# Recommendation for 1st oil change



## mrsteve7 (Sep 2, 2015)

Regarding my 28 SHO; the manual calls for the 1st oil change after 5 hours of use for break-in.

However, given the mild winter last year, I've only put roughly 2 hours on the engine.

Typically, a duration of a year would call for an oil change, however given this is the break-in period, I'm curious if the oil should be retained until the 5-hour mark or changed now at the start of the season.


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## Cardo111 (Feb 16, 2015)

I am in the same situation as you regarding how many hours I have a new machine. I am going to wait till I have five hours before changing the oil. If we get no snow I will change it at the end of the season regardless because the additives may be compromised at that point. I will then likely switch over to synthetic. Some people wait for 2 Dino changes before switching to synthetic to ensure the valves seat properly.


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## linksbox (Oct 20, 2016)

It says 5 hrs for first change, and then every 20 hrs or once a year.
I look at it this way: whichever comes first.
So if the 5hrs is not done in a year, then do the once a year change. 
Oil is just for lubrication, it does not have any work in break in process other than collecting metal shavings and stuff so changing sooner than 5 hrs actually helps by introducing new fresh oil.

I would leave 5W-30 mineral oil until you have the 5 or so hours so every component can work itself before you change to synthetic.


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## Town (Jan 31, 2015)

linksbox said:


> It says 5 hrs for first change, and then every 20 hrs or once a year.
> I look at it this way: whichever comes first.
> So if the 5hrs is not done in a year, then do the once a year change.
> Oil is just for lubrication, it does not have any work in break in process other than collecting metal shavings and stuff so changing sooner than 5 hrs actually helps by introducing new fresh oil.
> ...


I like your logic for changing the oil as the manufacturer suggests.

I don't see the need to run "mineral" oil at all. I run synthetic from the start if crankcase was not filled, and change to synthetic at the first oil change to eliminate the factory fill. I don't see either type of oil as superior for break-in process except synthetic's better flow characteristics may eliminate break-in debris better.


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## linksbox (Oct 20, 2016)

Most small engine manufacturers fill the engines with traditional oil and not synthetic. 
They say that after 5 hrs or so you should change it to whatever your heart and wallet desire as long as you keep it certain weight (mostly 30) and viscosity according to operating temp. I never said that you had to start with dino oil.

There is a school of thought that says dino oil helps the rings work in faster than synthetic since it has less additives...

Amsoil has specialty "break in" oil... :
AMSOIL Break-In Oil is an SAE 30 viscosity grade oil formulated without friction modifiers to allow for quick and efficient piston ring seating in new and rebuilt engines.
The primary goal during engine break-in is to seat the rings against the cylinder wall. Properly seated rings increase compression, resulting in maximum horsepower; they reduce oil consumption and prevent hot combustion gases from entering the crankcase. To achieve this, however, the oil must allow the correct level of controlled wear to occur between the cylinder wall/ring interface while maintaining wear protection on other critical engine parts. Insufficient break-in leaves behind peaks on the cylinder wall that prevent the rings from seating. The deeper valleys, meanwhile, allow excess oil to collect and burn during combustion, increasing oil consumption. Too much wear results in cylinder glazing due to peaks rolling over into the valleys and preventing oil from collecting and adequately lubricating the cylinder wall.

The engine will break in with synthetic just as well, it may take it longer in my opinion and experience but it should not negatively impact the engine itself.


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## Boosted3g (Oct 9, 2016)

I would change it before the season starts. Regardless of hours it's been in a year. Synthetic or regular won't matter one bit and will break in fine. I got off regular oil in the early 2000s and broke in many fresh engines on our dyno running synthetic. My personal engine seeing over 40 lbs of boost and not one problem.


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## hfjeff (Jan 24, 2016)

I run full synthetic and change every season, regardless of hours. I would change it especially if you have the break-in oil still in from last year. They typically use about a quart so cost is really irrelevant. Warm it up and drain it and you will be surprised at the different colors in the oil (due to wear and break -in).


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