Guide for initial engine fire up

[Chryco Psycho]

This is the sequence I go through when firing a new engine for the first time
The  Proceedure is pretty simple , I assume the engine was built with usually red Bearing guard oil , we coat all the bearing surfaces with it , as well as pushrod tips & rocker shafts & tips , also put some in the oil pump gears so it has good vacuum ?
I never pre-oil the engine , I feel it is far more important to protect the cam than rotate the engine excessively , the brg guard will protect the surfaces until the oil arrives . I only rotate the engine enough to set the valves & generally install the intake AFTER setting the valves [if you have mechanical rockers] so I can recoat the cam lobes with lube .
1] Take your time & Check everything over carefully .
2] I remove the Power steering belt , if the steering has an problem you do not want to have to abort the cam break in ! I have had this happen .... not cool
3] I set the engine to 20* Before TDC on #1 cylinder firing stroke  & line up the reluctor & pickup tabs so you will have close to 18* timing as soon as you crank it . If you unplug the connector to the dist with the key on you can confirm spark , you will get 1 spark everytime you unplug it .
4] I use a spray paint cap & poke a small hole in the top ,then I flip it over ,fill it with fuel & allow the fuel to stream into the carb bowl vent tubes with the sight plugs out if holley style carb filling both front & rear / all bowls as even the secondaries have idle circuits , I then pump the accelerator pumps until fuel is visable squirting into the carb . Set the Idle mix screws @ 1.5 turns out from the bottom on most Holley type carbs , closer to 2-2.5 with Carter Eddy carbs .
5] Make sure all fluids are topped up , I always leave the rad cap off so you can add coolant as soon as the thermostat opens if needed but cap it as soon as it opens . I also put a pin hole in the thermostat when I nstall it to allow air to bleed trough .
6] Turn up the idle speed screw 4-5 turns so it should run in the 1800 rpm range immediatly
7] Have a hose handy to cool the rad if it starts to over heat just to spray the surface of the rad & increase the cooling efficiency , it will reach operating temp in approx 10 mins & needs to hold that temp for 10 more minimum .
8] pour 1/8 paint cap of fuel into the carb / intake
9] Hands clear ..... hit the key !     
You need 2 people 1 in the car watching gauges , the second working on the engine
Once it is running
It should fire immediatly
1] turn up the idle to 1800 -2000 rpm do not vary speed during the break in run
2] set float levels if externally adjustable , do this before installing the carb if they have to be set inside the carb , often the float levels are way off as a result of shipping / dropping the carb .
3] tweak timing advance until max RPM is reached without backfiring this will keep it cool as possible .
4] reset idle speed to maintain 1800-2000 rpm .
5] Adjust idle mixture screws , if your jetting is lean you can tell by having to open the mix screws out a little
Run engine for 20 minutes minimum all the time checking guages & monitoring engine speed .
After 20 mins or more idle the engine down to desired speed , reset the idle mix screws .
you should be good to go at least to the point where you can hook up the power steering & drive the car & start tuning the carb for best performance , if the idle screw need to be turned out your jetting is rich , if they need to be turned in you jetting is lean .
Neil

[Mrbill426]

Great right up! 

