IgottaWoody

So..break in is like teaching....teach it to be a baby and it will always be that....teach it to grunt and hang on! Oh, and never take your mother in law for a ride.........

Gas Man

Fully agree with these 2 statements.


Oh yes... it can be done. When the piston is poked into the cylinder wrong!! Trust me I know!

sleeper

& yet some believe that..

Tominator

I'll keep them far away from my car thankyou!

Yes, it is an age old debate but one where the opinions of metelurgical engineers are never considered by the 'drive it like you stole it' wannabe mechanics.

Follow the owner's manual.

ChevyMgr

That's right. And if you don't follow the manual then you should never change your oil or filter, or your air filter and make sure you use the lowest octane gas that you can find. Because if the manual is wrong on engnie break in, then it's wrong on EVERYTHING.

This thread has a lot of mis-information.

solman98

Since the OP spoke about a motor, I'll stick with my comment about new motors and break in. There is no "break in" for new motors today in new cars. The information in the owners manual is "vague" at best when discussing how to "break in" a new motor.

ChevyMgr

Huh?

solman98

Easy.

Odds are, how many people buy a new car, hit the highway for a 500 mile trip with the cruise on? Most are running around town, speeds up and down. They want to show everyone their new car.

Most "full-throttle" starts on a new car are done on the test drive. Lets be honest here. People want to see how it gets up and goes. Keep doing that after purchase, you break things. Doesn't have to be new for that. Common sense IMO.

Downshifting, what's the ratio of auto's verses manuals? How many actually manually downshift an auto? How many computers will let it happen outside of a safe RPM? For a manual, downshifting helps the brakes Granted a 5-3 downshift at 60 ain't a good idea, again, common sense IMO.

Yea, vague.

hyperv6

Factory cars are pretty ready to go. They do want you to take it a little easy. Even if you did run it hard seldom are their failures. Most times the engine issues on new cars are due to defective parts or factory error and even these are rare.

Here is the offical info on GM Performance engines. These engines are not run in like the factory engines. They do take a little more work but even then it is no where like it used to be with new engines. Note this is only for crate engines and is not a new car break in!!!!!!!!!!!

If anything it may come in handy for some if they are installing a engine in the future.

Start-Up and Break-In Procedures

1. After installing the engine, ensure the crankcase has been filled with the correct (refer to instruction sheets that come with the crate engine) motor oil (non-synthetic) to the recommended oil fill level on the dipstick. Also check and fill as required any other necessary fluids such as coolant, power steering fluid, etc.

2. The engine should be primed with oil prior to starting. Do this by using an engine oil priming tool. If you do not have one, one can be obtained through GM, part number 12368084. Follow the instructions enclosed with the tool. This is the sure way to get oil to the bearings before you start the engine for the first time. Also, prime the engine if it sits for extended periods of time.

3. Safety first. If the vehicle is on the ground, be sure the emergency brake is set, the wheels are chocked and the car cannot fall into gear.

4. Start the engine and adjust the initial timing. Set the ignition timing to timing specified in the instruction sheet and the engine idle to the speed as specified in the instruction sheet. Rotate the distributor counterclockwise to advance the timing. Rotate the distributor clockwise to retard the timing. Leave the vacuum advance disconnected.

5. When possible, you should always allow the engine to warm up prior to driving. It is a good practice to allow the oil sump and water temperature to reach 180° F before towing heavy loads or performing hard acceleration runs.

6. Once the engine is warm, set the total advance timing as specified in the instruction sheet.

7. The engine should be driven at varying loads and conditions for the first 30 miles or one hour without wide open throttle (WOT) or sustained high RPM accelerations.

8. Run five or six medium throttle (50%) accelerations to about 4000 rpm and 55 mph (if application is a vehicle), and back to idle (0% throttle) in gear.

9. Run two or three hard throttle (WOT 100%) accelerations to about 5000 rpm and 55 mph (if application is a vehicle), and back to idle (0% throttle) in gear.

10. Change the oil and filter. Replace with 20W50 racing motor oil (not synthetic) and an ACDelco oil filter. Inspect the oil and the oil filter for any foreign particles to ensure that the engine is functioning properly.

11. Drive the next 500 miles (or 12 to 15 engine hours) under normal conditions. Do not run the engine at its maximum rated engine speed. Also, do not expose the engine to extended periods of high load.

12. Change the oil and filter. Again, inspect the oil and oil filter for any foreign particles to ensure that the engine is functioning properly.

13. Do not use synthetic oil for break-in. It would only be suitable to use synthetic motor oil after the second recommended oil change and mileage accumulation.

Gas Man

Well say what you want. I have never babied any motor from new. Not in my cars, trucks, suv, race bikes, choppers, or HDs. I just drive them. I dont worry about throttle "stabs" as I like to call them. I just run them around town.

Besides this last round with my HHR, which per GM Tech services, was a known problem with piston ring at the time of install. I've never had a problem.

Again... classic debate.

Oh yeah... here we go. Let's have a male reproductive organ measuring contest!!! Who's first?