New engine break-in progress

[PoAdeleted5]

Well, at 4 hours on the newly overhauled O-360 in my Cherokee 180, everything seems to be hunky-dory. The first hour saw about 1/2 qt or slightly more oil consumed, along with a lot of fuel.

Now I'm up to 4 hours and the oil consumption already seems to have stabilised. Oil temps are steady at a hair under the 180 mark. They go up a little bit in climb, go down a little bit in cruise. Fuel consumption seems to be going down to normal levels too. Hopefully these Millennium cylinders live up to the advertising. So far, so good.

Don't have a CHT gage in the plane, wish I did. Got a single EGT on #3 and leaned it in cruise to about 75 ROP as in the break-in instructions. Looks good. Power is certainly good, at 75% cruise RPM, I've got lots of throttle left, more than I remember on the pre-overhauled engine. Have no problems hitting redline RPM on the tach in straight and level flight. To the point of I'm considering a pitch change if it can be done.

I guess beating on it with a wrench and a checkbook was the best medicine.

 

[Let'sgoflying!]

I like to dump that oil out regularily during the early hours. Its full of trash If it looks grey/opaque all of a sudden, or oil consumption stabilizes, or at 5-10 hours - I like to change it. Again 10-20 hrs later. Might add a hundred bucks to do this but if it adds 10 hours to a 2000 hr tbo it would pay off.

 

[pcorman]

Well, at 4 hours on the newly overhauled O-360 in my Cherokee 180, everything seems to be hunky-dory. The first hour saw about 1/2 qt or slightly more oil consumed, along with a lot of fuel.

Now I'm up to 4 hours and the oil consumption already seems to have stabilised. Oil temps are steady at a hair under the 180 mark. They go up a little bit in climb, go down a little bit in cruise. Fuel consumption seems to be going down to normal levels too. Hopefully these Millennium cylinders live up to the advertising. So far, so good.

Don't have a CHT gage in the plane, wish I did. Got a single EGT on #3 and leaned it in cruise to about 75 ROP as in the break-in instructions. Looks good. Power is certainly good, at 75% cruise RPM, I've got lots of throttle left, more than I remember on the pre-overhauled engine. Have no problems hitting redline RPM on the tach in straight and level flight. To the point of I'm considering a pitch change if it can be done.

I guess beating on it with a wrench and a checkbook was the best medicine.

So I broke in a Lyc O360-A1D on my Mooney as follows:
1. Broke it in for the frist 25 hrs with Mineral Oil
2. Flew it at 25/25 below 7000 for 3+ hrs at cruise each flight.
3. At 25hrs, changed the oil/filter and flew it with 100W+ ever since

I get 9.7gph and usually put my second quart of oil around 23-25hrs, and I don't add until it dips below 6 on the stick.