Will piston rings seal in time for the Texas Gathering?

[westcott]

So how many miles do I need to put on my rebuilt engine for the piston rings to seal. I need to pass inspection before I hit the road. Don't want to go (to the inspection station) before they have had time to seal.

[Djmba]

It should take about 500 miles, but can vary depending on your process. When you start it, let it get warm and make sure its running well, no leaks, etc then take her on the highway or something and when you exit, engine break in 3rd. The key to seating rings is lots of vacuum. I'll post what ray told me when I asked what he does to break in his engines.

[Djmba]

Saved this PM just for this occasion. Ray Pampena says:

hey man, do the crank with no cas for oil prime and change the oil in the first hundred or so miles. the thing with ring break in is this... they will break in when its run hard.. whenever that is. it could be right away, it could be 2000 miles later. it doesnt matter.

this is how i do it. get it running, drive it around change the oil. then, put 500-1000 miles of regular driving to make sure everything is ok. make sure there is no metal in the oil, its not making any noises etc. when you know all of those things are fine, then you can start making power pulls with it.

i usually have my customers do the 1000 mile thing to be safe. that way they can catch a problem before it becomes more of a problem. i have however taken cars off the lift and put them right on the dyno. the end result is the same as long as everything is good.

[DuTTch]

I had a break in of 60 miles and did the road course hard lol.

[TwIzTeD_3kGt]

Originally Posted by Djmba

Saved this PM just for this occasion. Ray Pampena says:

hey man, do the crank with no cas for oil prime and change the oil in the first hundred or so miles. the thing with ring break in is this... they will break in when its run hard.. whenever that is. it could be right away, it could be 2000 miles later. it doesnt matter.

this is how i do it. get it running, drive it around change the oil. then, put 500-1000 miles of regular driving to make sure everything is ok. make sure there is no metal in the oil, its not making any noises etc. when you know all of those things are fine, then you can start making power pulls with it.

i usually have my customers do the 1000 mile thing to be safe. that way they can catch a problem before it becomes more of a problem. i have however taken cars off the lift and put them right on the dyno. the end result is the same as long as everything is good.

^ That's what I did, no problems.

[westcott]

Originally Posted by Djmba

Saved this PM just for this occasion. Ray Pampena says:

hey man, do the crank with no cas for oil prime and change the oil in the first hundred or so miles. the thing with ring break in is this... they will break in when its run hard.. whenever that is. it could be right away, it could be 2000 miles later. it doesnt matter.

this is how i do it. get it running, drive it around change the oil. then, put 500-1000 miles of regular driving to make sure everything is ok. make sure there is no metal in the oil, its not making any noises etc. when you know all of those things are fine, then you can start making power pulls with it.

i usually have my customers do the 1000 mile thing to be safe. that way they can catch a problem before it becomes more of a problem. i have however taken cars off the lift and put them right on the dyno. the end result is the same as long as everything is good.

Welll, I took my car for its first drive the other day. First thing I did was head for the gas station and top off the tank with Premium 93. Had to circle back home to top off the power steering and clutch fluid. No leaks, no overheating, no oil pressure issues. Drove about 50 miles total. Came home when I realized I needed to adjust my clutch pedal and clean the ICS (stalling at stop sign). Kept it under 3500 RPM.

Feeling better so I will get these things done today. Take her for another 50 miles and then change the oil and filter and check for metal. If all goes well, I will start my power pulls to seat the rings. Not good to drive around without inspection sticker for too long here in the Houston area.

Thanks for the feedback. Exactly what I was looking for.

[Djmba]

Do what ray says, engine brake to create lots of vacuum, and during the first 500-1000 miles or so make sure you vary your rpms. Do that and you'll be golden

Wish I could make it to the meet to see it

[westcott]

Originally Posted by Djmba

Do what ray says, engine brake to create lots of vacuum, and during the first 500-1000 miles or so make sure you vary your rpms. Do that and you'll be golden

Wish I could make it to the meet to see it

I started my video with the software you recommended. XP has moviemaker too. Not finished. Need to add some photos with the wiring harness' restored and the rest of the peripherals installed. Can I snag music straight from a CD? Are there copyright concerns?

Thanks for the help.

tonkatoytruck - YouTube

[Djmba]

The song might have to be on your computer so you might have to rip it from CD and then import it into MM from your computer. As far as copyright concerns, the only drawback if you were to upload it to youtube is that they have a song recognizer that will identify your song and put and ad below the description for that song. Its hardly noticeable. You also won't be able to view the video on a mobile device because because youtube wants you to see the ad, which you can't to on a phone or whatever. If you were to make a song you would have none of those problems.

[Forest Gump]

Are you talking about an emissions inspection? If your ring job was good you should be able to drive straight over there and pass. My motor never smoked, even on the first start.