> > After an initial 500 mi break-in procedure and oil changes, is it okay to
> > drive a van w/ newly rebuilt 2.1L on a 900 mi road trip?  Can it be driven
> > as normal at constant highway speeds?  Mountain passes?  20W-50?

I'm no expert, but from what I've read in preparation for my own upcoming
rebuilt install, it should be fine. As I understand it, the real big deal
early on is heat buildup from the friction of the new rings. I think
keeping the speed down during the first 500 miles gets you past the lions
share of the ring seating process, so overheating at high speed shouldn't
be an issue after that. You may want to change the oil halfway through your
trip to keep the particulates in the oil down. I reckon the best bet for
judging whether you're pushing it too hard is to keep an eye on your
temperature. Ideally you'd want to install an oil temp sensor and gauge to
watch, but only a paranoid nut like me has sprung for something like that,
so the stock water temp gauge is probably an adequate indicator. I dunno
'bout the grade of oil. So long as your oil pressure isn't astronomically
high, 20W-50 is probably good.

John Bange
'90 Vanagon "Geldsauger"