Breaking it in

[Viperbluecobra]

Line lock in the dealer parking lot.

Sponsored

 

[Josh Painter]

Purely peace of mind and throwing your money away to get it changed before your first scheduled change.

Most engine wear occurs when the engine is cold after it has set idle for several hours, whether during break in or during normal service. Let the engine idle for a minute or two before driving off, and don't rev it until the temp gauge moves off the "cold" peg.

Also, more engine damage is caused by dirt ingested through the intake system than by extended oil use, so check the air filter element on a regular basis. If it is dirty, change it. Don't try to knock the dirt off and then just put it back in the air cleaner box.

So taking reasonable care with your engine will pay higher dividends than changing the oil more frequently than the factory-recommended schedule calls for.

I use Ford synthetic blend in my 06 Fusion. Synth engine oil is one of the wonders of the modern world, IMHO. I also use Motorcraft filters, as the quality of aftermarket filters varies wildly.

Back in the 1970's one of the popular accessories for the Honda 750 Four motorcycle was a magnetic oil drain plug. I replaced the stock drain plug with a magnetic one in my '73, and on the next oil change, I was amazed how many tiny metal bits were clinging to the plug. That was a lot of potential damage which had been taken out of suspension in the engine oil, not by the filter, but by the magnetic plug.

Thankfully, today's engines, lubricants and filters are a lot more advanced than what we had to work with in those days.

Also, I don't know yet about the ecoboost, but on my 1980s vintage Turbo Volvos (I had two), I always let the engine idle for a minute of two before turning it off. This was because with the engine off, oil was no longer being delivered to the turbocharger bearings. Turbos spin at very high rpm rates, so gunning the engine before you shut it down was not the smartest thing to do. Coming off a freeway exit ramp or a high-speed street run right into a garage or parking space and then quickly shutting the engine off allowed the turbo to spin at tens of thousands of rpm with no oil being pumped to it. That was one of the main causes of turbo failure among early turbocharged engines.

 

[Barrel]

Most engine wear occurs when the engine is cold after it has set idle for several hours, whether during break in or during normal service. Let the engine idle for a minute or two before driving off, and don't rev it until the temp gauge moves off the "cold" peg.

I cringe so hard every time I see someone start their car and it seems like it only barely turns over before they slam into Drive and stomp the gas out of the parking lot. That poor motor...

 

[oyitsagreen]

I cringe so hard every time I see someone start their car and it seems like it only barely turns over before they slam into Drive and stomp the gas out of the parking lot. That poor motor...

You'd think they'd feel the engine is not ready yet! I see a lot of self absorbed assholes do this (aka, my bosses boss). Can't wait for his Sequoia to die from it! Maybe he'll stop being such an insufferable prick to everyone...

 

[tbonez3858]

I've heard from both camps and honestly have no clue if a warm up is required. I don't get on it when it's cold but I give it 30 seconds to a minute and then drive. I give it longer if it has been sitting overnight.

I've had cars that have lasted well over 250k miles so I'm not sure how my engines have been impacted from these habits....after 250k miles I'm not sure I really care.

 

[Barrel]

You basically want to wait for the motor to come out of "high idle" and drops to regular idle speed.

 

[Patrick S]

i found this

http://www.onlymustangfords.com/coyote-engine-break-in.html

Looks like i have to wait 1000 miles before i start towing anything with my new car. :shrug:

 

[ThreeHunnaStunta]

Awesome fellas! Of course turbo engines should be warmed up or atleast let sit untill it drops down to idle. I guess ill be "breaking it in" at night time because im always in stop and go traffic during the week. But thanks for all the responses! I appreciate each and everyone of them.

 

[fionic]

Awesome fellas! Of course turbo engines should be warmed up or atleast let sit untill it drops down to idle. I guess ill be "breaking it in" at night time because im always in stop and go traffic during the week. But thanks for all the responses! I appreciate each and everyone of them.

I seriously don't understand how people live in LA. Why would you put yourself through that bullshit?

 

[Papaya]

LA

I seriously don't understand how people live in LA. Why would you put yourself through that bullshit?

