I'm getting ready to throw a new cam(and lifters) in my MG. I won't be don't any other work to the engine at the time aside from the things I'm directly disturbing with the cam(new timing chain, gears, etc).
The engine is more or less stock with relatively mild(albeit new) valve spring pressures. I think they're 80lbs or so. The new camshaft will have more lift than stock, but it's still a street cam.
I know this has been discussed at some length here, but what's the favored break-in oil these days? I normally run VR-1 20W-50, but am open to anything since I know the first few minutes with a new cam can pretty well dictate the rest of its life. Assuming it's still the recommended procedure, my plan is to run the new cam for 20-30 minutes at 2-3K, change the oil, and then change it again after 200 miles of driving.
BTW, this IS a flat tappet engine.
New Camshaft Break-in Oil
- Thread starter bunnspecial
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For me this is what I would do. I used this in my Austin Mini.
Start with this:
https://www.amsoil.com/shop/by-product/motor-oil/racing/break-in-oil-(sae-30)/
Then follow with this:
https://www.amsoil.com/shop/by-product/motor-oil/gasoline/z-rod-10w-30-synthetic-motor-oil/
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I've always used Brad Penn's Penn Grade 1 30wt. break-in oil when breaking in new flat tappet cams. Works great and is only about five bucks per quart.
Worth it to use a break in oil on a flat tappet. Decades ago we used diesel as thats all we had that was high zinc. I would put some moly paste on the face of the lifters and a light coat on the cam lobes. Pour oil over the top end rockers and cam after assembly. Fill the lifters if hydraulic with oil( i have set them in a large coffee can of oil overnight).
You are right to not let it idle, let it run from 1800- 2500 for say 20 minutes to splash lube the cam. I have heard of a newer break-in, I think Trav may have posted some time back. It was run the engine at no less than 2000 rpm for 10 minutes, let it cool then run it again for 10 minutes at the same minimum rpm.
The nice thing, is that your spring pressures are not that stout ( just don't float them).
I have used diesel, but nowadays if i was doing a flat tappet, i'd use amsoil break-in, or brad penn without hesitation.
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Use a good high moly assembly lube and high zinc oil.
Let us know how it goes
OK, step one - use Crane Cams moly cam assembly lube. Others might work ... But the Crane Cam goo is excellent and it will help the cam until enough sling oil is available to completely lube it.
Step two - have the oil pup primed and have the motor timed so you can get it up to around 2,000 RPM for at least the first 5 minutes. 20 minutes at varying throttle above and below 2,000 RPM would be best, but with low pressure OEM springs 5 minutes will do.
Step three - use any high quality name brand oil that has 1,200 PPM of ZDDP. Brad Penn will certainly work very well. Valvoline VR-1 Silver Bottle will work. Chevron Delo 400 15W-30 SD (Severe Duty) will work. Most of these are available on Amazon. Many HDEO's will work. I use the Chevron SD for engine rebuild break-ins. Works well, even with much heavier spring pressures than you have.
Step four - use a magnetic drain plug and inspect it at 100 & 500 miles. You can undo and hold your thumb over the hole while you look it over. Very fine fuzz is maybe OK. Any sharp or shiny bits is a no-no. Figure out why it's happening ASAP.
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When I rebuilt a Toyota 22RE engine, I installed a new cam, new head, pistons, rings, etc., and used Joe Gibbs Driven Assembly Grease and Break in Oil for about 400 miles then changed it to Amsoil SS 10W-30.
Thanks everyone for the good suggestions and options. I'll get some of the Crane lube.
I'll look at the oil options. As I said, I know and am comfortable with VR-1(silver bottle) but might do SAE 30 instead of 20W-50 for the initial run in since that was suggested. Otherwise, I'll go with the Brad Penn SAE 30.
This engine has solid lifters, so that isn't a concern. I'll get the timing dead on(I actually haven't static timed it in a while, but I'll check that before tearing it down and set it at the same value as currently since I know the car fires right up), but I don't think there's a good way to prime the oil pump on this engine.
Use assembly grease on the pump gears.
Prefill oil filter?
Yup, that'll help 
Originally Posted By: bunnspecial
I'm getting ready to throw a new cam(and lifters) in my MG. I won't be don't any other work to the engine at the time aside from the things I'm directly disturbing with the cam(new timing chain, gears, etc).
The engine is more or less stock with relatively mild(albeit new) valve spring pressures. I think they're 80lbs or so. The new camshaft will have more lift than stock, but it's still a street cam.
I know this has been discussed at some length here, but what's the favored break-in oil these days? I normally run VR-1 20W-50, but am open to anything since I know the first few minutes with a new cam can pretty well dictate the rest of its life. Assuming it's still the recommended procedure, my plan is to run the new cam for 20-30 minutes at 2-3K, change the oil, and then change it again after 200 miles of driving.
BTW, this IS a flat tappet engine.
Whatever the cam manufacturer recommends, as you don't need to worry about breaking in rest of engine.
If you have any issues, they can't complain it was installed wrong.
Remember Brad Penn Penn Grade 1 offers two 30 weights. One is a regular performance oil and one is a break-in oil. Obviously make sure you get the break-in oil. Penn Grade 1 offers a wide range of oils that are great for engines with flat tappet cams as long as you don't have catalytic converters.
Originally Posted By: NGRhodes
Whatever the cam manufacturer recommends, as you don't need to worry about breaking in rest of engine.
If you have any issues, they can't complain it was installed wrong.
.
BTW, the only emissions system on this car is the PCV system. It would have had an EGR valve and smog pump when new, but those were long gone before I bought the car.What's really lame is how oil companies are allowed to conceal the amount of anti-wear additives in their oil under "proprietary secrets".
