Morris Minor Owners Club

As above title, running in oil.... What would people suggest as to use in a fresh rebuilt and balanced minor 1098 engine for the first 500 miles?

Perfectly normal 20W50 oil - the stuff from Wilko or Morrisons is fine.

Running in oil is not required these days but if you have it use it. I would still change the engine oil after 500 miles.
While we are on the subject of new engines. Did you use an engine build lube i.e. TORCO or KENT cam lube when rebuilding the engine? Those two products protect the engine in the first few minutes after start up. Personally I would never build an engine without using an engine build lube. Even if you do turn it over without the plugs installed until the oil pressure is up and then keep it going (an extra 20 secs should be sufficient) until the oil is well distributed around the engine the engine build lube would have still protected your valuable engine during that initial period. You have spent all that time and money on a new engine and it sounds as if you have if it is all balanced so do all you can to protect your investment.

Phil - while that advice is undoubtedly good for a 'race' engine - a standard 1098 will be fine if spun up on the starter with no plugs....it's certainly all I ever did/do. It must of course be assembled with lashings of clean oil - and tested for free turning as each bearing is torqued up...... I do feel these 'cam lube' potions are a bit of a 'con' - it will be wiped off first turn of the engine !

Hi, yes the engine was assembled with proper engine build lube. supplied by the engine balancing company. I have some millers 20w50 premium mineral oil in stock (buy in bulk to save the pennys) and so I guess I will be ok using this as normal...

The trouble with using oil when assembling an engine is that it tends to run off the bearing surfaces over time and engine build lube does not do that. So if you have taken some time to build the engine you could end up with very little or no oil on the bearings etc when you come to turn it over on the starter; and you cannot oil everything once the sump is fitted. Better to play safe and use the engine build lube even in a bog standard engine. At £5.17 inc VAT for a 250ml container I feel it is a very good investment and it make me feel better as well knowing that I have done my best to protect the engine on initial start up which is one of the most critical times for any engine.

It is my understanding that running in oil doesn't have the anti-wear additives found in normal oil.
The idea is to bed in the rings to the bores properly.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_additive

The Wilko etc stuff will be perfect then! Engine build lube - my wonder is that it will block small oil passages. A squirt of oil down the bores and a good spin up before starting - it's never done any of my engines any harm....

First, I'm not disagreeing with any of the above postings. I'm just going to tell what I think is the history and logic behind "running in" oil.
My experience comes from Airplanes I've owned. They were from the 1940's and low horsepower, (85 to 145 hp.)
Back in the day, engines didn't have oil filters, or only had mesh screens. The screens were cleaned and replace on a schedule. Oil wasn't sophisticated. I'm sure some can remember the sludge buildup you would find when adjusting valves or looking in the tappet covers. All the metal particles, dirt, lead, contaminants etc would settle out of the oil and collect where gravity dictated.
Fast forward to the "Modern Era." Chemists have been working on oils, and now we have "detergent" oils. What they do is hold the contaminants in suspension. The larger chunks obviously settle out as before. Engines have started using better filters that require changing. If you generate sludge while using today's oils, you have a problem.
With an engine overhaul, there was a need to use "non-detergent" for the break in period. This is when the rings are seating, the bearings are getting polished etc. This is a period of maximum contaminants being generated by the engine.
After the break in period (typically 25 to 50 hours for an airplane engine) the oil was drained, filter changed, and you go back to using "normal" oil.
The airplane engine manufacturers, by the way, warned about being gentle when breaking in an engine. They want a 2 or 3 minute run to check for leaks, and then start the engine again, take off as quickly as you can, and run it at full power for at lease an hour.
Fast forward to today. Since cars and engines are being assembled by robots, the parts manufacturing tolerances are much tighter. There is little or no high points to be polished off while "breaking in" an engine. Cars come out of the factory with original oil and filter good for 7 to 10 thousand miles.
David

That all sounds spot on to me.
The only thing is our engines aren't getting reconditioned by robots, and the metallurgy hasn't changed on the block at least.

I change my oil at 3000 Miles (older type filter ) 5000 for a spin filter . cheapest oil it works . My modern car at 30000 Miles with the modern recommend oil it also works ( it has 330000 miles on clock and runs well)

When I rebuilt my Series II engine, I used Morris Lubricants' Running In Oil for about 500 miles, and then switched to the regular Golden Film 20w50.

Following the running-in process carefully and progressively increasing engine speed and load, it took a good 750 miles to 'loosen up', and after I'd covered 1500 miles it was a very sweet and lively runner.

I was going to use some Castrol 20w 50 mineral oil, but think I will get some MORRIS or MILLERS classic running in oil...

Just use inexpensive 20W50 - from Wilko/Morrisons etc ! It's fine for 'running in' and for every day use in an A series. Just don't expect it to last 'for ever' - so change it every 3000 miles or so.