Running in oil

Is this a tweaked engine or just a standard rebuild? I'd run it in on the same oil I intended to run it on. Assuming its not a fire-breathing monster then you could do a lot worse than a decent semi-synth like Castrol Magnatec.

rgds

I.

It's only really how it's been re-bored that makes much difference. If it's been done the modern way with cross hatch honing as a finish, then very little bedding in is required. Older 'straight' boring did need careful bedding in or you could cause the pistons to 'pick up' through heat. I'd just use a good quality dino oil and change it at 500 miles to the one of your choice.

It's a fairly tweaked engine - should give 65-70 hp if David Vizard is to be believed. Bores are cross-hatched. Culver at Minimania warns against any type of synthetic oil or the rings will never bed in properly.

At the time they were current it was considered correct to use running-in oil for the first 500-1000 miles. This was a low-quality oil, and the idea was that you needed a certain amount of wear on the bores, bearings etc to complete the lapping-in process. No idea if this stuff is still available, but suspect modern machining techniques would mean it's no longer necessary. After that, the basic multigrade (as sold by Halfords "for older engines") is perfectly OK. It is not a good idea to use sooperdooper multigrade on this sort of engine, and in particular avoid synthetics like the plague.

Geoff MacK

Different engine, I know, but same period - Magnatec, if used in XK engines, will frighten you witless as the oil pressure falls off the bottom of the gauge.

Geoff MacK

In news:bte8ah$gvr$ snipped-for-privacy@newsg2.svr.pol.co.uk, Geoff Mackenzie decided to enlighten our sheltered souls with a rant as follows

Magnatec is awful stuff. Allegedly stays where it is and stops the initial wear on start up...

How come every engine I've run it in has been tappety on Magnatec, but silent on everything else?

I've just changed to Halfords fully synthetic on the SD1 - never known for having 'good' oil pressure. It sits at normal - 30psi - when hot at motorway speeds, but when starting from cold is frightening. Still, the warning light goes out immediately, so that's good enough.

I think that hydraulic valves will not like it.

I tend to go for Penrite or Castol Classic oils for the TR and GTX or Duckhams (I love the intial colour...a good criterion, I know, but have used it for decades) for the Corrado

J.

(TR5 & Corrado 16V)

used in XK

off the

never known for

hot at

As high as that. :-) Mine has never shown more than about 25psi. Even at over a ton. I reckon it's the pressure sensor, as the engine has only done about 50k. Doesn't worry me, as it takes anything up to 4 secs for the pressure to drop enough for the warning light to come on even when hot, if switched on immediately after the engine stops, so there can't be much wrong with the engine. Bearings etc.

Has been run on Halfords fully synthetic since about '89. Car seem to run as well as it did when I first started using it, so I guess the oil is OK for the V8 lump.

To reply to the OP. I run recon engines in on cheap basic oils. Have run an A series engine in several times. Each time using cheap oils. Usually using reclaimed oil at about £5 a gallon Running in is basically, wearing in. You don't want a good oil. All it does is extend the wearing in process. Apart from being a waste of money. Mike.

(snip)

Maybe if you'd run it in properly and used good oil, you only would have had to do it once....

(Sorry, I know what you mean, but couldn't resist it).

J.

Yes - I'm pretty certain the pressure sensor can have a fair degree of tolerance. My engine is as quiet as they come when warm even at over

snip

sooperdooper multigrade on

Well thanks folks for all this - I will run it in on el cheapo oil from the bargain basement shop down the road. After that it will be a conventional

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LOL. Was with the same car. A '57 MM convertible. Now on it's 2nd engine, and halfway through a 3rd 100k on the mileometer. SWMBO's car since '72, when it had 74k on the clock. Mike.