New Engine Break in

Their is always room for discussion on this subject. Here is a link to something that you should read about break-in. It follows what I have always said about the subject despite those that think they know all about the subject.

Greg, that's an excellent link. I used his ideas breaking in my KLR 650.

Denis

Here is another link to a similar 'wear-in' procedure, with some of the why's and how's. Except for the 'wear-in' oil, I think this procedure would be very applicable. BMW no longer uses the 'wear-in' oil from what I have been told.

In another life I was a manufacturer and bought powerplants from an Austrian supplier (Rotax) whose break-in procedures were very similar to those in the link. The writer doesn't exactly understand all of the minute details of modern OEM cylinder honing, but his info will generally produce the correct results for most of the reasons stated.

BTW, it has LONG been accepted (and recommended) practice to run new aircraft air cooled recips fairly hard right out of the box to prevent cylinder glazing. There is vitually no way to do an intial takeoff and climb at anything other than WOT, but is was the subsequent cruise phase where overly-cautious owners back off too far that can cause the damage.

Pat

Well there are a few on this sight that think following the VW or some other persons recommendations are better. I have always argued against that type of break-in.

I also feel oil should be changed at least 2 to 3 times in the first 5K miles.

Anyway I am glad to see that others see it the way I do for break-in.

Greg

So, how many of you think driving the new car pretty hard for the first 100 miles or so is the right way to go? The one link above sounded like that was the more current way to break in these newer engines...

Thats what I do, in fact I am real hard on it for the first 50 miles. I do several 0 to 80 mph or so and then back it off so it will build pressure on the back side of the rings as well. Of course I do this in a lower gear.

Greg

My father, who used to build stockcar and dragster motors, has told me to do this for years. We (anyone in the immediate family), have never had a vehicle use oil or lack power following his advice. He would regularly take my mother's cars out on some back road and drive it relatively firmly for about 30 miles, then pound hell out of it on the return trip. This would blow out all the 'carbon' and keep the car running smooth and getting great mileage, etc as mom is so easy on a car that she would cause problems.

I no longer buy new cars, but slightly used to save on the first year depreciation. I have to test drive carefully to see if the car was driven 'properly' in it's formative miles. I don't mind, and in fact prefer, a car that has been driven hard but taken care of properly.

Most modern cars are good for a couple hundred thousand miles before any major work needs done and I typically buy a two year old car with about 50,000 miles on the clock. This makes sense to me as it was probably owned by someone who did a lot of highway miles and I am sure they didn't worry about driving it easy for the first 5000 miles. (You can actually tell if it was broken-in properly on a test drive.) Most people still go by the 50,000 mile rule and will basically do about anything to get rid of the car before it crosses that imaginary and antiquated line. That is where I step in and get a bargain on a vehicle if I can verify it's maintenance. Our current vehicles, a '99.5 GLS TDI Jetta had 42,000 miles when I bought it 2.5 years ago for $10,300 tax included and a 2001 Navigator with 47,000 miles on it two years ago for $23,000 were both great deals and I have had little trouble with either one. They both run excellent, get great mileage for the type of vehicles, and use no oil ever. I am anal about maintenance and checking fluids and haven't used a drop of oil in either vehicle, both currently have about 68,000 miles on them and the 'Gator is regularly used to pull a 30' camper and all our gear. Yesterday it took a trip into the true desert--no roads--for an all day motorcycle/dune buggy/quad day with the family.

I am a firm believer in breaking in a vehicle like stated above, or for simplicities sake, break it in the same manner as you intend to use the vehicle. I also used to drive truck and would get every new vehicle our company received as when I did the break-in there were no problems with those vehicles. (The boss freaked out the first time he actually rode with me when picking up a new truck at the dealership, he had no clue what I was actually doing, but the results convinced him.) I don't condone simply beating a vehicle, but purposely driving them in such a way that will insure proper running for the life of the car...this also means religious maintenance, especially early in the life of the vehicle.

YMMV

Mike

I see this thread is at least a year old, but am curious to know how the newbie can learn to detect whether an engine has been broken in the correct way.

MaxThrust said he can tell this on a test drive…

ttt

Compression test?...
Leakdown test?

Other than how it feels, that will tell you a lot about the mechanical side of things.

Hmm.. a very interesting article.. and in some ways contradicts the 'only use synthetic oil' mantra I hear extolled in this board.

3 more words on break- in:
NO SYNTHETIC OIL !!

Use Valvoline, Halvoline, or similar 10 w 40 Petroleum Car Oil for at least
2 full days of hard racing or 1,500 miles of street riding / driving.
After that use your favorite brand of oil.

Click to expand...

What is the take on this statement??

Sounds like your typical 2-stroke dirtbike break-in.. Been doing that for years...

Sounds like synthetic oil is too slippery and will not allow the friction needed to properly wear in and seat the rings. Vendors of good synthetic oils will all tell you this.

