Engine break in info

[balzee]

Does anyone have an idea about the break in period? How many miles and wats the max rpm should on keep it under till then

Thanks in advance

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[K4fxd]

They are run in at the factory. That said many have oil consumption issues with the 3rd gen due to faulty ring seal.

Personally I would run it hard and get the rings to seal.

Take it up to redline in a lower gear and let off, then let is coast to idle. Rince and repeat about a dozen times. Then drive it like normal.

Be sure it is at operating temp.

There are many opinions but this is what some top engine builders recommend.

 

[stageron]

Does anyone have an idea about the break in period? How many miles and wats the max rpm should on keep it under till then

Thanks in advance

The Mach 1 I was given to use at the Track attack program 2 weeks ago was brand new, it had 77 miles on it. Pretty much ran the car at top RPM's for most of the day. Manual says keep it under 4000 RPM's for a 1000 miles...go figure?

 

[Charlemagne]

Ford's own event is a bit different scenario from personal longterm use. Considering how many cars manufacturers scrape during development, it doesn't really hurt them if it breaks next year. It would hurt you if the engine broke few dozen thousands miles in.

Not saying the redline way is bad, but I'm gonna do it the way that is written in the manual.

 

[murick]

My understanding (as an armchair technician) is that there are two types of "breaking-in" in mechanical designs.

One is related to tolerances and to making the parts fit each other, even if they don't right from the start. This type of break-in is basically an additional tooling, but instead by using the production tools, by using the actual designed counter-parts. This one requires a progressive load as the parts have to lose some mass to fit and if the tolerance discrepancy is too big the maximum load may lead to too much stress with the risk of damage or break.

The other break-in is related to making the parts "settle" a to make them refined (if they were not already). Even if the parts are manufactured exactly to the spec, they still may have a texture on the surface, which is consequently smoothed out and so on.

So the first break-in is more related to fit and the second one to finish. I believe that in the modern manufacturing the former should not be an issue, while the latter is probably sometimes even deliberately wanted (in order to get a tight fit for example).

I also believe (there is a lot of believing in this thing) that for the correct break-in of the second type it is important to run the parts in their complete operating range (i.e. power, speed, torque, force, etc.), just not necessarily stress them right from the start to avoid an "affinity" to a particular condition (e.g. speed, or rpm limit).

So I personally plan to run the car any way possible right from the start, just not push it. The only condition is that it must be properly warmed-up, but this is basically a condition for any driving.

 

[balzee]

I just checked the manual and it doesn't say much . All it says is take it easy for 1k miles and don't tow stuff

 

[balzee]

The Mach 1 I was given to use at the Track attack program 2 weeks ago was brand new, it had 77 miles on it. Pretty much ran the car at top RPM's for most of the day. Manual says keep it under 4000 RPM's for a 1000 miles...go figure?

Yea but like @Charlemagne said , FP doesn't care about wrecking cars. Since its my only car im not sure if i can run it that hard straight away . But i get your point that these cars can take abuse pretty well right from the factory

 

[K4fxd]

FP doesn't care about wrecking cars.

Sure they do. They want the cars to last the full season at least. FP is a separate division at Ford. They have a budget and replacing engines would break that.

They are really broke in at the factory out here on the street we are just wanting to get a full ring seal. To do that you need to force the rings against the cylinder walls. The way you do this is to run it to redline and let it coast. The run up forces the rings out causing the ring to hone the cylinder to fit the ring. The high vaccum on the coast down pulls oil onto the cylinders effectively cooling them.

But it is your car. Enjoy it.

 

[Scruffy]

Both my regular Owner's Manual and the Mustang Mach 1 Supplement have the same break in statement - "Your vehicle requires a break-in period. For the first 1000 mi (1600 km), avoid driving at high speeds, heavy breaking, aggressive shifting or using your vehicle to tow. During this time, your vehicle may exhibit some unusual driving characteristics."

Is there a different version of the manual that states to keep the car under 4000 rpm?

 

[stageron]

Yea but like @Charlemagne said , FP doesn't care about wrecking cars. Since its my only car im not sure if i can run it that hard straight away . But i get your point that these cars can take abuse pretty well right from the factory

Just to clarify I wasn't saying anyone should run their car at redline right out of the box I just thought it was funny that I was given a brand new car and pretty much told by Ford "go ahead...beat the shit out of it"...lol. I followed the break in rules for my car and would always recommend the same for anyone else.

 

[melwff]

Just to clarify I wasn't saying anyone should run their car at redline right out of the box I just thought it was funny that I was given a brand new car and pretty much told by Ford "go ahead...beat the shit out of it"...lol. I followed the break in rules for my car and would always recommend the same for anyone else.

Those cars are basically production test mules so that engineering can quickly determine weak points before the general ownership runs into them.

 

[Thumpa]

I just checked the manual and it doesn't say much . All it says is take it easy for 1k miles and don't tow stuff

This might be a problem - last year I moved to the country and ditched my Vette for an F150 and a tractor. Last week I traded the F150 for my Mach 1. My tractor is due for service right now - do I really have to wait til 1,000 miles before I can tow my tractor with the Mach 1?

 

[balzee]

This might be a problem - last year I moved to the country and ditched my Vette for an F150 and a tractor. Last week I traded the F150 for my Mach 1. My tractor is due for service right now - do I really have to wait til 1,000 miles before I can tow my tractor with the Mach 1?

If and when you do end up doing it you gotta post a pic here . I have never seen a stang tow a tractor and for some reason i find it hilarious

 

[Jimmy Dean]

This might be a problem - last year I moved to the country and ditched my Vette for an F150 and a tractor. Last week I traded the F150 for my Mach 1. My tractor is due for service right now - do I really have to wait til 1,000 miles before I can tow my tractor with the Mach 1?

what kind of tractor you got over there? I need to get mine fixed, it flooded in the '16 floods. 1957ish Ford 840, gas.

 

[Thumpa]

what kind of tractor you got over there? I need to get mine fixed, it flooded in the '16 floods. 1957ish Ford 840, gas.

Bought a Kubota L3560. Love it.
My neighbor has an old Ford tractor. Still runs great.

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