Originally Posted By: Volvohead
Originally Posted By: antiqueshell
I like to hear from those with metallurgy and engine manufacturing expertise about you thoughts about using dino versus synthetic oil for the engine break in periods.
It makes sense to me that the exceptional wear reduction properties of synthetic oil might hinder the proper seating of pistons and rings during this critical engine break in period.
OEM/Factory or field re-built?
The former are better machined at the foundry, the critical early break in is much faster, and usually done (on conventional or a special blend) before final vehicle assembly. Then they pump in the advertised synthetic for delivery. You can usually run a synthetic with no issues. Some notable exceptions from owner board experiences may be certain diesels and Europeans.
Field rebuilds (including racing and track modified blocks) still harken back to the old standards. The length of initial seating will be more heavily dictated by the skill of the machinist/assembler. They typically benefit from break in on a non-synthetic oil, and many shops still specifically advise to do so.
^This.
When the engine in my Protege5 was rebuilt a year ago, the old advice was given. Conventional oil, change it at about 500-1000 miles, again at say 3000 after the rebuild, then follow the factory recommended OCI.
So far, I've put about 22K miles in about 11 months on the rebuild without drama. It may use a quart in the 5-6k interval. I attribute that to my heavy right foot and the 3.5 quart sump capacity