I am instaling new ring's and piston in a ESR 310 kit on my 1987 Honda 250r if you couln't guess. I was wondering what is the absolute best way to break it in? I want as much compression as i can get. I have herd diffrent method's and was wonding if anyone has any other ideas. Also someone told me to spray foggging oil all over the everything in the engine and the piston and cylinder before starting to help the dry start or something.
Thanx
Rusty

 

I put a thin film of oil on the piston skirts and the sleeve to before i put the top end on. When i go to break it in i run a few (usually 3) heat cycles. If you dont know a heat cycle is letting the bike idle up to temperature then shutting it down. I do this 3-4 times then from here everybody has their own opinions usually. After the heat cycles i blip the throttle easily for a couple more cycles, then i start putting around the yard, never going over half throttle. Then progressively pick the RPM's up after a couple tanks im willing to open it up

 

I think DaBeechMan got a good procedure. I don't like gooping all kinds of oil all over everything, just a thin layer on the cylinder is plenty. Fogging oil a good product for storeage though. One of your big concerns when you start it up is "cold seizure" , that is the piston expands quicker than cylinder has a chance to, not even a lubrication issue. So let it become FULLY heat soaked before you run it hard. That goes for any time you ride, actually. How fast it breaks in depends on the rings. CR rings are made to break in quickly, maybe 15 or 20 minutes of running time, downside is fast wear. In commercial snowmobiles for example, the rings are made to last 10,000 miles (or so I'm told), so they have a much longer break in period. Anyway, how much compression you have is already pretty much determined by your choice of parts, your cylinder condition, etc. good luck rusty

 

thanx for the ideas how many day's should i spend doing all of the stages of the break in
thanx again
Rusty

 

Oh i forgot it is a wiseco piston if that helps
Rusty

 

Generally one tank of gas is plenty for break-in.
Use non-synthetic oil for your first tank of gas. Synthetics are too slippery, and will not allow the rings to break in properly.

There are many different methods as mentioned earlier.
I like to put my motors through several heat cycles prior to taking it out and riding it.
My last two motors I put through 10 heat cycles each, though it is not necessary to put them through that many. My theory is the more heat cycles the better.

I let the motor get warm to the touch and then shut it off. Let it get stone cold before the next heat cycle.
I lightly blip the throttle not holding it at any constant rpm the entire time (vary the throttle). Don't over-rev it, just lightly blip the throttle for the first few heat cycles.

Then I take it out (after 5-10 heat cycles in the shop) and ride it varying the throttle up to half throttle for the first ride. During this 1st ride, I'll vary the throttle (up to but not beyond) 1/2 throttle. Do this for ~ 15 mins.

Let it cool all the way till its cold.

2nd trip out, vary the throttle not going above 3/4 throttle. Ride it for 15 mins, and then let it cool to stone cold again.

3rd trip out, vary the throttle and take it to full throttle, but do not leave it there for an extended period of time. A few seconds at most. Do this for 15 mins and let it cool.

Do a jetting run now to be sure you are jetted correctly. Do this with a FRESH WHITE plug!!
Re-Jet if plug color indicates the need.

Now rip on it giving it gobs of throttle, still varying the throttle. Work the motor hard this time, and generate plenty of heat. Do this for at least another 15 mins.

Your motor should now be broken in.

Run the rest of the gas out of the tank and switch to a fully synthetic if that is what you normally run.
Re-Jet the bike for the new mixture, and you should be good to go![img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

Please note that whenever taking the bike/quad out on a run, it is ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY TO LET THE MOTOR GET WARM TO THE TOUCH BEFORE RIDING! OTHERWISE YOU RUN THE RISK OF SEIZURE AND YOU MAY HAVE TO RE-DO THE ENTIRE PROCESS WITH A NEW PISTON, RINGS, AND BORE JOB!!!!!

 

Thanx for the help 2fun and everyone else i think that i will go with your break in 2fun
thanx again everyone
Rusty

 

No problem.
Like I said, there are many different opinions on break in procedure, but this is the one that I prefer, and has worked well for me.

The trick is to be patient during the break in period, and resist the urge to rip on it right off the bat.
Give yourself a good half a day to finish breaking in the motor (after the heat cycles in the shop).

Take a week to put it through the initial heat cycles (the ones where you only lightly blip the throttle till the motor is warm to the touch) if need be. Do one to two a night during the week before final break-in if this will help you to refrain from really getting on it.

This way when the weekend arrives, at least you will start off by being able to ride it even if you are only taking it easy for the first half of the day.

Break it in properly, and it will give you a lot more power, and last a lot longer![img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

 

2fun would you do the same thing when replacing just the rings or is that diffrent
thanx for all your help
Rusty

 

I have never replaced just the rings, but if you are replacing just the rings, you will also need to hone the cylinder in which case you still need to wear the rings in with the cylinder.

I (believe) that the main reason for the heat cycles is for expansion and contraction of the new piston. The generation of heat is for wearing in of the rings/cylinder.

I would caution you against running the same piston for too many hours though. If left in there too long, it will break a skirt. Metal can only stand so many cycles of hot and cold before it fatigues. Granted this may be a few years depending on how hard/often you ride, but it also may be only a few months.

You will have to switch to a larger piston once the bore gets out of tolerance anyway.

Its really up to you how much you want to gamble with re-using an old piston over and over.

If it were ME, I would say 2 sets of rings, and then go on to another piston, but then again, thats just MY opinion.

I only ride during the summer and college breaks, so my motors tend to last for quite a while. Synthetics will also make the motor components last a LOT longer, but you are still putting the piston and its components through the growing and shrinking cycles (fatigue).

I'm sure others have their recommendations. This is what I go by.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]