what cam break-in oil to use and good oil to use after the break-in

Run down on break-in oils I've successfully used on flat tappet cams, and what oil I am using for daily driving to prevent premature wear.

[@Mark-rw3kw]

Break-in oil is not just for flat tappet cams, but also for piston rings seating properly. Using a break-in oil without friction modifiers helps seat the piston rings, but it needs to be removed after 100-200 miles at the most, and replaced with a synthetic oil for modern passenger vehicles.

[@sambrose1]

I only run VR1 10w-30 in my flat tappet cammed 383 and have over 37,000 on it now. Wix 51061 lube filters and 4,000 mile between changes. That what works for me.

[@terencekelly52]

Thanks Something I never gave much thought to when I built motors in the past is that all (non roller lifters MUST spin very free in the bores) or they will wipe out the lobes, I built motors over the last 30 years and never new that.

[@barrykilts4506]

I used two bottles of the additive and mixed it very well before using with no problem so I think people just aren’t mixing it well.flat tappet cams work as well or better than rollers to 480 lift and the whole point is keeping cost down but you have to be sensible.

[@troygemmell8543]

I'm a small engine mechanic and a couple of the large engine manufacturer's have there own oil because of all of the issues/engine failures with modern oil. I'm a gear head , hot rodder. I use vr1 20/50 in my d.d. 1995 f 150 300 six, 240,000 miles I have never had to add oil between oil changes. Another thing I would like to mention about engine/cam break in, is excessive idling. Even after break in I've seen guy's start a engine and just let it idle for a hour or more. Not good and leads to problems. Follow cam/bearing/ ring manufacturer recommendations. I've used street/strip rings that recommended going from cruising speed to w.o.t 3 time to seat them.

[@davidspencer5465]

Man I use Royal Purple for initial break in as well as future oil changes. I have rebuilt many of motors using the flat tappet cam shafts and I always use the Royal Purple oil and never have used the Zddp oil. I always just change my oil when the purple color of the oil darkens to a brown color and put the new in and drive it. I have just recently upgraded my Lunati voodoo cam to a ES2822 stage 3 comp cam and when I pulled the Lunati cam out it looked like yours on this video and mine had almost 10,000 miles on it and thats with no zinc oil. Just figured i would share that. Good luck man!

[@rickss69]

Royal Purple has ZDDP...be hard pressed to find any oil that does not. Question is, what are you using to choose any oil?

[@billthompson9595]

Thanks for your excellent information. i am running this Valvoline in my c7 Vette since new and love it. All the Best

[@maynardreed4036]

Myself, I use saw 30 diesel grade oil with lucas break in additive. Never has a problem.

[@doctordifferentialspeedsho9506]

I use only Amsoil in all my engine builds. Before and after break in. The additive seems to work great, just my experience.

[@normhodgkinson6965]

are you in Montana ?

[@steverugerguy9606]

Rings seat ok with that synthetic?

[@jimmyhobbs5029]

I run VR-1 in any hydraulic cammed car engine or any 4 stroke power equipment of mine. Best oil out there.

[@martinwall7297]

Valvoline R1 race is great fossil oil,i use it 50wt. in my 1977 shovelhead full of zink,molly, and phosphorus

[@frankgladney3470]

YEP: This is great oil for flat tappet cams. Regards, Frank

[@Jay-fb2lv]

It’s not for breaking in, VR1 is for after break in.

[@ejdprice]

That lobe coating is "Parkerized." This is a real, real crude explanation, but parkerizing is basically a controlled rust. It's used on firearms for the same reasons. It attaches to the steel and quickly gets to a certain point and it will not build up during the application process. It provides protection against slight rust. Since it's safe, the lifter will just simply wear it off. They wrap plain ole electrical tape around the bearing journals to keep them totally true for their cam bearings. You can measure a slight increase in parkerized surfaces, that can be measured with a micrometer. .......... Many bolts, clips and latches are parkerized on vehicles and it is an easy cheap process for protection. .......... Parkerizing and "Blueing" are two different processes, if you are wondering.

