changing the motor oil after 20 mins of run

[Cubey]

Save the oil and use it later in the oil bath for the air filter? Just a thought! At least it won't be totally wasted then.

[wdfifteen]

[borna428]

[borna428]

[Glenn]

[Pruneman99]

[Zundfolge1432]

I’ve always stuck to the twenty minute recommendation on break in oil as well. If you pay attention you’ll see posts of people seeing metal or flecks like metallic things in the drain oil especially on a new engine. Just a few weeks ago a post like this and it prompted him to want to pull the engine and take it all back apart to find the problem. The problem is VW in stock form have a lot of shit floating around all the time and it’s worse when new.

How many autopsy photos have you seen here with bearings all scored some with metal imbedded? Not ideal but nature of the beast. You have no crankshaft pulley seal and all manor of contamination is being screwed in constantly. Imagine a dusty or sandy road or even pollen.

What to do? Run a sand seal, full flow the oil through a filter, change the oil frequently which depends on where you live. Don’t flip out because you see shit in the oil, within reason. Experience is the best teacher here, I did at least 3 oil changes on a new engine in the first 1000 miles.

[Dusty1]

I don't see this anywhere so I figure I'd mention it:

Do not use synthetic oil for break- in.

You'll feel better about dumping it after 20 minutes if it doesn't empty out your wallet. That's not why you shouldn't use synthetic for break- in, though.


Today's anecdote:

Years ago, Harley was having nasty warrantee problems with their Sportsters. Sportsters were coming back in droves burning or using oil. If you've ever rebuilt a Sportster the the cylinders and heads look a lot like aircooled VW parts.

What was happening was Sportster owners were treating their shiny new Sportsters to synthetic oil as soon as they got home. The rings weren't seating properly making the bikes oil burning pigs.

You might not find documentation on this. H-D kept it on the DL for obvious reasons.


I used to be an old "oil is oil" curmudgeon back in the cast iron V8 days. Didn't seem to matter what I did, cast iron V8s with cast iron valve seats needed valve jobs around 80k. Burning a quart of oil every thousand miles was no big deal.

The last Toyota I retired was running well at around 300k. It lived on a steady diet of Mobil 1 at a 10k change interval. It didn't use oil and it didn't burn oil when I retired it.

Probably should have kept that one.


Old flat fours aren't new Toyotas. They're older designs with different requirements. One thing for sure, though:

Do not use synthetic oil for break- in.

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[Oldfart]

In days gone by (pre 80's) there was never a "Cam break in" period that I know of with any engine, V8 or VW. Zinc wasn't mentioned (the oils might have been high in zinc then?) nor was holding the engine at revs after first starting. There was a gradual break in period varying revs, never getting too hot or loading the engine up too much. Seemed to work with all sorts of engines. Why have things changed? Are there different materials used in engine building now? Oils have changed but for the better, why the difference? Aircooled aircraft engines don't need special camshaft breakin periods, just fireup and make sure not to sit on constant revs for too long and NOT baby the engine.
Seems if you don't do the camshaft breakin dance your doomed to failure.....

[ashman40]