The German guy who trained me, back in the early seventies, always had us do
the break in with 30 weight, non-detergent oil. He said ND keeps the
microscopic metal particles in suspension, running them back through the
system, lapping the critical stuff quickly. Our catchphrase was "Time to
head for the hills" as, once we had an engine running smoothly in the shop,
a 100 mile round trip up into the foothills (Sonora, CA) gave ideal
conditions for break-in: uphill, downhill, flat ground. After 300 miles, we
switched to 20/50 (Castrol).
An English guy I worked with had an interesting technique for when the hard,
chrome rings in the Jag he'd just overhauled wouldn't seat: he'd set the
throttle between 2500 and 3000 RPM's, then carefully sprinkle Bon Ami
cleanser (!) into the carb throats. It was amazing to see the smoke stop
and hear the engine smooth out and run a bit faster, when the rings honed
themselves in.
Another trick he'd pull was for the doctor's wives, who'd load up their
Jags, lugging them around town between the beauty parlors and ballet lessons
for the kids. He'd pull the air cleaners, set the throttles to around three
grand, and mist water into the carbs. The steam created would blast the
carbon out of the combustion chambers and exhaust ports and the car would
purr like a kitten when he was done. The bummer was the black, gooey crap
blown out the back sticking to everything within ten feet aft of the car,
but it worked like a charm. He also had the 'twenty dollar tune-up', which
consisted of taking the car out on the freeway and running it full blast
until the black smoke went away.
My 2 Pfennigs worth...
Mark in Modesto
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