metallic sheen/metal in oil after rebuild. did your rebuild have something similar?
 

got a 99 engine that was bored with 83.5mm wiseco pistons. h-beam rods.
new bearings.
new oil pump.
new seals.
first start was yesterday and sat at 2000rpm for 30 minutes.
after this 30 minute period, the oil was drained and tested and there was apparently metal in it.
i don't think (i'd have to get more info) it was metal shavings...just a metallic sheen if you will.

for those of you with rebuilt blocks, did you run into this?

*i can't fucking win*

Wait why did you let the motor just run at 2k rpms for 30 minutes? I am pretty sure you are supposed to get up to temp, then go and break in the rings immediately.

Who told you to do this? This is literally the worst way you could possibly attempt to break in an engine.

Go beat the shit out of the engine to try and salvage whatever mediocre ring seal you can manage. Pull the oil after 200 miles and send a sample to Blackstone and have them tell you what's actually in the oil.

this was done at planet miata.
from my understanding, they do the same thing for all of the engines they break in.
i'm assuming it was up to temp before the 30 minute period at 2k.

i should also note that the bore/hone was done about 4 months ago and then the block sat covered.
i'm hoping, but can't guarantee that there was assembly lube on the bearings.

Who assembled it? Was there oil pressure before they started it?

You are supposed to apply a load and vary the RPMs significantly during break in. I though everybody knew that.

lol @ full-blown retardation.

long story...
shop in pa. i believe it was called precision something...
the car was at a shop called platinum who used precision for the machining.
the block was hot tanked, then bored/honed.
new oil pump. pressure before was ok (read: good enough, but not great) before the rebuild.
then it went to shit.

i've read various different break in methods.
i do indeed trust planet miata given they've broken in a bunch of engines.
regardless, maybe i am indeed just ree reeee

This is the break in guide you should follow.

I like to break in engines by letting them idle for a few days. Then, I sping them backwards for a few minutes.

BTW, Planet Miata charges $2500 for a Torsen swap in a 1.6. lol

A+ thread

You're the only one. I don't care how many engines they've screwed up doing this - it's not the right way to do it.

I'm really sad that they do this/tell anyone to do this/think that this is a good idea.

Like sixshooter noted above engines need to see varied RPM during break-in. The reason is not the RPM so much, but the introduction of load/vacuum on the piston rings. Once the engine goes to 0 vac (full throttle NA) letting off and allowing the engine to drop to 25+ vac will force the rings to the bore so they can seat properly. In my engine I actually broke it in under boost (5.6 psi) then vac. After 7 years, and 45000 miles, half on track I still have 185 psi to 190 psi compression on my engine. I actually did a compression test 3 days ago.

What should have been done is a prelube of the engine using the oil pressure port to get oil to the engine and in my case the turbo, then start up to ensure you have full oil pressure, then shut off 15-30 sec later. Check under the car for leaks and fasteners coming loose. If there are no leaks and everything looked fine, start it up again and go for a drive, preferably in city to vary engine speed bringing the engine up to full operating temp for at least 20 min. Like Sav noted above drain the oil after 200 miles and replace again with dino oil and run that for 4000 miles drain and replace to include a filter change (I like wix) with Rotella T6.

Well its time for a re-hone and new piston rings. Then try again but dont let it sit at 2k rpm for half an hr this time.

I wonder what they will say to back up their retardation. :bowrofl:

i forget that when i ask for help, i have to read.
thanks everyone.