Originally Posted by afm

The article I posted on WOT break-in is not mine, as I said there, it is Dave Gierke's article published in Nitro Magazine. So I used a combination of methods in my second P/S set.

First i did One Tank on the break-in bench, as per STS's method:
First tank of fuel: Start your engine, idle for 2 minutes then stop and let it cool down. Whenever you stop the motor please ensure, by rotating the flywheel by hand (careful it can be hot), that the piston is NOT at Top Dead Center (TDC), let it cool. Repeat the "start-idle cycle" until you finish one tank of fuel. If idle rpm is too high, adjust the slow needle. Make sure the temperature is under 80C (176F), it is good if some raw fuel is spitting from the exhaust.

Note: This way we call it cold run in. The piston expands when hot and shrinks when cold. This way we let the piston adapt to changes of temperature and also let the piston get tempered and get the correct clearances. If you do the "start-idle cycle", you will find the engine is more easy to break-in.
All engines need to warm up a while after started. One is for heat expansion and another reason is for lubrication. So don't full throttle the engine when it is still cold...
So also, I usually let my engine idle for a while if I have opened it. All parts need to run-in for a while, including conrod, bearings, crank...etc. So if I change any part I will let it idle for a while too. One is for heat expansion and another reason is for lubrication. So don't full throttle the engine when it is still cold...

Second and third tank on the break-in bench, at WOT very rich, as per Gierkes or Cyrul's method
Next tanks on the car, in the track, up to complete 1 liter of Maxy's fuel.

Hope it is clear now

AFM