Hi, I’ve just finished rebuilding my 1.8TSI engine - new rings, valve stems, stem seals, hydraulic lifters, 4 valves, timing chain & tensioner and re-manufactured turbo.  I didn’t have the usual timing tensioner fault, just a combination of wear - likely caused by the infamous variable servicing - that resulted in a valve burning out. Knowing of the potential timing tensioner failure, I changed the tensioner and chain while I was at it.

 

After rebuild, I cranked her with plugs out for 30 seconds to get the oil round before starting, and ran diagnostics which found the steering angle sensor ‘fault’ and MIL, as expected.

 

On first start she ran a bit fast and sounded like a bucket of nails at the top end, before the valve lifters primed. After about 10 seconds she settled into a normal idle, and the tappetty noise reduced, but she still sounds rattly.

 

How long should it take for the hydraulic lifters to settle down, and will this happen while idling or does it take some proper driving?

 

My second question is about running in, and I’ve Googled as well as searching here, but either find no answers or contradictory answers. The intuitive method is just to drive slowly and gently to begin with, but other suggestions seem to encourage driving at higher, rather than lower revs - not thrashing it obviously - but some have suggested running in with sport mode selected, so as to get the revs up between automatic gear changes.

 

Some excerpts:

”Baby it for the first 100 miles”

”Never baby it - Drive like a normal person”

”Drive it hard to get the piston rings bedded in before the cylinder walls glaze”

”Get the cylinder pressure up - lots of engine braking”

 

(the last only being do-able if I put it in manual mode)

 

Does anyone have a definitive running in regime for this engine/these new parts?  What driving style, how long to oil change etc., to prevent initial damage and promote longevity?

 

Any and all answers much appreciated as ever, thanks

Edited 13 January, 20197 yr by TygerTyger
Running in quotes

IMO,

5w 40 FS oil so VW502 & not Long Life oil in and drive it easy til you see all is well. So UK NSL's if in the UK.

 

Then do an Oil  & filter change in 3,000 miles if you are minded, or before 9,400 miles, then again use 5w 40 FS.   No long life oils even for fixed services.

New lifters or those that have been stood for a very long time may pump up most of the way but remain tappety until one or more prolonged high speed runs at full engine and oil temperature.

 

The only thing that you have to run in is the piston rings and I would concur with the advice about avoiding bore glazing, unfortunately running a good quality oil to the VAG spec will work against you here, my method is to find a long duel carriageway hill, even better one with switchbacks like an alpine pass, load the vehicle with passengers and/or weighty items and accelerate hard up the hill, drive gently to the bottom and repeat the process all evening, it works as well as running 50/50 oil and paraffin on a full load dyno run while sprinkling Ajax in the intake without any colatteral damage.

38 minutes ago, J.R. said:

New lifters or those that have been stood for a very long time may pump up most of the way but remain tappety until one or more prolonged high speed runs at full engine and oil temperature.

 

The only thing that you have to run in is the piston rings and I would concur with the advice about avoiding bore glazing, unfortunately running a good quality oil to the VAG spec will work against you here, my method is to find a long duel carriageway hill, even better one with switchbacks like an alpine pass, load the vehicle with passengers and/or weighty items and accelerate hard up the hill, drive gently to the bottom and repeat the process all evening, it works as well as running 50/50 oil and paraffin on a full load dyno run while sprinkling Ajax in the intake without any colatteral damage.

That's comforting to hear (the advice, not the rattly tappetts). I've filled it with the cheapest suitable 5W/30 offered by Opie Oils, as again, when looking for oil advice there were many conflicting views on offer (as per Ajax in the intake - comments range from "are you insane?!!" to "yep, works great and doesn't hurt anything").  There's a stretch of M11 between Stansted and Duxford that fits the ups and downs spec, and I have my tools and trolley jack in the back of the car still. Taxi anyone?

Edited 13 January, 20197 yr by TygerTyger
Ajax comments

1 hour ago, Skoffski said:

IMO,

5w 40 FS oil so VW502 & not Long Life oil in and drive it easy til you see all is well. So UK NSL's if in the UK.

 

Then do an Oil  & filter change in 3,000 miles if you are minded, or before 9,400 miles, then again use 5w 40 FS.   No long life oils even for fixed services.

Thanks, 3,000 mile oil change noted.  The weight of opinion does seem to lean towards using 5W/40 rather than 5W/30, (and I'm already convinced of the evils of long life oils)

Edited 13 January, 20197 yr by TygerTyger
typo

I had a vehicle that had both your problems, long story short, written off Caterham with one of the first 2L Zetec conversions, K&N filter ripped off in accident, rainwater entered and made its way down into 2 cylinders rusting the bores, rings, valves and seats etc.

 

After repairing the vehicle I dismantled the engine and cleaned/freed everything up and honed the bores, they were quite pitted so I did not expect much On start up it clattered like mad, eventually settled down but were still too noisy and I had little confidence, compressions were low on 2 cylinders, it ran well but smoked and breathed oil.

 

One whole summers evening thrashing it up and down Bury hill in Sussex and it was as good as new to my great surprise, you could actually feel the power rising on each run and it ran sweeter and sweeter and the remaining tappet noise dissapeared. In fact it would probably have taken a new engine 100K miles on the road to run as sweet.

 

I used a cheap supermarket thin oil, no paraffin and changed it immediately after for full synthetic. That engine was one of the best I have ever had.