"Break in oil" for reman engine

[mrsilv04]

Marshall honored the warranty and provided a second reman engine. But I think I was stuck with labor to do a remove and second install.

What company does do high quality reman engines if not Jasper or Marshall?

Jasper provided a bare-bones labor allowance for installing replacements 2 and 3 (the shop ate the rest), but no allowance at all for fluids.

My starter, alternator, power steering pump (and so on) have been bolted to four different long blocks at this point (the original, and then to Jaspers 1, 2 and 3).

My theory on Jasper is meth. They're located in rural southern Indiana. When they're struggling to reliably rebuild a GM 5.3, then they've clearly got some sort of a problem on their hands.

 

[Chris142]

I bought a Marshall reman for my Jeep 4.0. Maybe a one off, never happened before or after on a Marshall engine. The oil galley had not been properly cleaned. It has a Y in it, some oil to bearings and some to top end. The section going to the top end was clogged. Engine was started and had oil pressure but no oil to top end. Marshall honored the warranty and provided a second reman engine. But I think I was stuck with labor to do a remove and second install.

What company does do high quality reman engines if not Jasper or Marshall?

Find a local shop. A 1 or 2 guy shop cant afford goofs like this.

 

[Donald]

Find a local shop. A 1 or 2 guy shop cant afford goofs like this.

But a small machine shop cannot afford the expensive machinery that Jasper or Marshall can.

 

[Chris142]

But a small machine shop cannot afford the expensive machinery that Jasper or Marshall can.

The ones here have the top of the line stuff. I'm sure it's the same as jasper. The best tools are not any good with dummies using them.

 

[paulo57509]

I remember the days where break-in oil was just non-detergent oil (Pennzoil black label) of the same grade that would be used after break-in. Why use non-detergent? I have no idea.

I had a nightmare experience with an ATK rebuild; VW Rabbit diesel.

 

[ka9mnx]

Break in oil was used years ago for seating the rings with the cylinder walls.

 

[guy48065]

Break in oil was used years ago for seating the rings with the cylinder walls.

Why only "years ago"?
We're talking about a reman engine -- no coated cylinders here.

I have a motor-head buddy that tells me the new brake in is NOT to baby a motor for 1000 miles. Put dino oil in it & run it hard right way. Seats the rings while the crosshatching is still sharp in the cylinders. No oil bypass blue cloud.

I don't know about that. I'm driving pretty normal but keeping the rpms under 5k.

 

[ka9mnx]

Why only "years ago"?
We're talking about a reman engine -- no coated cylinders here.

I have a motor-head buddy that tells me the new brake in is NOT to baby a motor for 1000 miles. Put dino oil in it & run it hard right way. Seats the rings while the crosshatching is still sharp in the cylinders. No oil bypass blue cloud.

I don't know about that. I'm driving pretty normal but keeping the rpms under 5k.

Because years ago machining cylinder walls and the available piston rings wasn't what it is today. It was practiced by all to machine the walls "rough" to aid in ring seal. Years ago, my buddies and I used non detergent dino oil for break in. WM sells non detergent 30 grade oil if your interested. In your case not knowing anything about the reman process, I probably would do the break in procedure.

 

[CheezWhiz]

Sell it and buy a 90's vintage 4.0 Jeep Cherokee. A 4.0 from that era with 150k miles on it has more remaining life than your Traverse ...

 

[guy48065]

Too late for that.
A 90's jeep is about all I can afford but I've already put too much time & money into THIS truck to walk away now.

 

[AKhan87]

After having 3 Jasper remanufactured engines under the hood of my truck in a year's time (2 were defective from Jasper), I can assure you that the quality of the remanufactured engine, and the company doing the work, is much more important than worrying about the oil that is in it.

I used cheap Formula Shell 5w-30 as break-in oil... but I'm not even sure if it is even available anymore. From the UOA's, it was a mediocre oil.... but was good enough for 500-3000 mile runs, which is all that I needed. I doubt that it had anything synthetic in it, LOL.

YESSSS one of the engines I had to rebuild was a Jasper engine, terrible job on the rebuild, except the internals were very clean, which isn't relevant if you don't torque things properly.

