Car mags: breaking in an engine?

**laseranimal** · 10-26-2006, 09:10 AM

so we just got a new vehicle, while on the phone with my Grandfather he mentioned that you should never drive a new car over 50 mph during the first 500 miles so you break the engine in properly.

I'm not a mechanical person, and neither is he but is he right?

I was kinda hoping to roadtrip this weekend and not being able to drive over 50 mph would really suck

**Hutch** · 10-26-2006, 09:15 AM

I think the rule of thumb is don't go over 40 mph for the first 1000 miles.

**Cirquerider** · 10-26-2006, 09:40 AM

Modern engines are built to tighter specifications than when "break-ins" were standard fare. Anymore its just avoid full-throttle accelerations and vary your speed for the first 500 to 1000 miles. Lets face it, most engines turn the same RPMs at 70 as they do at 40 due to taller gearing. Its more important to run the engine through the range of normal operation without getting into the upper RPMS, and many manufacturers claim no break in is needed. (How did you drive the demo car?)

**lemon boy** · 10-26-2006, 09:45 AM

RTFM

655321

**flatNshallow** · 10-26-2006, 09:53 AM

Originally Posted by Pope Benedict XVI

I think the rule of thumb is don't go over 40 mph for the first 1000 miles.

no no no! You have to push it for at least 1500 miles... Backwards!!!

alternately...

**pechelman** · 10-26-2006, 09:57 AM

its got nothing to do with vehicle speed.

engine break in periods are much shorter and almost nonexistent compared to older ones.

Keep the engine under 3000rpm for the first 1000 miles.
Also avoid driving at a continuous rpm for a prolonged period of time...like on a long road trip.
The full-throttle acceleration tip is also wise. The idea is to minimize engine loading this early in the game.
Might also be a good idea to avoid mountain driving for the first 1k miles.

After that, chage the oil, and drive it like you normally would.

also see what the manual says...but you cant go wrong with ^^^^ that

**manderson** · 10-26-2006, 10:19 AM

Also avoid driving at a continuous rpm for a prolonged period of time...like on a long road trip.

Most manufactures recommend that you don't use the cruise for the first 1,500 miles to avoid this.

I would ask the dealership that you bought the car from.

**danhikeski** · 10-26-2006, 10:24 AM

no break in period is needed, newer, 1990's+ don't require any type of break-in, that's just used as an excuse to not show how fast your new car is to your friends.

**bio-smear** · 10-26-2006, 10:25 AM

I've read that changing the oil really early, if not at 100 miles, then at 1000, will prolong the engine life considerably. Apparently this is the timeframe when the most material is introduced into the oil.

Thirded on the avoiding constant RPM settings during "break in."

**Arnold Pants** · 10-26-2006, 11:42 AM

Originally Posted by bio-smear

I've read that changing the oil really early, if not at 100 miles, then at 1000, will prolong the engine life considerably. Apparently this is the timeframe when the most material is introduced into the oil.

I too have heard that--however, I have also been told by my dealer that some manufacturers (this was Audi) put a different weight oil with various fancy schmancy additives in the first fill, and do not expect it to be changed until whenever the manual says it should be.

So, as was mentioned before, RTFM.

**300hp** · 10-26-2006, 01:09 PM

there are many different philosophys on break in. Take it all worth a grain of salt. I do recommend running dyno, or non synthetic oil for the first three changes until the rings are completely seated. I would do a 100 mile, 200 mile, 1000 mile oil change. THere are manufacturing greases, gasket sealant and other metal shards floating around in there at first. quick changes help to flush this out. your objective of break in is to seat the rings in the piston ringlands. Properly seated rings will have drastically less oil consumption in the long run. Keep it under 4k rpms. drive at a bunch of varying speeds. gradual accell/decell. you want to expose the motor to variation. after 1k, I would not worry about it. honestly, after 600 mi I would start to drive spiritedly. I really would not worry much about it. the only thing I would not do is set cruise at one continuous speed the first day you get the car. you will burn some oil. keep an eye on oil levels, like a hawk. The three frequent changes will prevent scoring of the piston bore and preserve the factory cross hatch pattern.

Hunter

**barnescli** · 10-26-2006, 01:12 PM

Originally Posted by bio-smear

I've read that changing the oil really early, if not at 100 miles, then at 1000, will prolong the engine life considerably. Apparently this is the timeframe when the most material is introduced into the oil.

Thirded on the avoiding constant RPM settings during "break in."

that is usually only for an engine rebuild

**DJSapp** · 10-26-2006, 01:57 PM

Originally Posted by pechelman

its got nothing to do with vehicle speed.

Keep the engine under (4) 000rpm for the first 1000 miles.
Also avoid driving at a continuous rpm for a prolonged period of time...like on a long road trip.
The full-throttle acceleration tip is also wise. The idea is to minimize engine loading this early in the game.
Might also be a good idea to avoid mountain driving for the first 1k miles.

The subie dealer I just bought from agreed with all of the above. The oil change at 1k wouldn't hurt, but isn't really necessary since they put special additives in the first oil mix.

