Engine break in is complete!!!
The heart-pounding details:
After fixing the power steering pump and replacing the serpentine belt, it's is now or never! WE'RE NOT SHUTTING DOWN UNLESS THERE'S A FIRE! No fire. The headers glowed just a small, dull bit, but calmed down as break in progressed.
I turned the key and set a timer, totally forgetting that I had the throttle ALREADY SET to 2500 rpm from before. It scared the SHT out of me!
Even though I had already filled the PS pump, the fluid level DROPPED immediately and I could hear the bearings in the pump crying for mercy. I took the cap off with the engine SCREAMING, and dumped some fluid in the reservoir. No funnel, just blind faith LOL. The pump quieted down instantly, but puked ATF (yes, I said ATF) everywhere. I guess I overfilled it lol.
Alright. There's NOTHING I can do now but wait it out, watch the dash gauges, and hope for the best.
It's five minutes in and there were no fires, no bad noises, no leaks, and my heart was pounding from anxiety.
Eight to ten minutes in and I'm closely watching for fire, anything catastrophic, and again, checking the dash gauges.
2500 RPM, 210° and holding steady, and 35~ PSI oil pressure.
Then, all of a sudden, I hear WHOOOOSSSSHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! WTF? LOL the radiator fan kicked in! OMG is that thing loud. Even the Wife came out and gave me a look of concern. The temp gauge, however, stayed right @ 210° the whole time.
Now I'm pacing back and forth, my nerves shot, hands shaking, but yet, still keeping a close eye on things.
Fifteen minutes! Eighteen minutes!! I did another walk around, fire extinguisher at the ready, while continually anticipating the worst but hoping for the best.
Then, the rad fan kicks in again, I start screaming at the engine, "COME ON, YOU GOT THIS!" The Hell is wrong with me lol.
Now, there's less than a minute and I'm screaming out a countdown... 10, 9, (lol)...
3, 2, 1, AHAHAHAH DONE!!!
So that's it. I turned the key off and now I'm going to let the engine cool down so I can change the oil, and FFS, see why the PS pump is so unhappy.
GMT400... It's been a ROUGH journey, but I thank all of you for your help and advice while my patience and my pocket book dwindled lol.
Finally, the most difficult hurdle has been overcome - and it's A LOAD OFF MY MIND!! Now, on to the easy stuff like lower control arms LOL!