 

[TomYoung]

A 13 year Traverse with a bad engine is totalled and belongs in the junk yard. Not sure why anyone would replace the engine, especially with a new one. Throwing good money after bad.

This comment is ill-informed. While there might be some of these cars where the engine replacement is questionable, the car could just as easily be otherwise mint, lower mileage, well-maintained and primed for a refreshed engine. When the cost of a new car is $50,000 and the replacement engine is $3-5K, with a good prospect of another 100,000 miles, a refreshed engine can be a great choice. If your intention was to share your negative opinion of this car, I suppose that is something else. 2010 models have had some reported engine issues, but plenty of people are using them as comparatively large, economical, comfortable family vehicles well past 150k.

 

[atikovi]

If your intention was to share your negative opinion of this car, I suppose that is something else. 2010 models have had some reported engine issues, but plenty of people are using them as comparatively large, economical, comfortable family vehicles well past 150k.

Not my opinion,

 

[KEVINK0000]

To each his own.

Break in oil is still a thing, in my opinion. Especially in the first 10 hours of run time.

 

[FastLane]

I would look at a local engine shop to rebuild vs these remanufactured junk. I’ve never heard one person ever get a good one.

 

[Chris142]

I remember the days where break-in oil was just non-detergent oil (Pennzoil black label) of the same grade that would be used after break-in. Why use non-detergent? I have no idea.

View attachment 181365

I had a nightmare experience with an ATK rebuild; VW Rabbit diesel.

I heard that the detergents didn't allow the zddp to work as quickly. Today's non detergent oils are non additived also

 

[someonesomewhere]

I bought a Marshall reman for my Jeep 4.0. Maybe a one off, never happened before or after on a Marshall engine. The oil galley had not been properly cleaned. It has a Y in it, some oil to bearings and some to top end. The section going to the top end was clogged. Engine was started and had oil pressure but no oil to top end. Marshall honored the warranty and provided a second reman engine. But I think I was stuck with labor to do a remove and second install.

What company does do high quality reman engines if not Jasper or Marshall?

DIY. Get the block and heads dipped and magnafluxed at a machine shop, and have the heads resurfaced and rebuilt. Refresh the cylinder walls, align hone the block and have the crank cleaned up and refinished. Buy a rebuild kit, will have all gaskets/bearings/etc, and assemble yourself. It's really not that hard. Just make sure you torque everything properly. If I was doing it at 14, you can do it, too!

May cost the same or a bit more, but you'll know the parts are actually good and the assembly was done correctly. Just research your particular engine beforehand, and it's handy to have a good shop manual handy for torque specs and tolerances and such. Car-specific forums and subreddits are good sources for info and tips-n-tricks for your specific application. It's a big project, but it's fun. And there's little else that feels better than the first time it starts up, it's like when your kids are born.

 

[someonesomewhere]

I would look at a local engine shop to rebuild vs these remanufactured junk. I’ve never heard one person ever get a good one.

Took my Dad 2 tries to get a good one from Jasper. Somehow they managed to mess up assembling a Ford 300 I6, first one developed a horrible rod knock. Second one was fine, and they did warranty the first. Pain in the butt having to R&R less than a month after doing the first time. Glad it was a truck and not a van, at least!

 

[someonesomewhere]

Jasper provided a bare-bones labor allowance for installing replacements 2 and 3 (the shop ate the rest), but no allowance at all for fluids.

My starter, alternator, power steering pump (and so on) have been bolted to four different long blocks at this point (the original, and then to Jaspers 1, 2 and 3).

My theory on Jasper is meth. They're located in rural southern Indiana. When they're struggling to reliably rebuild a GM 5.3, then they've clearly got some sort of a problem on their hands.

They're also in Nashville. I think they have multiple shops. That's why my Dad chose them 20 years back, they were local so no freight charges were involved.

 

[someonesomewhere]

Not my opinion,

Yeah, but it's that guy's opinion. Which is somehow almost worse, blindly distributing opinion-based 'facts' around the internet, without first disclaiming that you have no personal experience with the matter being discussed. I.e., this specific vehicle. Not a good look, imo.