[bigz5000]

Well.....The build is done...or i thought it was

a little back ground since im pretty new to this forumn. Bought a 98 cobra in may, drove it for four weeks, had an oil pump failure which lead to a spun bearing.

Build: MMR built shortblock, windage tray, MMR Oil Pump, Spec 2+ Clutch, ARP Head Studs, Fel Pro Gaskets all around, New Water Pump, New Lifters and valve seals, Heads Hot tanked and milled, Cams polished due to a few gouges.

Disconnected the coils for the first few cranks to build a little oil pressure and move some coolant in.

First turn with the coils plugged in and it fired right up. Took about 3 seconds and my oil pressure jumped to 100PSI and held 90-100 for 30 seconds or so. The engine was smoking, but from what i hear this is normal. Had to shut it down due to my power steering pump gushing out oil. Must have pinched the line at some point.

Moral of the story...IT STARTED FIRST TRY.

Questions ...What is normal for my oil pressure to be at? Should i be concerned it was so high? Is the smoking actually normal?

I am pumped it started but disappointed i had to shut it down early.

Thanks for the in put

[majorownage]

your pressure is fine.... run 5w for better starting up lubrication.

if you have a tune for you charger, let the car warm till at operating temperature, then put some psi into it to seat the rings.

Do not be afraid to take it up to 6k and above. Just make sure to vary your rpms and throttle

[bigz5000]

I have a tune for the blower, so that shouldnt be a problem.

Anything else i need to do? And the smoking is normal?

[Tang Stang]

I agree that the oil pressure is fine. What exactly was smoking? You'll get a little oil smoke out of the exhaust until you seat the rings, which you want to do as soon as possible.

[bigz5000]

not sure exaclty what was smoking, it was coming from under the hood but im not sure of the source. From what im told, its all different lubes involved in the assemply that are burning of. Plus the grease and oil that were on my hands while putting the engine together. But idfk....This is by my first build, and it was all completely new to me.

[Tang Stang]

Handprints on headers, valvecovers, etc., along with any oil residues are going to burn off and smoke a little on your first startup or two. That's normal.

[bigz5000]

What about the coolant system....What i did was just fill the reservoir up and left the cap off so i could fill it as it sucked it in....but i didnt have the car running for long enough. Should I have done someting different?

[Tang Stang]

Normally, you would fill the system through the cap on the crossover tube, but I see that you don't have one. I'd pull the temp sender that you have in your tube, fill the system through there, run the engine, and repeat once the engine has cooled back down.

[Trick Tuners]

I usually "pump" the big tube to the radiator with the engine idling and the nose of the car slightly uphill. Leave the cap open and add fluid as needed. Once the level doesn't drop, and i don't see or hear bubbles i call it done. A small amount of smoke is normal. If its pouring out smoke then something is wrong.

[bigz5000]

How much oil is normal for my car to burn duyring the break-in. i think it is smoking when i hit the gas pedal.

I have 50 miles or so on the car, and have ran it at varing speeds and rpms up to 70 MPh and about 4500 RPMS. I also let it run for about an hr after the first start up.

I just want to make sure i dont mess anything up.

[Tang Stang]

Originally Posted by bigz5000 I also let it run for about an hr after the first start up.

Just idling? Typically, you'd start it up, run it for 10 minutes, do an oil change to get the assembly lube and any debris out, then take the car out on the road to seat the rings. I usually do about 10 pulls from 30-70 MPH, increasing the load on each pull (but staying out of boost) to seat the rings. It will smoke a little on the first few pulls, but it shouldn't smoke at all by the sixth or seventh pull. After that, just take it easy for the next few hundred miles and you're good to go.

Oh, and don't run synthetic oil for the first 1000 miles.

[bigz5000]

I varied the rpms up to 2500. How will I know when the rings are seated? What happens if I fucked up

[Tang Stang]

A good indicator that the rings are seated is when you quit getting oil smoke from the exhaust. If the cylinder walls glaze over and the rings don't seat, it's going to be an oil-burner. The only way to cure that is to re-hone the block and install new rings.

[bigz5000]

well could i have messed it up with this few miles on the car?

[majorownage]

Originally Posted by bigz5000 well could i have messed it up with this few miles on the car?

bro you are fine.

get the car up to temp, then get the rpms at least to 6k you gotta have boost to seat the rings

[Mach Boy]

Good to see that you got that motor in and running.

[bigz5000]

thanks again for the hook on with the shortblock. Now I just want to make sure i dont f it up.

[Tang Stang]

Originally Posted by bigz5000 well could i have messed it up with this few miles on the car?

Idling it for an hour wasn't the best for it, but you should still be fine. If you haven't changed the oil yet, do so now. Afterward, take it out on the road and seat the rings.

[bigz5000]

Originally Posted by majorownage bro you are fine. get the car up to temp, then get the rpms at least to 6k you gotta have boost to seat the rings

Originally Posted by Tang Stang Just idling? Typically, you'd start it up, run it for 10 minutes, do an oil change to get the assembly lube and any debris out, then take the car out on the road to seat the rings. I usually do about 10 pulls from 30-70 MPH, increasing the load on each pull (but staying out of boost) to seat the rings. It will smoke a little on the first few pulls, but it shouldn't smoke at all by the sixth or seventh pull. After that, just take it easy for the next few hundred miles and you're good to go. Oh, and don't run synthetic oil for the first 1000 miles.

Boost or no Boost....

[majorownage]

Originally Posted by bigz5000 Boost or no Boost....

if you have a tune, you will be fine to run boost.

boost will REALLY help seal the rings really nicely. If you do not seal the rings, it will be leaky forever from the rings getting glazed over instead of seating against the walls.