Breaking in new engine

[TheTanSedan]

Agree that motor does need varying loads (of all conditions) to "break-in".

I also intend to use Auto-Rx from my very first mile to help keep it cleaned up during this high wear period.

 

[mechtech]

'Break in' on new engines seems to be almost irrelevant now. It just doesn't seem to matter.
Most of the ring sets we install say to give mid RPM full throttle and let off 20-30 times, and then just drive it. Engines are run at full power from the factory, and have fine bore finishes and rings that seat quickly.
So what if it takes a little longer.

 

[Cyprs]

My only concern on new engine is break in gentle but rough enough to seat in quick so I can get that synthetic oil in ASAP after about 700-1000 miles of dealership dino use.

Cyprs

 

[XS650]

quote:

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Originally posted by FL-400S:
I might end up getting a 2005 cavalier 5 speed in a couple of days. Ill drive it around my parents town where I might buy it and then drive it back to my house about 210 miles hwy.

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The most important thing is to not put the engine under full or near full throttle loads for more than a few seconds at a time for the first few hours of operation. Break in isn't nearly as important as it was along time ago.

Vary throttle openings, engine rpm and back completely off the throttle occasionally in early operation. You don't need to do anything radical, you can do enough while driving in normal highway traffic. With a Cavalier, a brief burst of full throttle won't even be noticed by others

 

[Rickey]

[. With a Cavalier, a brief burst of full throttle won't even be noticed by others

[/QB][/QUOTE] Tell that to the guy in the V6 Mustang I recently left with his mouth and eyes all full of shock. Yea I know he didn't expect this treatment from a 4 door Cavalier, but he didn't catch up until the next red light either. Rickey.

 

[Rickey]

And for the break in on my '04 Cavalier: Test drove it like it was stolen, with the salesman at my side. I told him if it was going to blow up I wanted that to happen before I bought it. After I bought it continued to do same until it had 72 miles on it. Then (in the pursuit of science no less) at 72 miles I changed the oil and filter. I found one tiny bit of metallic glitter
(nonmagnetic) in the exposed filter element. At that point I considered the engine sufficently broken in to turn over to my wife. Changed the oil and filter again at aprx 500 miles and 6k miles(dino again). Began GC

at about 10k miles. The above is real and I personaly believe in this technique. Rickey.

 

[FL-400S]

I might end up getting a 2005 cavalier 5 speed in a couple of days. Ill drive it around my parents town where I might buy it and then drive it back to my house about 210 miles hwy. We have some 2 lane country roads with hills down here. Should I go out in the hills and rev it uphill in 2nd or 3rd and use engine brake in 3rd or 4th gear downhill? So long as I dont redline it? Ill change out the oil at 500-800 miles and then again at 2K-3K miles. How does this sound?

 

[TallPaul]

I think break in is very important and if a study were done I think one would find that those cars that are heavy oil consumers (not burners, but consumers) will be the cars where the owner was very careful not to over rev or load up the engine "too much" during breakin. My wife got here '92 Aerostar with 27,000 miles on it and it has always consumed a lot of oil (last OCI was a quart per 1500 miles). Probably never broke in right. I am working on correcting that as best as I can now with a lot of hard driving and a lower NOACK oil (currently at 115,000 miles).

 

[drm7]

For my last 2 new cars, '03 Mazda B4000 & '03 Mazda MPV I broke them in with a combination of running easy, varying speeds between 30 and 50 and then running heavy throttle up then backing off throttle and building vacuum as I coast down. I didn't let the engine lug and this is a problem in the B4000 due to how the trans is tuned. After 18,000 on the B4000 and 30,000 on the MPV no oil usage at all in 5000 OCI, gas mileage was better on the B4000 than rated and the MPV is getting as good as anyone on the MPV forum. I didn't run them like I stole them but did run them up 3500 rpm or so, maybe 4000.

 

[Eddie]

I generally do an easy break in for ~ 2000 miles and during the first 1000 miles I do maybe a dozen BRIEF heavy throttle runs (10 seconds) followed by several miles of light crusing for cylender cool down. Sell my cars(125-176,000 miles) running very well and no oil added during 5000 mile changes. My system works and long term millage figures to backup my technique. ed

 

[JohnBrowning]

Let it warmup then drive it like you stole it the first 50 miles. After the first 50 miles drive it how you want to!

 

[Drew]

Driving it like your stole it--> My definition of break in:

When engine is warmed up accelerate firmly with a minimum of 1/2 to full throttle to load the engine. Driving it hard doesn't mean you have to redline it. It just means accelerate smartly and vary engine speed to load/unload engine.

My new car doesn't burn a drop of oil between 10k oil changes. This was the first time I didn't baby a new engine when new.

 

[Mike_dup1]

fwiw

Part of the start up instructions that came with my GM Performance Parts crate engine.

Drive with varying speeds and load on the engine for the first 30 miles. Be sure not to use a lot full throttle or high rpm. Then run 5 to 6 medium throttle accelerations to about 5000 rpm (55-60mph), then letting off in gear and coasting back down to 20mph. Run a couple of hard-throttle accelerations up to about 5000 rom (55-60mph), they letting of in gear and coasting back down to 20mph. Change oil and filter using 10W-40. Drive the next 500 miles normally, without high rpm's, hard use or extended periods of high loading. Change oil and filter again. Your engine is now ready for many happy cruising miles.

I condensed this down