Hey guys got my freshly rebuilt motor in and going to do first start tomorrow, the engine builder is recommending penrite HPR30 which is a 20w-60 weight oil, then changing to motul 300v 15-50 after run in.
I know the general consensus is to trust the builders instructions but reading through forum posts and even mazdas guide, im seeing a lot of people saying to run a 10w-30 mineral for run in.
The motor has slightly looser clearance as its a high hp single turbo build which could be the reason for the thicker oil.
Any advice, also general start up procedure advice would be appreciated, cheers.

 

Shell Rotella T4 15w40 is a popular break-in oil in the USA due to the high zinc content. 20w60 is definitely thick on the second 'warmed up' number but not completely outlandish if that's what your builder specs. 15w50 is a solid choice for warmer climates once broken in, I just filled with 20w50 Idemitsu myself yesterday.

General startup procedure, make sure you have a strong battery ideally with a jumper pack connected. Pull your EGI fuse and crank for about ten seconds for three or four times to help build oil pressure. Make sure the car is in a well ventilated area as they tend to smoke on first startup

 

If you are still using the OMP and its lines, I would also add premix to the gas for the first tankful.
It takes a while for oil to flow through the lines.
Especially if you installed new lines this is critical.

I also use non synthetic oil for the first 500 miles. The switch over to Idemitsu oil.

 

As I recall there are usually rpm and boost level recommendations keyed to mileage as well. Along with a couple of specific shorter change intervals. Seems like those were pretty important too. Did your builder give you those as well?

I second that it’s gonna smoke like a battleship so warn the neighbors. After it gets up to full temp and stops you’ll probably want a new set of plugs.

 

I have been building rotary motors for street and race cars for 40 + years and will only use Penrite HPR40 oil at all times including run in

 

Hpr30 is the go-to for most guys in Aus.

 

Kilo had me on Penzoil straight 40 if I recall correctly. I then switched to Castrol 20w50 to see if what would happen with the oil temp.
After what I considered to be broke in I switched to Royal Purple HPS. I may switch over to idemitsu. I wasn't pleased with their customer service as the 10w30 is a bit thin for my liking and their 20w50 is a bit thick. Not sure if you can mix and match them. Their customer service was absolutely 0 help. You probably can combine them, but I guess I would need to hear from them to feel comfortable.
I use idemitsu pre mic and I have from day 1 with omp.

Oh btw...BTW.... I change my oil like a crack head hitting his pipe. This fd has seen more oil changes than any car I have owned. I hope it pays off lol

 

Get some cheap 20w50 oil and a good oil filter. Put it in and crank engine with EGI fuse pulled until you have oil pressure showing. Put fuse back in and start engine. Run for 15-20 minutes and let it fully come up to temp at idle, checking for leaks, etc.

Drain oil and change filter.

Put in a good 20w50 oil that you like. I have used Castrol GTX. There's no reason to use a good oil on the 15 minute first start, it won't be in the engine that long. If the engine was assembled properly there's a good coat of assembly lube everywhere.

Personally I don't see any reason to get a synthetic oil or anything special oil-wise. 20w50 is a good weight for most cars, the oil will thin with gas as time goes on and that extra bit of thickness helps. 10w30 if you are in a cold climate.

I have NEVER seen an engine that was "gee, if they would have used x brand of oil it would have lasted so much longer!". Special oil doesn't keep apex seals from breaking or water seals from failing which is 98% of FD engine failures.

Run a decent oil, change at 3000 miles with a good filter (I like the Purolator Pure One PL14459 filter, it's the FC filter and it's bigger) and you will be good there.

Dale

 

Edit

 

For anyone interested - I just phoned Penrite (major oil manufacturer in Australia) about the use of synthetic oil in a rotary as theres a disclaimer on their hpr10 15w-50 oil that it is not recommended for use in rotary motors.
The guy i spoke to brought up a tech document from mazda backdated to 2016 saying that they do not endorse the use of any synthetic or semi synthetic products in rotaries.

Hate to turn this into another synthetic vs mineral debate () but its food for thought

 

if we've learned anything about the Rotary is that it doesn't really care that much about what oil you put in it, as long as there is some and its clean.

 

Really…who knew.

 

im aware its common knowledge but usually the argument is that its because of the quality of synthetics from their original testing back in the 90s or even earlier, so the key piece of information is that its back dated to 2016 ie they still standby that statement even with todays modern synthetic oils.. apparantly.

 

I think i read somewhere once it was due to varying build quality on the Renesis engines .
it is quite possible i made that up though.

 

Lol..... I did a simple test of burning different types of oil on a spoon with a torch. I burned a few synthetics and a few minerals.
RP and Idemitsu burned cleaner than the minerals I tested. That was enough for me.
I never tested the 2 stroke oils.