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Engine rebuild - First start



Donny_Dog

ClioSport Club Member
  Jim's rejects
Now then.
I've built a new bottom end. It has new (forged) rods, pistons along with new shells, bearings, rod bolts yada yada (the head is the original). The turbo is also brand new - straight off the shelf.
I'm shi^^ting it, when it comes to starting it up for the first time.

I lined the bores, but other than that - what are the prep stages required with anything else?
I've heard, but not read, that I should put some oil into the oil inlet of the turbo, just so it can run through and not be dry on initial start up?
Should I remove the coil pack and crank it a few times, to help get the oil around first?
Some old posts suggest that letting it idle on a fresh engine is a bad idea and it should be kept at medium RPM or even revved hard for everything to bed in?!
 

JamesBryan

ClioSport Club Member
  Titanium 182
Turn it over without fuel to circulate some oil first.

Yeah, don't let it idle for ages. A mate of mine had a new K20 built for his Civic race car, took it to get mapped and it was way down on power. Compression was down too, so bored scoped it and the bores were shiney and polished. Turns out he let it idle for ages while he bled the coolant 🙈
 
  340i
I would be cranking the engine (without fuel + spark) to establish oil pressure... If you can, use a mechanical gauge to check pressure.

If oil pressure is good, fire her up! DO NOT let it idle, the engine needs load to bed the rings in. When I started my forged engine first time, I held it at 2,500rpm for 10mins, turned it off and checked for leaks.
 

NorthloopCup

ClioSport Moderator
I filled mine with Halfords mineral oil, cranked it to build oil pressure, then struck it up. After that it pretty much went to be mapped and had the s**t knocked out of it. 230bhp later and all was good! Lol
 
  340i
So when do you change that back out? Run with it for a thousand miles or so?

I did probably went OTT, but I got the oil cheap so didn't mind using it.

50 miles, changed oil and filter... no chunks of bearing, job's a good 'un :)

300 miles, changed oil and filter with Millers CRO.

500 miles, changed oil and filter with Millers CRO.

700 miles, new filter and fully synth oil.
 
  340i
500 miles is plenty to run an engine in... Everybody has their own opinions / methods, I just gave mine plenty of varied load and didn't let it sit idling.
 


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