[Rad350Hog]

What do all you racers know about the proper way to break in an engine?
I rebuilt the whole top end, honed the cylinders, new piston rings and everything.
I've read a lot of wierd things on the internet but is there a special technique to breaking in an engine?

 

[joe c]

the olmstead method of engine break in. he swears by this.


assemble the motor with modern assembly lube.
start the engine and pin the throttle for 15seconds.
shut it down.
readjust everything and add oil.
break in done.

if you did everything right, it probably wont seize.

that was a joke.....olmstead swears there was a guy who used to do this.

i dont do anything special. just run it. check the valve clearances, look for leaks. dont wail the piss out of it, dont baby it around. you can dump the oil at about half the normal interval if youd like. use mineral oil as opposed to synth. it'll break in better. i only use mineral anyway. you can add about a teaspoon of oil to each cyl before start up too. that will help lube the jugs at immediate start up. that oil will burn off pretty quick, and it shouldnt foul anything.

i use the same procedure for my street bike as for my race bike. and i build my race bike to just be wailed on. you'll probably find different people have different methods.

j

 

[Rad350Hog]

Thanks for the info. It's really coming together now, this weather has totally motivated me to haul ass. I ghetto rigged the brake lever... I hope it holds. Those clip ons are bad ass though.

did you know brake fluid can eat through paint? learn something new everyday

 

[joe c]

brake fluid is a great paint stripper. i was looking at my disk brake lever the other day and fitted it up to my clips and see exactly what youre talking about. the nib is really long. i guess there is an actuating rod that is in there. ya know what, i'll pass your pic on to see what other people think.

jc

 

[joe c]

you know, you cant move that brake/master cyl down at all. it seems like it could slide down the bar. and the bar could come out of the clip just a bit. i just relooked at the pic...i'll have to fit something up to my bike tomorrow and see what the story is.

j

 

[Rad350Hog]

Hey Joe, is Matt in Daytona or something? I cant get ahold of him and he said my seat should be ready about now.

 

[joe c]

nope, matts around im sure. i might have his number around here. he just had a kid, (down jeremy) so im sure hes been busy with all of that. sometimes hes a little slow on the email. but id trust him. if you need his number, i'll dig it up.

joe

 

[Rad350Hog]

I dont need Matt's number yet. I tried to start the bike today and it wasnt having it.
I was kicking it like a madman and I got it to backfire and blow some decent flames every once in a while.
I hooked the battery up to some jumper cables and tried the electric start and it just did the same thing.
My dad is gonna help me with it tomorrow but as of right now, Im lost.
It has new gas. the carbs have been cleaned and rebuilt. I just added gas today, I stored it empty. The spark plugs seem fine, the gaps are right. Im not 100% sure the wiring is correct but Im close to being sure. All the lights work and the electric start, I couldnt get it to blow a fuse or short out.
thats about all I can think of... Any ideas?

 

[joe c]

timing. did you pull the points plate for any reason??? this is on a cb 350 right?? make sure the timing is right. also, for some reason, its pretty easy to get the cyls reversed by mistake. it sounds like it could be that too. so your firing on the wrong stroke. you can try switching the the plug wires from one side to the other. just pull them off the sprakplugs, then cross them over to the other side. then try.really sounds like your timing is way off for some reason though.


jc

 

[Rad350Hog]

We triple checked the timing, is it possible to get the timing 180 off, where the marks still all match up?

 

[joe c]

yes, and thats what switching the plug wires will do. it'll bring it back to the right stroke. so try that. pull the wires off the plugs, then route them across the top of the engine. criss-cross them and plug them onto the other side. then give a it a try. if it fires up, thats the problem. that drove me insne for about an hour one day. and if i remember, it did nothing but backfire and make noise. you'll kick yoursef for not figuring it out.

give it a try, and let me know.

j

 

[JD]

I'm no guru but my first thought was timing also. joe may be right about the plug wires.

 

[UngaWunga]

quote:
I'm no guru but my first thought was timing also. joe may be right about the plug wires.

Done that. Easy to put the points cam on 180deg around.

 

[Brentadour]

Quit screwing around and get that bitch running. Spring is suposed to be comming soon.


Edited by - brentadour on Mar 14 2004 6:13:51 PM

 

[Rad350Hog]

It was the points cam. I put it on backwards, just like when you put your boxers on backwards and then the hole's in the back so you cant take a piss without dropping your drawers. I hate that



Edited by - rad350hog on Mar 22 2004 09:01:02 AM

 

[joe c]

well, look at it this way, youve checked the timing like 500 times, and the valves, and everything else. it'll probably run better than ever!! woohoo. ii thought they were at exactly 180 degrees from each other. how does that make as difference?? now i'll have to look at that next time i have the scrambler apart. or was it that the locating pin wasnt in the hole so it was free wheeling around. the cam should have a pin on it that sort of should prevent that from happening.

hmmm.


j

 

[Rad350Hog]

The litting points cam is two pieces, the cylinder and the plate with the springs. when I put it in the first time I line both the notches up (the notch on the plate and the notch on the cylinder) well it turns out those arent supposed to be lined up cause it works now.

 

[panic]

On the other hand:
http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm

Edited by - panic on Jul 19 2004 10:58:19 PM

 

[Brentadour]

He has more problems than engine break in now