On 4/8/05 10:00 AM, "jbange" <hfinn@INGRATES.NET> wrote:

>>> 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"

Thanks, John.

James V
90 Carat