Chassis dyno for engine break in, Is it a good idea? Options

[nine14cats]

If all goes well The Beast™ will be back in my garage by October 28th. Randal and I can then finish all of the little things and she will be ready to go.

As the motor is newly rebuilt with ZERO hours on it, I was thinking about the best way to break in the motor. Our engine builder has given us a sequence that he uses. Our first thought was to take it to the track and use the first 2 sessions to break it in. However, there is a risk that if we run into issues we will be far from home and have to deal with the inconvenience of coming home in the middle of the day.

I have a chassis dyno that is close to me and gets $135 / hour to set up your car. The unit is programmable for the load on the car. I'm thinking this may be a much easier way to break the motor in. The dyno is located in a business park, so the owner says that 20 minute pulls are no problem. Two pulls and we should be good to go. I could then bring the car home, change the oil, and be ready for some fun!

Anyone ever done this? Engine dyno's break in motors all time, so I don't see a downside.

Any comments / experiences would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Bill P.

[byndbad914]

I just chassis dynoed today for mostly grins, but I wanted to see my A/F now at altitude as I have changed jetting a lot since moving to a mile high. The chassis dyno will have an O2 sensor that they can attach to the end of your exhaust as Clayton mentioned. I sorta disagree tho' that they aren't very accurate... I have found them to be rather accurate and we have pretty short exhaust systems too. Cat converters throw them way off, but headers and a race muffler will be pretty accurate IMO.

I also agree with dyno as a break-in so you can tune it and keep an eye on the A/F and so forth. I personally prefer engine dynos and really don't like chassis dynos as if you have an issue/oil leak at a seal/etc it is much easier to handle before the engine is in. That said, if the chassis dyno seems to be your more convenient option, it should be fine. The load on all the drivetrain parts is more extreme than any front straight pull you will ever make tho' and that is what makes them rough on stuff.

I have to download the vid my friend shot and do some editing to shorten, will post on youtube and let you guys know so you can hear how long it takes my ripper of an engine to climb from 3000-6500rpm (I have a stumble I haven't figured out yet since moving to CO at 6500rpm - engine is good for 8K no problem..)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5Viav1NKhQ