This is the sequence I go through when firing a new engine for the first time
The  Proceedure is pretty simple , I assume the engine was built with usually red Bearing guard oil , we coat all the bearing surfaces with it , as well as pushrod tips & rocker shafts & tips , also put some in the oil pump gears so it has good vacuum ?
I never pre-oil the engine , I feel it is far more important to protect the cam than rotate the engine excessively , the brg guard will protect the surfaces until the oil arrives . I only rotate the engine enough to set the valves & generally install the intake AFTER setting the valves [if you have mechanical rockers] so I can recoat the cam lobes with lube .
1] Take your time & Check everything over carefully .
2] I remove the Power steering belt , if the steering has an problem you do not want to have to abort the cam break in ! I have had this happen .... not cool
3] I set the engine to 20* Before TDC on #1 cylinder firing stroke  & line up the reluctor & pickup tabs so you will have close to 18* timing as soon as you crank it . If you unplug the connector to the dist with the key on you can confirm spark , you will get 1 spark everytime you unplug it .
4] I use a spray paint cap & poke a small hole in the top ,then I flip it over ,fill it with fuel & allow the fuel to stream into the carb bowl vent tubes with the sight plugs out if holley style carb filling both front & rear / all bowls as even the secondaries have idle circuits , I then pump the accelerator pumps until fuel is visable squirting into the carb . Set the Idle mix screws @ 1.5 turns out from the bottom on most Holley type carbs , closer to 2-2.5 with Carter Eddy carbs .
5] Make sure all fluids are topped up , I always leave the rad cap off so you can add coolant as soon as the thermostat opens if needed but cap it as soon as it opens . I also put a pin hole in the thermostat when I nstall it to allow air to bleed trough .
6] Turn up the idle speed screw 4-5 turns so it should run in the 1800 rpm range immediatly
7] Have a hose handy to cool the rad if it starts to over heat just to spray the surface of the rad & increase the cooling efficiency , it will reach operating temp in approx 10 mins & needs to hold that temp for 10 more minimum .
8] pour 1/8 paint cap of fuel into the carb / intake
9] Hands clear ..... hit the key !     
You need 2 people 1 in the car watching gauges , the second working on the engine
Once it is running
It should fire immediatly
1] turn up the idle to 1800 -2000 rpm do not vary speed during the break in run
2] set float levels if externally adjustable , do this before installing the carb if they have to be set inside the carb , often the float levels are way off as a result of shipping / dropping the carb .
3] tweak timing advance until max RPM is reached without backfiring this will keep it cool as possible .
4] reset idle speed to maintain 1800-2000 rpm .
5] Adjust idle mixture screws , if your jetting is lean you can tell by having to open the mix screws out a little
Run engine for 20 minutes minimum all the time checking guages & monitoring engine speed .
After 20 mins or more idle the engine down to desired speed , reset the idle mix screws .
you should be good to go at least to the point where you can hook up the power steering & drive the car & start tuning the carb for best performance , if the idle screw need to be turned out your jetting is rich , if they need to be turned in you jetting is lean .
Neil

[dodj]

Nice write-up CP. Too bad I didn't see it earlier. Maybe it should be a sticky in the engine section?

[RUNCHARGER]

I like it. I do a few things differently but obviously this one works. Obviously watch the oil pressure gauge like a Hawk.

[HP_Cuda]

Just had a thought. There is engine start up and then break in over the next say 500-2000 miles.

Let's see what folks say about break in over the first 2k miles:

Stay under 5k rpm
Vary the motor rpm when possible (seating rings)
Listen for obvious noises (lifters) may point to re-adjusting the valves
Check timing (hopefully your timing chain wasn't cheap and stretched)
Vary your driving habits (some freeway trips, some surface streets)

[RUNCHARGER]

I change oil fairly quickly and then again at 500 miles. Shortly after cam break in I do short full throttle bursts at increasing rpm to seat the rings. With 200 miles and the first oil change the engine will be seeing full RPM at WOT. I do vary RPM but I'm not scared to WOT them fairly quickly, I see the pros dyno them fairly quickly as well.
Of course I watch fluids and listen for noises as well. I also watch valve clearance/preload closely with a new engine. Cutting apart the first two or three oil filters is a good idea as well.

[redgum78]

Great advice. I also like to have an infrared temp gun on hand. i like to spot check the engine at various points along the heads and the thermostat housing as well as the top and bottom rad hose. I normally do this for the first few starts until I have 100% confidence in the thermostat and the temp gauge.

[headejm]

4] I use a spray paint cap & poke a small hole in the top ,then I flip it over ,fill it with fuel & allow the fuel to stream into the carb bowl vent tubes with the sight plugs out if holley style carb filling both front & rear / all bowls as even the secondaries have idle circuits , I then pump the accelerator pumps until fuel is visable squirting into the carb

@Chryco Psycho What is the best way to fill the float bowls on a Carter AVS without turning the engine over?

[Chryco Psycho]

there is still a bowl vent , in the picture you can see the wall dividing primary & secondary & towards the side of that wall you can see the 2 round caps covering the metering rods & just outside of the caps you can see a small rectangle opening , that is the bowl vent where you can fill the bowl with fuel , a large seringe is perfect , a small funnel may fit or just running the fuel from a small hole in a spray can lid should work

[Dakota]

CP - Thanks much for posting.   This is a great reference for me.

[Chryco Psycho]

I Tried to add arrows but I don't seem to have a photo editor program sorry

[headejm]

  @Chryco Psycho It's interesting that the fuel is that exposed to the atmosphere. Is fuel evaporation much of a concern?

[Chryco Psycho]

The carb cannot be sealed up like EFI can , you have to allow air into the bowl & when heated on top of the engine & with the new fuels evaporation is a big problem

[RUNCHARGER]

Yes: Evaporation is a big problem with todays gas formulations. It wasn't a problem in the past but that has changed the last 15 years or so.

[HP_Cuda]

Dang Ethanol additives!!!