New vehicle break in: did I do it bad?

[Howard]

I just drive the car like I'm gonna drive it... Seems to work out fine.

Break in really does seem silly.. Get out factory fill of oil within the first thousand miles or so, and do a fresh oil change on mineral oil for the first few change intervals, then switch to synthetic after a while... the whole time driving it how you want to drive it... I've done this with 2 cars and both were/are fine.

Mineral oil? I know you didn't just say that.

 

[Meghan54]

Mineral oil? I know you didn't just say that.

I think he meant dino oil, then follow by synthetic.

Broke our '02 Blazer in by the manual.....changed the oil at 600 miles to synthetic and have run that exclusively since. Now at 210K miles, still has excellent compression, burns a 1/2 quart in 5K miles, and runs like a top.

 

[RU482]

funny, the sales person told me to be sure not to change the oil for at least 3500 miles because of the special honda break in oil. I just figured it was a bit different viscosity oil or something...in my mind I figured maybe I'd swap the filter after 2500 miles.

Given the way that we will drive the van (25 mile one way trips to work), I don't imagine I will be changing the oil more than every 5-6000 miles anyway.

The interesting thing was that the "oil life" monitor actually tells you when to change oil, change the air filter, and when to service the trans based on how and under what seasonal conditions you are driving the vehicle. Thought that was kinda cool.

The funny thing is, after that ~600 mile trip, the monitor is still at 100%. On my old van, it would roll to 90% within the first hundred miles or so.

 

[Pulsar]

It'll be fine.

I always thought break-in was just a ploy for you to not find anything wrong too early by driving normally. lol

I've never heard or read anything online about a car breaking down because of "bad break-in procedure" but I am sure someone will chime in shortly.

Ding. Break in isn't worth anything.

I build the Ford 4.6L, 5.4 and 5.4 Shelby, 5.0 and 6.2L. We don't recommend breaking in ANY of them, and our dyno durability tests don't have any break in either before we pound the hell out of them.

Now what they put in the owners manual is another story.....

 

[Pulsar]

The main purpose of engine break-in (remember, there's also transmission, brakes, etc) is to properly seat the compression rings to the cylinder walls. Run at a constant RPM, with no varying load, you'll tend to glaze the walls.

Again, remember, this is a relatively small effect now with modern manufacturing tolerances.

Care to describe what "glaze" is?

 

[Pulsar]

I just went and read a website about "breaking in" and by the end of it I was laughing so hard I was shaking.

They got so many things patently wrong it was insane. They talked about "seating" the piston rings to the walls (the piston rings rotate around the piston during engine operation.....). The talked about the rings wearing in (they don't - the cylinder wall is extremely soft compared to the rings, which are very hard and brittle - the cylinder wall wears). They talked about the rings having a narrow section against the cylinder wall (not true, at least on the high displace Ford stuff). They talked amount the explosive force in the cylinder pushing the rings against the walls while ignoring that there are 5 rings on a piston and each is at a different pressure. They talked about the oil skin in the valleys but don't understand that the rings are cut specifically to strip the oil on the downstroke.

Maybe I just hit on the mother-of-all-idiots break-in websites. Can someone give me a reputable one?

 

[Howard]

I just went and read a website about "breaking in" and by the end of it I was laughing so hard I was shaking.

They got so many things patently wrong it was insane. They talked about "seating" the piston rings to the walls (the piston rings rotate around the piston during engine operation.....). The talked about the rings wearing in (they don't - the cylinder wall is extremely soft compared to the rings, which are very hard and brittle - the cylinder wall wears). They talked about the rings having a narrow section against the cylinder wall (not true, at least on the high displace Ford stuff). They talked amount the explosive force in the cylinder pushing the rings against the walls while ignoring that there are 5 rings on a piston and each is at a different pressure. They talked about the oil skin in the valleys but don't understand that the rings are cut specifically to strip the oil on the downstroke.

Maybe I just hit on the mother-of-all-idiots break-in websites. Can someone give me a reputable one?

Is it easier to replace piston rings or to hone a cylinder?

 

[Apex]

Care to describe what "glaze" is?

For gas applications, it's when the cylinder walls are totally flattened and the material is deposited into the low points in the surface. It's why companies like Red Line Oil do not recommend using their products for break in.

http://www.redlineoil.com/techinfo_faq.aspx

For diesel applications, glaze is the burned oil deposits that adhere to the cylinder walls.

 

[foghorn67]

I just went and read a website about "breaking in" and by the end of it I was laughing so hard I was shaking.

They got so many things patently wrong it was insane. They talked about "seating" the piston rings to the walls (the piston rings rotate around the piston during engine operation.....). The talked about the rings wearing in (they don't - the cylinder wall is extremely soft compared to the rings, which are very hard and brittle - the cylinder wall wears). They talked about the rings having a narrow section against the cylinder wall (not true, at least on the high displace Ford stuff). They talked amount the explosive force in the cylinder pushing the rings against the walls while ignoring that there are 5 rings on a piston and each is at a different pressure. They talked about the oil skin in the valleys but don't understand that the rings are cut specifically to strip the oil on the downstroke.

Maybe I just hit on the mother-of-all-idiots break-in websites. Can someone give me a reputable one?

I know one of the top ten Porsche engine builders in the world, and he is a big proponent of this. However, that's a whacked explanation you gave there.
-edit--Not sure if you are thinking the same thing I am.
Floor it once, and only once. Drive the rest like normal.
You'll also get motorcycle engine builders that do this. I don't recall their explanation, but it's not whacked.

 

[LTC8K6]

Here is what my manual says:

ENGINE BREAK-IN RECOMMENDATIONS
A long break-in period is not required for the engine in
your new vehicle.
Drive moderately during the first 300 miles (500 km).
After the initial 60 miles (100 km), speeds up to 50 or 55
mph (80 or 90 km/h) are desirable.
While cruising, brief full-throttle acceleration, within the
limits of local traffic laws, contributes to a good break-in.
Wide-open throttle acceleration in low gear can be detrimental
and should be avoided.

 

[punjabiplaya]

Lol -

No special break-in is necessary, but a few
precautions in the first 1,000 km (600
miles) may add to the performance,
economy, and life of your Mazda.
l Do not race the engine.
l Do not maintain one constant speed,
either slow or fast, for a long period of
time.
l Do not drive constantly at full-throttle
or high engine rpm for extended
periods of time.
l Avoid unnecessary hard stops.
l Avoid full-throttle starts.

 

[bigi]

I have 07 Ody.

Don't change the oil before 5-6K (first time). Drive as usual. Done.

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

I've always heard the "avoid a constant RPM" comment...what is the basis of this?

There are 2 schools of thought on break in. Drive it like you stole it or granny it.

The people that follow one method or the other do so because they did the method and nothing bad happened.

By a car, and drive it like you would any other day or time in the cars life. It's not going to make a lick of difference.