DIY Car Maintenance

Got it all back together. That first startup was a bit nerve wracking, but it runs great! Much smoother and quieter, restored power, increased oil pressure, no blow-by out of the valve cover vents, and the new rings still haven't broken in yet.

I'm going to run this oil for 200 miles then change it. While driving I try to give it moderate acceleration and avoid excessive idling or highway drives where the rpm will be the same for extended periods of time.

As I started the re-assembly process, doubts started to creep in. "Is my torque wrench accurate?" "Man I hope I did this right" etc, but it seems everything is great.
 
mountainaire said:
I'm going to run this oil for 200 miles then change it. While driving I try to give it moderate acceleration and avoid excessive idling or highway drives where the rpm will be the same for extended periods of time.
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Do you care to elaborate on why excessive idling is to be avoided?

With my car I lack easy access to power and usually I don't drive more than a couple times a week. So keeping the battery charged is something that I focus on. As a result there is a lot of idling going on, is this a bad thing? Thanks for the inspiring documentary posts! (y) (I wish I had a workspace.)
 
DeWoken said:
Do you care to elaborate on why excessive idling is to be avoided?

With my car I lack easy access to power and usually I don't drive more than a couple times a week. So keeping the battery charged is something that I focus on. As a result there is a lot of idling going on, is this a bad thing? Thanks for the inspiring documentary posts! (y) (I wish I had a workspace.)
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Can you use a battery tender? A basic one is very cheap and does the job for a common car.

In regards to idling there are actually multiple reasons why it's bad but the main reason in your case would be because you're running it with cold oil for so long, as opposed to starting it up and driving it allowing the oil to heat up as fast as possible. There is also buildup issues with unburned fuel, wear and tear like fans working harder....things like that. Lots of other stuff I'm sure I'm missing as well....
 
FrancisK said:
Can you use a battery tender? A basic one is very cheap and does the job for a common car.

In regards to idling there are actually multiple reasons why it's bad but the main reason in your case would be because you're running it with cold oil for so long, as opposed to starting it up and driving it allowing the oil to heat up as fast as possible. There is also buildup issues with unburned fuel, wear and tear like fans working harder....things like that. Lots of other stuff I'm sure I'm missing as well....
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I have heard long idling is bad in general, but I took the original post to refer to long idling during the break in period.

As I understand it you want to vary the engine RPM and avoid putting it under full power during the break in period. You are trying to let the new parts wear in against each other, and you want a uniform wear pattern. Long idling, or long periods of driving at the same speed could create irregular patterns of wear instead of the uniform wear you want.
 
Thomas More said:
I have heard long idling is bad in general, but I took the original post to refer to long idling during the break in period.

As I understand it you want to vary the engine RPM and avoid putting it under full power during the break in period. You are trying to let the new parts wear in against each other, and you want a uniform wear pattern. Long idling, or long periods of driving at the same speed could create irregular patterns of wear instead of the uniform wear you want.
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Yea @mountainaire current situation is different from @DeWoken who was just referring to everyday use I believe from his comments.
 
DeWoken said:
Do you care to elaborate on why excessive idling is to be avoided?

With my car I lack easy access to power and usually I don't drive more than a couple times a week. So keeping the battery charged is something that I focus on. As a result there is a lot of idling going on, is this a bad thing? Thanks for the inspiring documentary posts! (y) (I wish I had a workspace.)
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I was keeping idling down because I honed the cylinders and put new rings on the pistons. I've read that too much idling will prevent your new rings from seating properly against the cylinder walls and could potentially glaze the cylinder walls which is bad.

It's strictly a new engine parts break in thing. For an already broken-in engine idling shouldn't hurt it.
 
Just think about how an engine is an energy generator and how is operates. It's constantly having mini explosions while it's running. So figure idling like yourself jogging in place. You are constantly generating energy through your body to you legs yet your not really using that energy for useful work.

Now imagine mechanical parts jogging in place (idle) not really using its energy its producing to do anything useful. It just puts unnecessary wear on your engine parts for which there are a ton.

That is how I would explain it if I was a teacher. Maybe with more examples but I think the point is clear.
 
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