**bio-smear** · 10-26-2006, 02:01 PM

Originally Posted by barnescli

that is usually only for an engine rebuild

Which is different from a factory new engine how? Depends on your definition/extent of rebuild I guess.

**cj001f** · 10-26-2006, 02:02 PM

LISTEN TO LEMONBOY!

Originally Posted by DJSapp

The oil change at 1k wouldn't hurt, but isn't really necessary since they put special additives in the first oil mix.

Honda specifically recommended not to change the oil until the normal interval had occurred (10,000 miles)

**pechelman** · 10-26-2006, 02:05 PM

10 grand on the stock factory oil?

Im sorry, but thats just retarded.
I dont drive 10k in a year. When oil is exposed to burning gas, it picks up carbons and all sorts of things that make it less effective. Not to mention any residual flashing from the casting or any worn metal shavings. By the amount I drive in a year, Id have the stock factory oil in my car for nearly 2 years.
Thats retarded.

I could maybe buy changing it at 3000 with the original oil, but 10k makes no sense.

Yes I beleive thats what the manual says, but I say they're idiots...or I want an explantion

fyi, standard reccomendations say to change oil every 3-5000 miles OR every 6 months.

**bio-smear** · 10-26-2006, 02:08 PM

A friend of mine bought an Audi TT, and we were both surprised by the similar 1st oil change interval of 10,000 miles. If what has been said about the "special factory oil with special additives for early engine life" is true, keeping it in for all of those 10K miles may actually be crucial to longevity. Perhaps some engineered glazing is occurring. Who knows, it's all fucking voodoo with new engines. All my knowledge comes from rebuilding motorcycle and airplane engines, which employ 1940's tractor technology.

**El Chupacabra** · 10-26-2006, 02:10 PM

Originally Posted by pechelman

10 grand on the stock factory oil?

Im sorry, but thats just retarded.

My Acura came with that recommendation too.

I ignored it, changed with standard oil at around 3500, changed to full synthetic at around 7000. Then sold it awhile later (25Kish), so who knows if it made any difference long-term...

**El Chupacabra** · 10-26-2006, 02:11 PM

Originally Posted by bio-smear

which employ 1940's tractor technology.

Reason #1873684 to stick with 4.0L Jeep motors.

**pechelman** · 10-26-2006, 02:13 PM

special additives?
wtf, I do not buy that for a minute
its OIL for fucks sake.
synthetic blend or fully synthetic, maybe...

If anything, Id interpret this as a sneaky way for car companies to DECREASE engine longevity to make you buy more cars. I mean shit, cars are so reliable now they last forever if you take care of them.

someone please give me a valid reason why it makes sense to keep oil in a car for that long. The only thing that even remotely makes sense, is that after that duration, the oil becomes a fine lapping compound that actually wears away on the wear surfaces....but then even that doesnt make 100% sense because grinding operations are so precise now there's no need for that.
Why would they want to let the oil wear away on metal in an uncontrolled manner when they can do anything they want in manufacturing?

**cj001f** · 10-26-2006, 02:18 PM

Originally Posted by pechelman

If anything, Id interpret this as a sneaky way for car companies to DECREASE engine longevity to make you buy more cars.

**pechelman** · 10-26-2006, 02:21 PM

Yea i know how that sounds...

Im just really stubborn and Im not some atomaton that takes everything as truth because its written in some car manual written by some 1st year engineer fuckhead intern.

Ive got an engineering education, and if I didnt ask these questions, it would have obviously been for a waste.

After one has eliminated all other possibilities, what remains, however unlikely, must be the truth.
Im still waiting for a valid argument for their 10000 mile oil change on factory oil.

**PlayHarder** · 10-26-2006, 02:27 PM

Yeah, companies like Honda/Acura are known for building disposable cars that don't last. I wouldn't trust their engineers recommendations at all.

I haven't done anything special to break my last couple of new vehicles, my last truck hit 380,000 km's and checked out fine when I had a full inspection done before I sold it (no leaks, compression was still in new specs, etc.).

**lemon boy** · 10-26-2006, 02:37 PM

as an engineer why exactly are you unable to grasp the fact that motor oil's have changed a lot in the last 50 years much like engines have changed.

Between superior filtering and superior additive quality 10 isn't necessarily that big a deal.

**pechelman** · 10-26-2006, 02:44 PM

As and engineer....last I checked, oils arent that different.
Marketing hype however is...
Next thing youll see some sort of TITANIUM label on the side of an oil quart.

Sure there are multi-weight oils now and synthetics, but the fact still remains, oils are exposed to volitiles. They're used in an combustive environment that degrade their performance and longevity. Its hard to get a clean unbiased intelligent answer about oils because everyone is a backyard\garage expert trying to sell their product using their "good-ole-boy" engineering or what they have been told.

Ive worked closely with engineers at mobil 1 so Im not completely in the dark here.

Personally, I dont change oil at the reccomended 3,000 intervals because of the advancements in manufacturing (grinding\honing\machining\etc).
I use synthetic and I change around 5grand. Generally, laziness gets the best of me and its closer to 6.
However, this isnt a new engine Im working with.