[GOT]

"Do not break in an engine on Synthetic oil!"
http://member.rivernet.com.au/....html
Is that correct? I've always thought that the first thing one should do if they are going to run synthetic is to get the dino-oil out of the motor because you don't want the seals to soak it up. If the seals were to soak up the dino-oil and then you later change to synthetic you'll have leaks everywhere.
So I've always dumped the oil out as soon as I took delivery of the new car and put synthetic in (within 100 miles).
Did I do a bad?
What's wrong about breaking in a new motor with synthetic?

 

[shftat6]

Re: "Do not break in an engine on Synthetic oil!" ??? (GOT)

Synthetic doesn't allow the rings to seat properly since it in effect provides too much lubrication / protection.
That said, you see a lot of sports cars that come equipped with synthetic from the factory. I don't know if these motors are bench run or what.
When I had my STi, most owners found it better to run a couple changes of dino oil before switching to synthetic. It seemed to help with oil comsumption issues vs. those that switched right away.

 

[spaztikatik]

Re: "Do not break in an engine on Synthetic oil!" ??? (shftat6)

Mobil and Castrol among other major synthetic oil brands produce a specific synthetic oil for break-in periods. I used this on my race engine and it worked wonderfully.

 

[SpeedyNSLR]

Re: "Do not break in an engine on Synthetic oil!" ??? (GOT)

That's an old myth, otherwise Porsches, Vettes, Vipers, AMGs, etc. wouldn't come from the factory with synthetic (Mobil 1)

 

[nm+]

There are some engines that come with a certain oil that needs to run the first oci. I believe the Passat W8 is one such engine, though i assume they tll out about these when you take delivery.

 

[shftat6]

Re: "Do not break in an engine on Synthetic oil!" ??? (SpeedyNSLR)

Quote, originally posted by SpeedyNSLR »

That's an old myth, otherwise Porsches, Vettes, Vipers, AMGs, etc. wouldn't come from the factory with synthetic (Mobil 1)

But a question... A lot of those are specialty motors and some hand built. Does the factory break them in more than say a motor in a neon or a malibu? And if so, are they using synthetic or dino during that time?

 

[Wolf1.8]

Re: "Do not break in an engine on Synthetic oil!" ??? (shftat6)

Quote, originally posted by shftat6 »

When I had my STi, most owners found it better to run a couple changes of dino oil before switching to synthetic. It seemed to help with oil comsumption issues vs. those that switched right away.

that's what I have seen with the sti's as well. Mine will be in dino until I am in the 5000-7500 mile range

 

[MeetleBan]

Re: "Do not break in an engine on Synthetic oil!" ??? (SpeedyNSLR)

Quote, originally posted by SpeedyNSLR »

That's an old myth, otherwise Porsches, Vettes, Vipers, AMGs, etc. wouldn't come from the factory with synthetic (Mobil 1)

Not a myth. Do your homework before posting.

 

[GT17V]

my TDI came with synthetic from the factory.
Calling Castrol syntec a true synthetic..... that's another thread.
for VW's and Audis.... what conventional oil meets VW502.00? All the ones available in the US are Synthetic


Modified by GT17V at 8:00 AM 3-23-2006

 

[arozanski]

I believe the issues with leaks are associated with higher mileage engines, the seals do not absorb oil, but lose elasticity over time. Synthetics can "ooze" out more readily, due to their higher lubricity.
As a mental image, think of conventional oil as molasses, and synthetic oil as water - which one will find the leak faster?

 

[GiddyGTI]

so i hear some motors are broken in at the factory. i.e. the 1.8T. so switching right to synthetic is good

 

[KARMANN_20V]

Re: (GiddyGTI)

I would leave the oil that came in from the factory untill the first oil change and then switch to Synthetic. If the car came with synthetic then I wouldn't worry about it, the manufacturer of the engine must have thought about that.

