DANIEL TINDER (2/25/2009)
Ted....What about using Rotella to speed ring break-in? Since it DOES have one type of high ZDDP level for metal-to-metal protection, wouldn't the higher detergent be helpful to avoid cylinder wall glazing? If bearing clearances allowed the use of Rotella's higher viscosity, wouldn't switching to the lower detergent racing type oil AFTER break-in be soon enough to start laying down the traditional ZDDP protective coating that reduces cam/lifter wear?Sorry Paul. I don’t use Rotella so I can’t help you there. For most engines, I simply use the same oil for breakin that will be used long term in the engine. For gasoline engines equipped with flat tappet tappet camshafts, that simply means using a gasoline rated oil with a minimum of 1300 ppm zinc/phosphorus. In those cases where I do have to run a breakin oil with less than the optimum amount of zinc/phosphorus, then I simply use ZDDPlus or another similar additive to boost the zddp content back to standard levels. Many of the diesel oils are also rated for gasoline engine use so no problem there as long as the rules in the API bulletin are being adhered to in regards to oil viscosities and the varying contents of zddp.
As far as ring seating, just pay particular attention to having the correct finish and cross-hatch on the cylinder walls that matches up to the rings being used. Proper loading is important to ring breakin and this is ideally accomplished by driving the vehicle at varying speeds or on an engine dyno regardless of the oil being used.
I see that some brands of high ZDDP racing-type oils offer a break-in formula. What IS the difference?
Those breakin oils are for specific engine combinations and the additive packages vary accordingly. Most of these oils are geared towards the racers and are formulated to suit specific needs. The distributors for these specialized products can provide you the specifics for each particular oil but for the majority of most rebuilds, it’s overkill as well as expensive.
Lorena, Texas (South of Waco)