How to Break In Reman Engine

[The Fred]

This is all they said. Is it really this easy?? I have read you have to idle so long then rev to certain ram for so long or something. Also I wanted to use only Kubota oil and coolant so I know its good instead of other brands. And also my manual says 10w30.




15w40 diesel oil from the start (we recommend a 15W40 Shell Rotella, but any 15W40 diesel oil will do);
*
*1. Do not use synthetic oil in the engine before 2000 hours. Use of synthetic oil will prevent the rings from seating properly, which in turn will cause the engine to smoke for the life of the engine.
2. Do not run the engine over ｾ throttle for the first 50 hours. Again, this will prevent the rings from properly seating.
3. Perform an oil change after the first 50 hours.
4. Perform an oil change again at 100 hours.
5. After 100 hours, proceed with the maintenance schedule provided in the machines operators manual.
*6. Use a 50/50 green mix coolant.

That is some total BS, straight from an engine manual from the 40s or 50s.

Use regular oil first time out and be easy on the engine for a few minutes, full load after like 20 minutes, don't let it idle too long but run it at decent speed. Chances are if you didn't try to break it in at all it would be just fine. Change the oil before 50 hours or even sooner if you think there's any issues. If the motor is non turbo then you can't hurt it unless it runs out of oil or overheats.

 

[defranks]

As Ortimber said, break in is just about a thing of the past. Metallurgy and machining have come a LONG way over the past 50 years and we simply don't have the problems with ring-seating and wearing in bearings that there used to be. Tolerances are much better now than they were in the 70's. Remember the old movies from the 40's when every car left puffs of smoke behind it? That was oil going past the rings and valve seals. How often does one have to add oil to an engine now days? Remember when it felt good to get 100K miles before a rebuild? That's in the past, too.

By all means, follow the remanufacturer's recommendations, but if the engine was properly remanufactured in a clean environment and you don't do anything extreme right off the bat, you should be fine using the tractor just like you would a brand new one.

 

[crazyal]

I would be a little gentle with it for the first few hours just to make sure you installed it properly. I might even limit it to 3/4 throttle for the first 50 hours but I wouldn't go overboard. Unless they used cheap parts why would you need to do anything differently than if the tractor was brand new? I'm sure the company who rebuilt the engine would love you to treat it like a garage queen until the warranty was up. I would avoid idling for too long and not running at the same speed for hours on end. The biggest issue to me would be to make sure the engine didn't see any load until the oil had a chance to get flowing throughout the engine. Start it at about 1300 rpm and keep the clutch pushed in for a good 30 seconds and then let it run for another couple minutes at that speed then off to work.

 

[Ortimber]

Hmmm. What is the break in period for a diesel generator. About 5 seconds until it is a full rpm and power. Never have seen a diesel generator motor smoking. I am also sure that earthmoving contractors tell their employees to run the D9 at half speed for the first 100 hours.

This is exactly right! Generator engines live their lives at one speed- rated RPM, and they last for many thousands of hours.

 

[4570Man]

This is exactly right! Generator engines live their lives at one speed- rated RPM, and they last for many thousands of hours.

Generator, water pump and reefer truck engines last a LONG time.

 

[Axl2011]

Its hydrostatic. I never have to use the clutch pedal. I assume its only for pto?

I would be a little gentle with it for the first few hours just to make sure you installed it properly. I might even limit it to 3/4 throttle for the first 50 hours but I wouldn't go overboard. Unless they used cheap parts why would you need to do anything differently than if the tractor was brand new? I'm sure the company who rebuilt the engine would love you to treat it like a garage queen until the warranty was up. I would avoid idling for too long and not running at the same speed for hours on end. The biggest issue to me would be to make sure the engine didn't see any load until the oil had a chance to get flowing throughout the engine. Start it at about 1300 rpm and keep the clutch pushed in for a good 30 seconds and then let it run for another couple minutes at that speed then off to work.

 

[crazyal]

Its hydrostatic. I never have to use the clutch pedal. I assume its only for pto?

The newer Hydros from Kubota don't have clutch pedals but if you have one pushing it in also disengages the HST. The hydraulic pump will still be driven. I usually leave the clutch pushed in for 30 seconds to a minute when the weather is really cold just to give the engine plenty of time for the engine oil to move around. But once I let the clutch out I usually will start to drive slowly so the hydraulic oil starts to move around. I know some people like to let their tractor warm up before moving but once the engine oil is moving throughout the engine I'm ready to go. After another minute or so I'll rev the motor up and run it like a I stole it. When I'm worried about the engine oil being really cold I'll plug in the block heater.

 

[Axl2011]

Yes I learned yesterday I was incorrect. I went to start it and it played dead.. Pushed in the clutch and it fired right up! Lol. I will do that also from now on! Thank you guys!!

The newer Hydros from Kubota don't have clutch pedals but if you have one pushing it in also disengages the HST. The hydraulic pump will still be driven. I usually leave the clutch pushed in for 30 seconds to a minute when the weather is really cold just to give the engine plenty of time for the engine oil to move around. But once I let the clutch out I usually will start to drive slowly so the hydraulic oil starts to move around. I know some people like to let their tractor warm up before moving but once the engine oil is moving throughout the engine I'm ready to go. After another minute or so I'll rev the motor up and run it like a I stole it. When I'm worried about the engine oil being really cold I'll plug in the block heater.

 

[pmsmechanic]

The newer Hydros from Kubota don't have clutch pedals but if you have one pushing it in also disengages the HST. The hydraulic pump will still be driven. I usually leave the clutch pushed in for 30 seconds to a minute when the weather is really cold just to give the engine plenty of time for the engine oil to move around. But once I let the clutch out I usually will start to drive slowly so the hydraulic oil starts to move around. I know some people like to let their tractor warm up before moving but once the engine oil is moving throughout the engine I'm ready to go. After another minute or so I'll rev the motor up and run it like a I stole it. When I'm worried about the engine oil being really cold I'll plug in the block heater.

When it's cold I like to put the transmission in neutral and push the hydrostatic pedal a bit in forward and reverse. Then I know that the gears have turned etc. After it's warmed up a bit I'm like you. Run it like I stole it.

 

[MHarryE]

If it’s a reman engine for something equivalent of a Farmall H the break in might be good. All of my new vehicles since 2000 have come equipped with synthetic oil from the factory. My engineering experience since I started in 1967 has been machines that run full throttle just like a generator. Farmers (combines) and contractors (vibratory compactors) sometimes backed off so we installed 2 position throttle - low idle and full speed. Now that I’m retired from engineering but farm to keep active, I have a combine (yes, one I helped design) that has 5675 hours running full throttle all the time except for a warm up before going to work. Added no oil this harvest season. The companies for which I worked - now AGCO, Case New Holland, and Caterpillar and they all sold their products to go to work the day you bought them.