 

[shftat6]

Re: (Uranium235)

Quote, originally posted by Uranium235 »

As a mental image, think of conventional oil as molasses, and synthetic oil as water - which one will find the leak faster?

Actually it has to do with the additives that are in dino oil that helps 'swell' the seals.

 

[riceburner]

Re: "Do not break in an engine on Synthetic oil!" ??? (GOT)

Hondas come from the factory with a "break in oil" that has a couple of additives not found in off the shelf oil.
People that change to synth immediately report increased oil consumption.
I ran my TSX for 5k miles on the factory fill and then switched to M1 5W-30 and it uses not a drop between changes.
I have a factory service bulletin for the S2000 that details this, I have no idea how to post the image here. If anybody wants to host it we can try to put it up here.

 

[GT17V]

Re: "Do not break in an engine on Synthetic oil!" ??? (riceburner)

Quote, originally posted by riceburner »

Hondas come from the factory with a "break in oil" that has a couple of additives not found in off the shelf oil. People that change to synth immediately report increased oil consumption. I ran my TSX for 5k miles on the factory fill and then switched to M1 5W-30 and it uses not a drop between changes. I have a factory service bulletin for the S2000 that details this, I have no idea how to post the image here. If anybody wants to host it we can try to put it up here.

And... according to Honda... changing the oil at 1000 miles is also a bad idea-- doesn't allow full break-in, causing oil consumption. Honda recommends leaving the break-in oil for the full duration

 

[tjl]

Re: (GT17V)

Quote, originally posted by GT17V »

my TDI came with synthetic from the factory. Calling Castrol syntec a true synthetic..... that's another thread. for VW's and Audis.... what conventional oil meets VW502.00? All the ones available in the US are Synthetic

Most mass market "synthetic" oils in the US are group III based, similar to Castrol Syntec. Group III is highly hydrocracked and processed mineral oil whose viscosity index is similar to that of group IV polyalphaolefins made from natural gas. You can look up the material safety data sheets for motor oils to see which ones list "hydrocracked mineral oil" or something like that as a major portion of the product.
Perhaps if you don't want to run a group IV synthetic oil (i.e. if you believe the "don't break in on synthetic"), but your car calls for an oil specification that cannot be met with a conventional group I or II oil, the group III synthetic oils may be what to look for. Of course, some cars come factory filled with special break-in oil that is not available normally.


Modified by tjl at 6:59 AM 3-23-2006

 

[atomicalex]

Re: (tjl)

OMG. This is so 1960.

Manufacturing now allows for much closer tolerances in machining. Todays engine leaves the factory with cylinder-ring concentricity equal to a 1970 SBC with about 2K miles on it. This is before it's been run-in. After running in for about 10 miles at 2000rpm, it's fully broken in as far as crankcase oil and cylinder wall gaps go.
The trans equally so.
Break-in oils are a thing of the past, not because of improvements in oil design, but because of improvements in the engine blocks and rings! http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif

 

[Quattro Krant]

Re: (atomicalex)

I posted about this on the GTO boards asking how long I should keep the oil in the engine that it came with from the factory, I got about 15 different techniques from 15 different people.

 

[riceburner]

Re: (atomicalex)

Quote, originally posted by atomicalex »

OMG. This is so 1960. Manufacturing now allows for much closer tolerances in machining. Todays engine leaves the factory with cylinder-ring concentricity equal to a 1970 SBC with about 2K miles on it. This is before it's been run-in. After running in for about 10 miles at 2000rpm, it's fully broken in as far as crankcase oil and cylinder wall gaps go. The trans equally so. Break-in oils are a thing of the past, not because of improvements in oil design, but because of improvements in the engine blocks and rings! http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif

If you like I will e-mail the Honda service bulletin to you. It's not 1960, I can promise you that.
And I doubt that Honda's engine technology is behind anyone else's.

 

[GT17V]

and for the TDI's... why after about 15,000 miles... you'll realize the maximized mpg?