Engine Break in guidance

3189 Views 118 Replies 33 Participants Last post by Montanan, 3 d ago

7eap4a

Discussion Starter · 16 d ago

1st post here - be gentle

I have a 2024 Limited due to arrive in 4 weeks. Right about that time I want to go on roughly a 1000-mile trip. This is my 3rd Subaru with CVT and in the past, I've tried to vary speed during the first 1000 miles or so. That's been difficult to do with a CVT. The RPMs will drift a bit but regardless of speed, they are usually pretty consistent. My question is about the proper break-in. Besides not driving like a knucklehead, is there anything to really avoid? I plan to do an oil change right after the trip, but anything else? Thank you!

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61 - 80 of 119 Posts

MA Subie

· #61 · 8 d ago

AstroKats said:
I know what you mean. On the L-car forum there was a thread about the biggest challenge we were facing. My reply was getting in and out of it, LOL.

Back to the topic, the JD Power article is very recent (6 months) so it clearly applies to new cars, not just what we learned decades ago.

I'm sure that what I did two and a half decades ago would not have been approved by the Acura engineers. Granted it was only 100 miles away from 1000 when I did that. The outcome could have been much different if I had done it right out of the dealership's lot.

And yes, getting in and out of the Integra requires more moans and grunts than it did 25 years ago.

Reactions: 1

Lonelydriver_95

· #62 · 8 d ago

I followed all that advice mentioned in the manual and article to a T (as much as I could on an almost entirely highway commute) apart from 1 little incident at 600 miles or so where I needed to get in front of someone and I put my foot down a little bit and must have forgotten I was driving an automatic car that would kick down and I zinged it to 5K RPM or so before I realized what I did lol

LeM

· #63 · 8 d ago

AstroKats said:
We've had lots of oil and CVT fluid posts here so let's stick to the original topic.

Is anyone aware of any long term tests comparing an engine that was broken in according to the manufacturers advice and one that wasn't?

Sorry, that wasn't worded well. I meant to say that your comment is very good. Whenever possible we need empirical evidence, research, lab tests. It's such a good question, that it could also be used with other topics. I appreciate people's opinions and experiences, but to make a really good decision, we also need studies and controlled data collection if possible.

Montanan

· #64 · 8 d ago

AstroKats said:
let's stick to the original topic.

Hold on! Who are you, and what have you done with the real AstroKats?

Reactions: 3

AstroKats

· #65 · 8 d ago

Montanan said:
Hold on! Who are you, and what have you done with the real AstroKats?

We will release him if you send us Bitcoin.

Reactions: 4

MA Subie

· #66 · 8 d ago

Lonelydriver_95 said:
I followed all that advice mentioned in the manual and article to a T (as much as I could on an almost entirely highway commute) apart from 1 little incident at 600 miles or so where I needed to get in front of someone and I put my foot down a little bit and must have forgotten I was driving an automatic car that would kick down and I zinged it to 5K RPM or so before I realized what I did lol

Going outside the recommendations for break-in is definitely preferable to making a hood ornament out of another vehicle......or worse.

Reactions: 1

Lonelydriver_95

· #67 · 8 d ago

MA Subie said:
Going outside the recommendations for break-in is definitely preferable to making a hood ornament out of another vehicle......or worse.

Right? I mean I would hate to dent my shiny new car lol

Reactions: 1

orndog

· #68 · 8 d ago

Montanan said:
Hold on! Who are you, and what have you done with the real AstroKats?

AstroKats said:
We will release him if you send us Bitcoin.

Somebody needs cash for L-car parts.

Reactions: 5

AM407

· #69 · 8 d ago

AstroKats said:
This is a short article but to the point. I think I trust JD Power more than some of the armchair quarterbacks here. If anyone has some reputable articles about why it's NOT a good idea to break in an engine I'd like to see them. And not for racing cars as their engines are not expected to last that long between rebuilds or replacement.

https://www.jdpower.com/cars/shopping-guides/do-you-need-to-break-in-a-new-engine

Oof, that was a painful read.

“Breaking in a new engine is a process of conditioning. This period allows for even operation of the engine, giving it time to adjust for long-term optimal performance and longevity. It allows the piston rings to sit correctly on the cylinder wall, preventing uneven part wear.
…
The entire break-in process results in a fine-tuning effect that provides more optimal results in the long term. Giving the engine time to settle in allows the moving parts to calibrate correctly, reducing friction.”

That, IMO, is just spam written to fill up space on the internet. Spam written by someone with little or no technical knowledge of what he’s writing about.

After reading that, the only thing I trust about J D Power is that they pay their writers by the word.

Reactions: 5

Fate

· #70 · 8 d ago

AM407 said:
Oof, that was a painful read.

“Breaking in a new engine is a process of conditioning. This period allows for even operation of the engine, giving it time to adjust for long-term optimal performance and longevity. It allows the piston rings to sit correctly on the cylinder wall, preventing uneven part wear.
…
The entire break-in process results in a fine-tuning effect that provides more optimal results in the long term. Giving the engine time to settle in allows the moving parts to calibrate correctly, reducing friction.”

That, IMO, is just spam written to fill up space on the internet. Spam written by someone with little or no technical knowledge of what he’s writing about.

After reading that, the only thing I trust about J D Power is that they pay their writers by the word.

Reactions: 1

Fate

· #71 · 8 d ago

Experience. The result of.

That's before the internet. Experience then was gained only by trials-and-errors ... not by research.

You, do you.

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Reactions: 1

r135130s

· #72 · 8 d ago

I got a chuckle out of the owners manual stating to stay below 4K rpms during break-in. I live in the mountains. The car has already downshifted and gone above 4K several times to get up steep grades.

Reactions: 1

MA Subie

· #73 · 8 d ago

r135130s said:
I got a chuckle out of the owners manual stating to stay below 4K rpms during break-in. I live in the mountains. The car has already downshifted and gone above 4K several times to get up steep grades.

Lighten up on the throttle.

r135130s

· #74 · 8 d ago

MA Subie said:
Lighten up on the throttle.

Honestly, I'm not worried about it. These vehicles are not that fragile. If you have to go above 4K rpms briefly to get up a grade, then so be it.

Reactions: 2

Fate

· #75 · 8 d ago

MA Subie said:
Lighten up on the throttle.

"if in doubt, floor it"

Reactions: 2

MA Subie

· #76 · 7 d ago

r135130s said:
Honestly, I'm not worried about it. These vehicles are not that fragile. If you have to go above 4K rpms briefly to get up a grade, then so be it.

I doubt it would matter if you did it once or even twice. If you made a habit of it, that could be a problem.

Regardless, wide open throttle on a regular basis can be detrimental.

Reactions: 1

franzdom

· #77 · 7 d ago

MA Subie said:
I doubt it would matter if you did it once or even twice. If you made a habit of it, that could be a problem.

Regardless, wide open throttle on a regular basis can be detrimental.

“could”

AstroKats

· #78 · 7 d ago

franzdom said:
“could”

Either works in this context...

Reactions: 1

adc

· #79 · 7 d ago

AM407 said:
Oof, that was a painful read.

This.

Reactions: 1

stahl2624

· #80 · 7 d ago

Many years ago I was a big fan of the British Morgan sports cars. They had a very interesting break-in requirement...
At 1,000 miles, it was recommended to return to the dealership to have a thorough going-over and tightening of all the screws that held the wooden body framework together. (The car's low-slung chassis was steel, of course, but the superstructure to which the body's metal panels were attached was mostly all fashioned from ash wood.) After that, it was said, "road grime, and father time" kept everything tight.

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