As far as other bearings and surfaces: a decent oil film will be maintained such that in a properly warmed engine, no wear will take place no matter what as long as oil pressure is maintained. The wear that occurs can always be shown to be from cold startup.

^^^
I argued this as why I will run castrol 505.01 for the first 2 oil changes, then switch to 506.01 or 507.00 after that to promote engine life. Everybody pretty much called me stupid for it.
However, a synthetic will GREATLY slow down wear of all parts, including rings, which means they won't seat as quickly as with a semi-synthetic, or a conventional.

I don't remember calling you (or anyone else) stupid. I would have said, "uninformed".

I was unfortunately in the (incredibly huge) group of uninformed people who would not thought highly of your method, but thanks to LanduytG who put the link to motoman's website, I have been educated.

It would seem to me, that pictures and real evidence, not manufacturer's manuals, will tell the real truth.

So, careful warmup, then hammer it. OK, works for me. Lots more fun than trying to take it easy, too.

The BMW 1100RT break-in guidelines -- or "wearing-in" as he puts it -- are excellent. But I think even the most diligent owner would only follow them for the first 600 miles, and would tire of driving like that afterward. However, most of the benefits would already be attained in the first 600 miles.

It has also been noted that BMW no longer uses a special light-weight "wearing-in" oil. So apparently the BMW engineers decided it is better to slow the wearing-in of some parts, rather than accelerate the wearing-in of others.

I do not know how to compare an 1100 cc 2-cylinder normally-aspirated gasoline engine, with a 1900 cc 4-cylinder turbo-diesel engine. An oil-cooled BMW boxer engine can easily run for 100k miles (or more) if properly cared for, the TDI engine 300k-400k miles (or more).

Drivbiwire wrote: "First 1,000 miles
Keep rpms below 3,800. Avoid steady rpms. Frequent firm application of power is strongly recomended up to 3,800 rpm. Avoid the use of cruise
control so that you naturally fluctuate the power with your foot."

I'd wager that, if one naturally fluctuated the power CONSTANTLY, or nearly so, revving up to 3800 rpm, then backing-off to 2500 or 3000, and then revving again, one would speed the "wearing-in" process immensely. Instead of driving this way for 1000 miles, it might only take a few hundred miles.

Now, unless someone is willing to buy me a new TDI so I can test this theory, perhaps one of those who are about to take delivery can test it instead. Let's say for 250 miles. You can do it in about 4 hours or so, on the first day. Face it, you want to go for a drive anyway. So instead of varying your speeds between 60 and 70 on a freeway, pick some secondary roads where you can run in 3rd or 4 gears, running it up to 3800, backing off to 3000 or below, then revving again. Revving and backing off, revving and backing off.

Actually this might even be helpful if someone buys a used TDI, that might have been babied by the previous owner.

Edit: I just noticed that Greg Landuyt had recommended something like this for the first 50 miles, for all cars. I think our TDIs might take a little longer.

Greg:

The article said to use non synthetic oil for the first 1200 miles. Would you also suggest this on the PD TDI and then changing oil 3 or more times in the first 5000 miles?

Greg:

The article said to use non synthetic oil for the first 1200 miles. Would you also suggest this on the PD TDI and then changing oil 3 or more times in the first 5000 miles?

Click to expand...

Greg hasn't been a contributor to this thread since July 2004.

But I can't imagine anyone recommending the use of a non-synthetic motor oil at any time.

Nor anything to be gained by changing the oil before the first scheduled OC, at 5k miles.

TR:

I realize this is an old thread but the PD engine was out when Greg made this recommendation and he was suggesting oil changes prior to 5,000. That was the reason for my reply to his post.

Maybe Greg will see this and reply.

bump for another interesting thread

Many years ago, I threw a set of Hastings rings into an engine that was using a quart of oil a week and fouling plugs. The break-in instructions that came with the rings said to run the engine wide open from 40 to 70 mph in high gear then let the engine coast down to 40 mph and repeat the process 10 times in succession to seat the rings. That's what I did and the engine not only stopped using oil immediately but had great power after that. The instructions also explained why there was a top and bottom to the rings and how combustion pressure pushes the rings against the cylinder wall. Not so many years ago my brother and I built some alcohol blower boat engines that were dialed in and immediately run from 1800 rpm up to 7500 rpm under full load. Not so much as a wisp of smoke ever came out of the zoomies.

(O\=o=/O) said:

The break-in instructions that came with the rings said to run the engine wide open from 40 to 70 mph in high gear then let the engine coast down to 40 mph and repeat the process 10 times in succession to seat the rings. That's what I did and the engine not only stopped using oil immediately but had great power after that.

Click to expand...

In the TDI engine, you'd have to do this 40-70-40 procedure in 3rd gear. But that wouldn't hurt a thing.