[@richardrichard4394]

Great explanation was going to say that maybe not as well but they say lots of bad tappets out there no crowns never happened to me and I used many lot's of different opinions out there just do it right

[@johnhutsenpillerjr1785]

Very few things are still made in America anymore with high quality AMERICAN steel !!! I've seen performance cams literally dissolve in minutes !!! Take a spring loaded center punch (a poor mans brinelle hardness tester) and on a old cam and it's lifters it'll leave a dent !!! On truly hardened steel it'll dull the spring loaded center punch. I've seen lifters that were beautiful finish etc and when tested they'd marr easily (CHEAP soft junk Chinese steel) no matter what oil you'd use they'll come apart !!! But your right the EPA (garbage corp) has denutted engine oil bad (they knew and intended to) roller cams are the way to go !!! Solid lifter cams did the job for years and there great. But be realistic Sir the money you spend on ADDITIVES and special oil will cost you what the roller cam would of !!! And roller cams use less energy and frictional loss etc to operate !! Motoring frictional loss is 25% of what could be available at the flywheel !!! I don't like it either Sir but that's the screwed up world we live in. ALL THE BEST TO YOU AND YOURS SIR.

[@Jay-fb2lv]

Vr1 does not actually have as much zinc as you would think, their website states 1100 ppm and that’s not enough for a fresh cam. However it does work ok for an older established engine.

[@curtthompson2787]

Gas Monkey wiped out their cam because I think they added it to regular oil. Oils now have a detergent in them to help reduce sludge build up. So if you add the zinc additive to regular oil, the detergents basically wash it off. Has to be non-detergent oil if using additive on break in. But I'd still stick with the straight up break-in oil myself. But if you have to use the additive make sure you put it in non-detergent oil.

[@winglessprint]

Perfect answer.

[@tonyisme4934]

Damn learn something new every day!!!! Do those zinc additives have a disclaimer on the bottle "must use non-detergent oil"?

[@curtthompson2787]

@@tonyisme4934 I dont know. Seems like they should.

[@hairyparatestes1183]

There’s a reason Isky cams recommends Penn Grade 1 “green oil” for break-in oil. Just because the bottle says high zinc formula what is the PPM of zinc & phosphorous? Penn Grade 1 has 1,500 PPM of Zinc and 1,400 PPM of phosphorous in their blends as stated on the web site.

[@redbarchetta8782]

I use Lucas Break-in oil and Comp Cam additive for the 20 minute portion then switch to just the Lucas BRO for the remainder of the break in for rings. Also I ONLY USE Schneider Cam Lube which is a must IMHO. The cam and tappets both got treated well with that and then the rest is just Redline Assembly lube.

[@gj91471]

High ZDDP does not create a hard coating. Its a weak coating. You should be using David Vizards Oil Extreme Break-In Lube. Works brilliant on flat tappet applications and rings/bores.

[@gj91471]

David Vizards Oil Extreme Break in Oil is what you should be using

[@dalevackar182]

On first start up I leave the rocker arm covers off and make damn sure my push rods are spinning and oiling . If not give em a little spin with your fingers and make sure they are all turning. Haven't had a problem in 40 years.

[@winglessprint]

you will if you use CC lifters with anything other than stock valve springs. I have had several customers lose CC cams and lifters. And using their break in oil.

[@dalevackar182]

@@winglessprint I'm not sure what you mean by CC lifters but flat tappet lifters must be spinning or it will eat a cam lobe off mighty quick.

[@winglessprint]

@@dalevackar182 Totally agree. Our issue is with lifter faces spalling or pitting. Lifter spin is not even mentioned in this video kzbin.info/www/bejne/oZPapmqobNaknMU

[@guidosarducci3047]

Hey man... that was helpful. Very helpful. thanks for posting.

