running in an engine...

[24/7 farming]

just got our mf148 back together after a full engine rebuild. it is just shy of 10,000 hours so has been fully rebuild, bearings, pistons, rings, liners and head and block skimmed etc. the job was needed as had got almost impossible to start and has done the head gasket twice in last few years. turned out rings were broke on two of the pistons!
just wondering how should go about running the engine in now?, so far just been started to get bled and check for coolant leeks etc and all seems good so just wondering what is the best next step?
i was thinking of hooking up the likes of a grubber and running it through some stubble ground for couple of hours, not balls deep just enough to get it up to operating temp and give it a pretty steady pull at about half revs or so?, or should it get a heavier work out or just dodged about for a while...

 

[Philip Watkins]

Grubber sounds good, deep and make her work, all day. Don't just potter about that's the quickest way to spoil all the work just done.

 

[Cowabunga]

You should consider using running-in oil for the first 20 hours or so. Modern high performance engine oil will prevent the engine from running in and it will probably glaze the bores, leading to loss of compression, poor starting, low performance and high oil consumption. You don't want that. Run it in under moderate load with the load and revs varying and increasing as the hours mount.

But don't lose any sleep over it. The conditions aren't precise.

 

[24/7 farming]

thanks for replies, yea going to use running-in oil for the first while, just wasn't too sure if should have it working very hard on that kind of oil. bit of grubbing should do the trick then so

 

[Gapples]

Ploughing was always considered a good running in job for a new engine ( or rebuild )
Its an old style engine so no worries using "posh" oils anyway, I would use a basic sae 30 grade mineral oil for up to 50 hours.
Vary the rpm, do not idle or lug the engine to much & gradually increase the load on the motor.

 

[Ley253]

If it does glaze up, and to avoid that it should be worked at no less than 80% load, Millers oils, Liquid Glaze Bust seems to be an answer.

 

[mikep]

Should never use a modern oil in old machinery or you can get glaze problems. There are lots of old TOU oils such as Hardwick TOU that you should use and will run in the engine suitably well. It's interesting that it was because of the poorer old oils you should go straight to work because if idled for too long they can cause gumming in the rings.
One thing I often wondered is do the manufacturers recon engines need the old oils or are they sufficiently well engineered as to use a modern oil?