If modern oils are fatal or harmful to flat tappets, doesn't this open up a liability issue? There are still tens of millions of cars on the road with flat tappet cams. Wouldn't a company like Mobil want to print a warning on bottles of Mobile One that adding a low ZDDP oil is "slow death" to your flat tappet cam? Wouldn't they be risking a huge class action lawsuit from owners of wiped out flat tappet cams? (Good luck proving it I guess).
Is it possible that an 800 ppm zinc modern oil formulation is as good as a 1300 ppm oil from decades ago with modern formulations and that a company like Mobile could prove it in a court of law if they needed to? Is Brad Penn oil really better for a flat tappet cam than Mobile One?
("Better" as in a Mobile petroleum engineer testifying in a court of law with tens of millions of dollars at stake defending a class action lawsuit from flat tappet cam victims).
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There is a huge difference between the first 30 minutes of a cams lifespan and the next 100,000 miles. There are no tribo films (AW) on a cam or lifter face at first - it takes heat, pressure and time to create those.
800 PPM is OK for broken-in used cams with OEM spring pressures, and that's what the Oil Co's are concerned about. Not too many flat tappet engines being built anymore as original equipment in cars and trucks ...
If you are smart enough to rebuild an engine, or build a race engine, you are smart enough to do your homework on modern oils for the flat tappet crowd.
I do not recommend any "break-in" oil. You need a high quality Add-Pak and good oil formulation during those first 30 minutes. Good assembly lube to get you past the first 50 RPM. All the cam guys I work with or talk to, do not use it either.
This one is warm bump and still running OEM springs. It'll likely be fine. Brad Pen is OK along with VR-1 and Delo 400 SD. 1,200 PPM is needed at first to get those tribo films started ASAP.
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Originally Posted By: BrocLuno
There is a huge difference between the first 30 minutes of a cams lifespan and the next 100,000 miles. There are no tribo films (AW) on a cam or lifter face at first - it takes heat, pressure and time to create those.
800 PPM is OK for broken-in used cams with OEM spring pressures, and that's what the Oil Co's are concerned about. Not too many flat tappet engines being built anymore as original equipment in cars and trucks ...
If you are smart enough to rebuild an engine, or build a race engine, you are smart enough to do your homework on modern oils for the flat tappet crowd.
I do not recommend any "break-in" oil. You need a high quality Add-Pak and good oil formulation during those first 30 minutes. Good assembly lube to get you past the first 50 RPM. All the cam guys I work with or talk to, do not use it either.
This one is warm bump and still running OEM springs. It'll likely be fine. Brad Pen is OK along with VR-1 and Delo 400 SD. 1,200 PPM is needed at first to get those tribo films started ASAP.
But, he never had to deal with soft GM cores, or Chinese lifters w/o proper radii, etc.
I'll admit I'm biased on the Crane lube. I started using it with serious spring pressures (like 400 over the nose) on Howards or Schneider cams. Had excellent break-ins. Never looked back. And now, unless you specify Crower or Howards lifters (USA engines), you might get nearly anything ...
This little MG motor will be fine as the lifters were built back in the day when the Brits had good metallurgy for most internal bits. Their tooling was getting long in the tooth, but the iron was good
Car companies never have and never will "break in" a new flat tappet camshaft on the assembly line and factory installed flat tappet cam failures were extremely low unless you want to talk about a bunch of bad GM cams in the 80s that no amount of any kind of lubrication could save.
A 1970 Chevy LS6 had a pretty decent super stock cam grind that delivered .520 total lift with 316 duration. These cams were not run in at all when they were installed. My point is that not all stock flat tappet cams were weak grinds with wimpy valve springs and they did just fine on whatever kind of oil and whatever kind of break in they might have received.
Originally Posted By: Scdevon
Car companies never have and never will "break in" a new flat tappet camshaft on the assembly line and factory installed flat tappet cam failures were extremely low unless you want to talk about a bunch of bad GM cams in the 80s that no amount of any kind of lubrication could save.
A 1970 Chevy LS6 had a pretty decent super stock cam grind that delivered .520 total lift with 316 duration. These cams were not run in at all when they were installed. My point is that not all stock flat tappet cams were weak grinds with wimpy valve springs and they did just fine on whatever kind of oil and whatever kind of break in they might have received.
Talk about GM knowing their SH** back in the 60's and 1970, them boys were metallurgy guru's! In 1983 I built a 350 for my '77 Z/28. Sure, I could have gone and bought some crazy cam made by COMP, LUNATI, CRANE, etc. But, I wanted a GM #3927140 camshaft and lifters from a '69 Z/28. And guess what? I found one at a hot rod swap meet at State Capitol Dragway in Erwinville, La. Cam and lifters were advertised for $275. I gave him $200 and a set of ram horn exhaust manifolds (I had several sets). If I remember correctly, cam grind was 257/269 degrees, and valve lift is 0.493"/0.512" with 1.5 rockers, or something like that. I installed screw in studs and 1.6 rockers. After a .030 over bore, 10.5:1 pistons, pink rods, steel crank, an ORIGINAL Scorpion intake with a Holley 650 DP, I had my dream engine! But, I was only able to enjoy if for about 3-4 weeks. I was shipping off to Ft. Lost In The Woods, MO. for basic training. But, let me tell you, I was a terror that not too many other cars could touch.
After boot camp and AIT I returned home, sold the Camaro, and moved onto my 1st assignment.
As I stated before, those GM guys back in the day knew their SH**!- Status
