like
 
usually is assembly paste.....the ARP paste that goes on bolts is great for showing up in the pan...wont dilute in the motor oil.
 
70aarcuda said:
usually is assembly paste.....the ARP paste that goes on bolts is great for showing up in the pan...wont dilute in the motor oil.
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Thats what I was thinking. It feels and looks exactly like that too. Because I used that stuff alot. But yea the rest is probably from everything wearing together. Like I said, it runs really strong and starts nice. My neighbors definitely know where I live :D

I will just monitor what things look like during the next few oil changes.

So I will just start to drive it to fully seat the rings. Whats the best way to do this? run it easy or giver every once and a while and vary the RPMs and varying loads? I'm leaning towards the second option.
 
run it like your gonna drive it that's the way I always do after the cam is broke in
 
I recently rebuild mine 318. Pistons rods, cams bearings etc.

got about same amount stuff stuck on magnet.
about size of grain of rice.

I have driven car about 500 miles after rebuild, and. So far all good
 
Glad to see everything is normal. Just thought I'd post a quick video of what it sounds like :D

Garage is a mess! The only thing on my mind was getting the car together, this was taken after the oil change from the cam break in. Still have to do some fine tuning and hook up the exhaust but I'm pretty damn happy with it!

[ame="http://s72.photobucket.com/user/kellyb43/media/IMG_22201_zps67ebb2c2.mp4.html?sort=3&o=0"]IMG_22201_zps67ebb2c2.mp4 Video by kellyb43 | Photobucket@@AMEPARAM@@http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i189/kellyb43/bth_IMG_22201_zps67ebb2c2.mp4@@AMEPARAM@@72.photobucket.com/albums/i189/kellyb43/bth_IMG_22201_zps67ebb2c2.mp4[/ame]
 
For whatever reason the chicken thing is going right over my head...LOL
 
Just fill it with clean oil then run it some more. See if the stuff returns. If the engine is not blowing smoke or has not locked, and all else seems fine what other choice do you have?
1. Have the goop chemically analyzed.
2. Have the oil analyzed.
3. Tear it down and start over.
I have an engine that I don't trust that well. I have the oil checked about every two months. Great peace of mind for an expensive piece of machinery.
 
magnumdart said:
Just fill it with clean oil then run it some more. See if the stuff returns. If the engine is not blowing smoke or has not locked, and all else seems fine what other choice do you have?
1. Have the goop chemically analyzed.
2. Have the oil analyzed.
3. Tear it down and start over.
I have an engine that I don't trust that well. I have the oil checked about every two months. Great peace of mind for an expensive piece of machinery.
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Thats what I did, there is zero smoke coming out, and it turns over nicely. I asked my grandpa and said not to worry about it, and that its from the rings seating and the assembly lube.
 
DartVadar said:
So I will just start to drive it to fully seat the rings. Whats the best way to do this? run it easy or giver every once and a while and vary the RPMs and varying loads? I'm leaning towards the second option.
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Vary your RPM's and loads a lot, and accelerate lightly for a coupla dozen miles, then a bit harder for the next coupla dozen, then some increasingly hard accelerations. I generally don't get on it full tilt for about 50 miles.
 
Yea I was told to vary the rpms, and not stay at a constant speed for too long.

Also on a side note, I just installed a better oil pressure gauge, cold idle I'm getting about 74psi, I haven't warmed it up yet to see what warm pressure is. Still dont know why I went with a high volume oil pump...:banghead: Is that too high?
 
To add to the oil pressure I was having cold, which was around 74-75, when it got warm it was around 55 at idle, and increased as the revs increased, does that psi seem okay?
 
To follow up, I was draining the oil in the pan (catch can not car oil pan) and at the bottom I could see a few larger pieces of alumimum, they arent magnetic. And they aren't copper coloured like bearings would be. They still aren't very big, but a few are larger and you can see they are there and feel them between your fingers. I have a brand new set of eddy aluminum heads on it, it looks like it could have been from them. I did clean them before putting them on.

Is this any cause for concern?
 
The picture makes them look huge! It's just a bit sparkly, it looks like it's from my rocker arms actually, they are that colour. That was the biggest bit on my finger. And the oil makes them look kinda coppery, but they are completely silver.

First oil change, cam is fine, I checked, and good oil pressure as I already mentioned. No odd noises either.
 

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