Insure all accessories (headers, alt, pwr steering pump,etc) are tight and check for any water /oil leaks
1. You will need to fill the engine with oil as they are shipped dry. The filter is shipped loose and shoild be removed and filled about 1/2 way with oil and tighted by hand. We ship engines with WIX filters and recommend Wix or Baldwin . A cheap filter will not be cheap if it costs an engine. We recommend Delo 15w/40 or Rotella T especially in flat tappet engines. It is best to prime the oil system with an engine priming tool as it has probably sat for some time since being run in at Diamondback.
2. If you plan on running synthetic oils, we recommend that a new engine is first broken in with regular mineral type engine oil. If you fail to follow this procedure, the rings may never seat.
3. The distributor timing should be set , but occasionally is disturbed in shipping. If the engine does not fire immediately you may need to recheck the timing.
4. Set the ignition timing after engine starts.- Starting point for most carbureted engines is 34 degrees Before top dead center with vacuum advance disconnected at 3000 rpm. Some experimentation with timing is required for optimum results with locally available fuel, but it should be between 32-38 BTDC.
6. Flat tappet hydraulic cams only- Run the engine between 2,000 and 2,500 RPM's, with no-load on the engine for the first 30 minutes. This is critical to break in the camshaft. We have usually performed this step at Diamondback, but if the engine has set up for more than a few days , it is best to observe this procedure as a precaution.
6. Roller Cammed engines do not need to follow the procedure in step 5.
7. Remember that the cooling system on a fresh engine swap will have a lot of trapped air, which will lead to wild temperature gauge readings and possible water pump cavitation (water pump not moving coolant due to trapped air) To help avoid trapped air in the cooling system, try to fill the cooling system up with a 50/50 mix of quality coolant and water a few hours before you plan on starting the engine. Leave the radiator cap off during this time. This will tend to help purge a fair amount of trapped air before you start the engine. S Also helpful during break-in is to use a Lever-Vent type radiator cap on your radiator in so that you can manually purge trapped air while engine is running- (use extreme caution to avoid being burned by hot coolant) Your normal cap can then be re-installed after engine cools off.
8. On street cars,(skip to step 15 for race engines) drive the vehicle with varying speeds and loads on the engine for the first 200 miles. Occasional full throttle runs from a rolling start (2000 rpm or so) to 4500 will help seat things. This does not mean every other start and the engine should be cooled after doing this.At around 150 -200 miles , it is wise to check the rockers/ valve clearance to insure adjusters are tight and lash is proper(do this again at 500 miles).
The following two steps are not necessary, but may help speed up the breakin process.
9. After the initial 200 miles run five or six medium-throttle accelerations to about 4500 RPM (observing local laws of course), then letting off in gear and coasting back down to 20 MPH.
10. Run a couple hard throttle accelerations up to about 5000 RPM , then letting off in gear and coasting back down to 20 MPH.
11. Let engine cool and change the oil and filter and check coolant level, top off if necessary.
12. Drive the next 500 miles normally, without high RPM's (below 5000 RPM), hard use, or extended periods of high loading.It is best to avoid long periods of idling during this period.
14. Change the oil and oil filter again.- At this point, you should be able to run a quality synthetic oil if you choose.
15.On race engines make one pass leaving lightly and accelerating from a roll to 4500 rpm each gear. Allow the car to cool before the next pass and check rocker adjustment.
16. The next pass should be full on launch to about 5500 each gear. After that observe rcommended redlines and recheck the valve lash every 2-3 passes for the first 10 passes. After 15-20 passes you can change to a synthetic oil.