[@AkeLovesGAMES]

Seen the valvoline high zddp recommended on two 1400whp turbo rotary engines. If its protection is good enough for those extreme applications then I cannot imagine it wont work well for flat tappet cam engines.

[@scottmcbride2237]

Cool video but ive seen quite a few videos where guys use the addictive with the oil and don't have any problems with them. But I think I would use the oil with the zinc to be safe.

[@tonyisme4934]

using Gibbs DRIVEN zddp moly oil the BR30 and HR5 in my rebuilt toyota 4runner 3vze no CAT added magnaflow muffler

[@beboboymann3823]

She’ll Rotella T4 10W-30 heavy duty Diesel engine oil.........recommended by the shop that rebuilt my Jeep Wrangler 4.0. Drain at 350 miles then refill with same and run 3,000 miles then fill with anything I want but not synthetic for a while.

[@ashishpatel350]

the zinc in the oils kill your catalytic converter in the new cars. amsoil has some great oils with high zinc which is mostly designed for older/classic cars.

[@PrimalMiltos]

Zddp can't be that bad for the cats. Mercedes-Benz recommends Mobil 1 Formula M that has over 1000 ppm zinc and phosporus! And boy some of those Benzes burn oil! If a Chevy LT1 burns next to nothing of Mobil1 which means one could quadruple the Zddp and still treat those cats better than most Benzes do.

[@bitTorrenter]

@@PrimalMiltos I think 800pm is the limit unless you want to cause damage to Cats. Above 1,200 ppm you may actually get worse performance.

[@PrimalMiltos]

@@bitTorrenter Well if your car is fine using oil with 800ppm, while burning 1qt (example) every oil change then my car that burns 0.5qt every oil change means I can use up to 1600ppm oil and we would both damage the cat at the same rate

[@Mark-rw3kw]

@@PrimalMiltos Catalytic converters for German cars sold in EU are not necessarily the same as for US cars.

[@johnpena9165]

I use Rotella 30w diese oill which contains zink and then add a 12ounce bottle of Comp Cams engine brake in additive which also contains zink I run it like that until the next oil change then I repeat the process, in 35 years I have never had a flat tappet cam go flat or any other cam or lifter related problems !

[@winglessprint]

Diesel oil no longer has the additives it use to

[@johnpena9165]

@@winglessprint that's why in my comment I stated that I also add a 12 ounce bottle of oil additive which contains Zink at every oil change !

[@rickybobby1975]

Great video. Hopefully it will save someone from making the same mistake I made.

[@cammontreuil7509]

Depends what engine you are working with.

[@raiderjohnthemadbomber8666]

The biggest reason that zddp isn't present in newer oils is that flat tappet engines are no longer produced for new cars. I've used Royal Purple for cam break in for years with no problems besides the bank robberies to afford the oil.

[@buttonysquare8501]

They don’t want you to use it because if it burns off in the exhaust it supposedly clogs catalytic converters somehow. Use the diesel oils like rotella if you don’t wanna use zinc additives for regular oil changes, after you are done with break in. They have just enough in them.

[@ronnieburch8255]

What basically have the same Motor man !!! Nice

[@bigsur175]

I have been building engines for 40 plus years and the stuff on KZbin is, trying to find a to describe it

[@7REDDRACO7]

awesome thanks for the video

[@kevincicero8352]

You went with the Driven break in oil…why not stick with Driven as a regular oil to run?

[@stevekapp6462]

On my 73 Vette and 67 Camaro I have been using valvoline 20 50 racing oil with “high zink”. Both cars have had a new cam installed a few years ago. Do you think 20 50 is a good viscosity oil to use. I see you do not use this one.

[@meridian208]

I'm sure it's fine. Especially if you've been using it this whole time with no issues. My oil pressure runs a little lower than I'd like sometimes when cruising around. I might switch to heavier oil too.

[@stevekapp6462]

@@meridian208 Thank you for taking the time to answer my question.

