How Long should i be running my VR in for?

[rixy 0]

hi there, just got my engine back for the vr after a full on rebuild. Everything is new, just wondered how long i should be running her in for?

 

does 1500 miles sound alot?

 

Also, should i be running on mineral oil for this time, or should i do 3 oil changes, say one every 500 miles, and increase the grades of oil each time?

 

What oil is best for use when run in? synta gold?

[rolex 0]

dont quote me on this but i remember reading on here somthing about caining a new engine to break it in,(might of been a turbo'ed vr tho)

[rixy 0]

well i already done near 400 miles so far, going to do an oil change for mineral again tomorrow, will do another 600 miles next week, then i'll do a change again, and run synta gold i think, then start to break her in to normal driving, lol!

[boost monkey 0]

I've run in a brand new valver (new shiny vearings and seals absolutely everywhere) for 1000 miles at half-throttle and less than 3000rpm.

 

Was perfect after that, never had any probs at all, snapped the needle round to the limit in 5th....up a hill....with 2 passengers.

[dubcharger 0]

A bit off topic but I went to a John Deere factory and when they finish overhauling engine they put it on a dyno at full revs and load the engine via the pto shaft and drag the revs down to about half until the engine is working so hard its smoking like hell, then go off for an hour have a cup of tea,when they come back they check for oil leaks then the engine is signed of as perfect and ready for work :lol: 8)

[Jim 2]

dont quote me on this but i remember reading on here somthing about caining a new engine to break it in

 

Definately DON'T do that for a run in procedure! Taking it wasy for 1,500 miles is probably the best thing to do!

[MK1Campaign 0]

A bit OT but what did you have done and what was the cost like?

[boost monkey 0]

A bit off topic but I went to a John Deere factory and when they finish overhauling engine they put it on a dyno at full revs and load the engine via the pto shaft and drag the revs down to about half until the engine is working so hard its smoking like hell, then go off for an hour have a cup of tea,when they come back they check for oil leaks then the engine is signed of as perfect and ready for work :lol: 8)

 

don't john deere make tractors?! doesn't sound very applicable! :lol:

[rixy 0]

ha ha, well should i drive around at full throttle with the hand brake on then, lol

 

Anyway, cheers every1 for your comments. I done an oil change earlier, was surprised at the amount of little small bits of metal floating about in there after only 430 miles. Glad i done it now, all fresh again, lol

 

Anyway, basically, i have had the following done:-

 

Golf 2.8 block bored out to a 2.9 to accept my pistons.

My pistons polished, balanced

New Piston Rings

Crank Re Grind -.25

New Big End Shells/ Bearings

New Little Ends

Rods Balanced

New Oil Pump

New Water Pump

Block Acid Dipped and painted

All New Sensors

Head Skimmed

Head Ported / polished

New Brass Guides pressed in

Valves re seated

New Stem Seals

All New chains and tensioners

New oil pump drive

New clutch / plate / release bearing

etc etc.....

 

Lol, as you can see, a thorough job, and ALL and i mean ALL parts are genuine VAG parts from the main dealer.

 

Cost me well in excess of 1400 in parts, about 800 for machine work (i.e re bore, skimming etc) and about 700 for labour to strip/ rebuild the lump.

 

But - well worth it in my opinion, will last forever again now, and im planning to keep the car until im an old man, no intentions of selling ever!!!!!

[boost monkey 0]

good work with the engine rebuild.

 

yeah, it's surprising how much swarf is generated from a fresh rebuild, but that's EXACTLY why you don't go W.O.T. on a fresh engine:

 

If one of the bearings / seals / belts or chains is the tiniest bit out of alignment, you stand a chance of killing it.

 

Look forward to hearing more when it's run in.

[Kevin Bacon 5]

Just drive it normally with Synta silver and change every 1000 miles.

 

You can see your engine's swarf output by examining the bottom of the oil filter canister. There will be a small amount of shiney metal bits in there for the first few changes and by 3000-4000 miles, there should be no metal at all.

 

The running in hard method is sound. You only have a 20 mile window to bed the rings in to the bores and if you bed them in too softly, they won't seal as well as they should, or could have, resulting in increased oil consumption and lack of power.

 

Every wonder why some identical engines pull like trains and some are shite? There's your reason.

 

The reason why my VR turbo engine suffered was because I ran it on the dyno at full load after 20 miles. The aggressive run-in I did on the road prior was fine....but on the dyno there's more load, more heat, more expansion = more chance of piston skirts rubbing bores.

 

If i'd waited until 500 miles or so before dynoing it, it would have been fine and made excellent power, but you live and learn..... the hardwire way :lol:

[boost monkey 0]

:lol:

 

Good to hear varying opinions on this. I have never run in a VR (If i ever had a fresh VR, I would sit stroking it) so good to hear some other's direct experiences.

[Kevin Bacon 5]

My second engine I ran in more carefully! I did 1500 miles on the road before sticking it on the dyno this time! Seems OK at the moment after 7000ish miles since it's build.

[junkie 0]

Never heard you had problems kev, glad its sorted.

 

What kind of figures you putting out now-a-days, never heard ought?

[oxfordpaul 0]

I can't vouch for the longevity of an engine that is thrashed from day one but I can say in my experience of a string of Rover company cars I used to have (worked at a dealership), everyone used to remark on how fast mine were compared to others - the secret remained mine but basically I used to thrash them from day one (but only once fully warmed up!). So what kev says makes sense.

[Kevin Bacon 5]

Never heard you had problems kev, glad its sorted.

 

Cheers chap. Back in January I had a 3.0 built with JE forged pistons. We ran it on the road aggressively for 20 miles or so, stuck it on the dyno and it made 300 @ the wheels with 11psi. So that was pretty good and all set to make more once it had fully loosened up by 600 miles. Drove it home and the next day I noticed it kept running on 5 cyls. Turned out cylinder 6 was oiling up the spark plug, cutting the spark. Took the head off and there was a scratching on the bore! The excessive loadings from the dyno and repeated runs whilst mapping caused it, too much heat. It was a bad call really and cost me a block, but never mind!!

 

What kind of figures you putting out now-a-days, never heard ought?

 

Probably about the same, I've mucked about with the map so much since, it's hard to say, but it's still on 11psi and feeling a little quicker than the first engine actually.

[rolex 0]

 

The running in hard method is sound. You only have a 20 mile window to bed the rings in to the bores and if you bed them in too softly, they won't seal as well as they should, or could have, resulting in increased oil consumption and lack of power.

 

Every wonder why some identical engines pull like trains and some are ****? There's your reason.

 

 

 

new i werent going mad! :lol:

glad she's hunky dorey rixy 8)

[rixy 0]

ok, lool, still not sure what to do then, ha ha.

 

Have now done abouot 750 miles, and have ben revviing it a bit higher occasionally, but only on half throttle, and all seems to be good still. Will do another oil change saturday if i can afford it, and put some synta silver in it. Takae it steaday a biit longer, then see what happens after that!!!

 

Cheers every1