If I would get work there in LA - I would live there too. Much warmer than in Stony Plain, Alberta for sure!

 

[fionic]

If I would get work there in LA - I would live there too. Much warmer than in Stony Plain, Alberta for sure!

You could live lots of places with warmer weather (and many other, much nicer places in CA).

 

[ThreeHunnaStunta]

You could live lots of places with warmer weather (and many other, much nicer places in CA).

I was born here, not like I had a choice hahaha I mean there's pros and cons like any city. Rush hour traffic when people are.going and getting off work. But its best of both worlds here... big bear is an hour 1/2 away (snowboarding) and the beach is 15 minutes away. The city is just so alive, I guess since I grew up here that's all I know.

 

[Tim Hilliard]

Depending on your climate, if it's 50+ F ambient just give it a second to idle, and then wait for it to come up to full temp before hammering on it. As everyone else said, old school thought on break-ins are pointless today. Proper oil temperature is the most critical item to be concerned with. All your concerns with engine life depend on clearances and oil flow. Manufacturing and Oil quality are light years ahead of where they were just 20 years ago, yet people are still pretending they are in 40 year old technology. I owned several 200K+ mile vehicles that I never owned since new. I've never lost an engine in a car, and I've had a ton of them. I don't get hung up on babying a mechanical device. If you have a manual varying engine speed is going to come naturally, auto's will be less likely to vary without driver influence.

Now for you EcoBoost guy's, the same applies at startup but the thing to consider is letting the car idle for a minute post driving it hard. This lets all your temps to stabilize, takes a little extra heat out of the engine and oil, INTAKE air so it will have just a little less heat soak post shut down. Oil doesn't mind heat when it's flowing, oil doesn't like baking in a hot turbo cartridge. Turbo timers are a pretty simple mod, but less needed with today's oil.

It comes down to common sense and please guys, WELCOME to 2014!

 

[Thed]

I've heard from both camps and honestly have no clue if a warm up is required. I don't get on it when it's cold but I give it 30 seconds to a minute and then drive. I give it longer if it has been sitting overnight.

A warm-up is required, but doing exactly this is just fine. As long as you keep the engine under a light load while the oil is still cold, you won't have any problems in the long run. When the oil is up to temp, give her hell.

Main and rod bearings actually like the higher RPM's, as more oil is being pushed to them and the pressure is increased between the crank and bearings. You're valvetrain won't be so thankful, however. It's lose-lose in my book.

 

[05yellowgt]

Depending on your climate, if it's 50+ F ambient just give it a second to idle, and then wait for it to come up to full temp before hammering on it. As everyone else said, old school thought on break-ins are pointless today. Proper oil temperature is the most critical item to be concerned with. All your concerns with engine life depend on clearances and oil flow. Manufacturing and Oil quality are light years ahead of where they were just 20 years ago, yet people are still pretending they are in 40 year old technology. I owned several 200K+ mile vehicles that I never owned since new. I've never lost an engine in a car, and I've had a ton of them. I don't get hung up on babying a mechanical device. If you have a manual varying engine speed is going to come naturally, auto's will be less likely to vary without driver influence.

Now for you EcoBoost guy's, the same applies at startup but the thing to consider is letting the car idle for a minute post driving it hard. This lets all your temps to stabilize, takes a little extra heat out of the engine and oil, INTAKE air so it will have just a little less heat soak post shut down. Oil doesn't mind heat when it's flowing, oil doesn't like baking in a hot turbo cartridge. Turbo timers are a pretty simple mod, but less needed with today's oil.

It comes down to common sense and please guys, WELCOME to 2014!

You don't have to do this with the coolant fed turbos that the ecoboosts have. The coolant keeps flowing after the engine goes off naturally (the heat that transfers into the coolant from the hot turbo causes flow all by itself) and it prevents any oil from cooking and coming up turbo bearings). Of course you don't want to go on a WOT blast and immediate kill the ignition but you are perfectly fine to pull into the driveway and shut her off

Sponsored