[@stevedouglas5443]

I use 3 quarts of 10 30 and 2 quarts 20 50 VR1 for my ç3 Vettes to make my own 10 40.

[@jerrymather4218]

Thanks for the info. Im getting ready to tear into my first motor.

[@cammontreuil7509]

Motor is electric. Engine is gas.

[@farmtruck9885]

@@cammontreuil7509So when JJ the Boss says I'll race you all motor he is using electric.

[@pacman3908]

Good advise

[@socalltd]

i got a cam and lifter set from that same brand and 4 of the 16 hydraulic are up and do not have play for pre-load. . did soak in oil and nothing. .

[@Kris-vz1ly]

Gr8 advice

[@nates3174]

I think where alot of people go wrong with the zddp additive is they dont use it with a non detergent oil

[@lobmin]

@Nate S How do I know if the oil is non detergent?

[@nates3174]

@@lobmin if its non detergent it will usually specify it on the front of the container. If it doesn't say anything about detergents on the container then it probably has detergents in it.

[@lobmin]

@@nates3174 hmm ok. If the oil says "classic", that should also mean it's non detergent, right? (Old car = no detergents)

[@nates3174]

@@lobmin it would make sense but personally I would contact the manufacturer to verify that.

[@lobmin]

@@nates3174 I've been researching and it seems most non-detergent oils are for ancient cars that didn't have oil filters...no mentions about additive compatibility. All regular oils (since the 50's) have detergents in them, but at differing levels. But it seems like the thicker mineral oils I'm looking at have less detergents than others that say they're "cleaning" in the description. Also, an API rating of S[letter] where the second letter is earlier in the alphabet seems to be a sign of a lower detergent level. I found specs on these oils containing a little zinc too(~900PPM). Sorry if I'm geeking out haha. Looks like I'll be going for a relatively low detergent, 15w-40 cheap-ish oil, plus some nice Edelbrock zinc additive that I went for (only thing avalible in that certain store). Hopefully that will break in my new solid lifters nicely.

[@ButchNackley]

How many PPM does that oil have?

[@jesscneal]

Good info. Is that a Traxxas Stampede I see? :)

[@meridian208]

Jess Neal yep, its pretty old. I drove it like a week ago and one of the shocks fell apart. Have to get a new set and fix it again I guess...

[@adamideus9222]

You're overheating problem could be the Nova's motor because they put cast iron headers on an aluminum block on Novas

[@wolfeman6380]

How much break in oil do u put in? A solid 5 quarts?

[@meridian208]

How ever much oil your engine calls for.

[@wolfeman6380]

@@meridian208 fucking mint 👌

[@cammontreuil7509]

30 weight non detergent oil.

[@mikehicks65]

I've changed a few cams in Chevy's over the years and never had any break in trouble while using the older non detergent oil. But I'm preparing to rebuild a 355 and I'm hearing (due to supply issues) the lifters i just purchased may have quality issues (not properly harden) and i can't afford to go roller cam ...anyone have any advice?

[@winglessprint]

Howards face oiling lifters or Isky lifters CC lifters are cratering on the lifter face

[@davidh3951]

Use Rotella worked every time for me.

[@richardleroykelley]

Will it benefit my new flat tappet cam and tappets if I soak my new cam and tapped bottoms in high zddp oil for a couple months prior to installing them ?

[@meridian208]

You can pre-soak your lifters for a little while just they have some oil in them. Don't think soaking for months is really going to make much difference.

[@davidkeeton6716]

No, and check the technical info on the brand of lifters you are going to use, some brands say put them in oil some say don't and just adjust the rocker arms to zero lash and then 1/2 turn of the adjuster nut to preload the piston in the lifters.

[@rolltide9547]

Just use a hdy roller.

[@luisgtzchannel7776]

What oil can I use on a 2000 cam gmc stage 2 tranns?

[@robertbanks6870]

This I build engine test stand fire 🔥 up engine stand save lots headache like you tube show