Engine engine break in...

engine break in...

i was told after i bought my car by one of the sales reps... not to break in your car after 12,000 miles...is this true or myth??

the first 3000 miles are supposed to be driven easily to break the engine in.

ok so i have 3700 mileage on my car...is it ok to go for a long drive now? i'm thinking of LA...

Sure... knock yourself out.

During the break-in period, it's actually recommended that you take long drives (not fast drives though) since stop-and-go driving like local roads or traffic is considered "harsh" on the engine. It's also recommended that you not exceed ~ 60mph/3000rpm during that period as well, but I'm sure you've probably already exceeded that one. And the break-in period is actually only considered the first 1000 miles.

Agreed...read the owner's manual. Normally I break in a new car like I stole it! With the "Rolla" I decided to go by the book. The car used zero oil during break in which is a first for me. Her car also used zero oil and was also broken in by the book.

I changed the oil to synthetic (Mobil 1 10W-30) at 1000 miles. You can do the same with a proper break in period. Past 1000 miles.......run it like you stole it!

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Someone told me 1000 km,and not to pass 5000 so thats what i did,will i have problems with my car? Am i getting all the performance i should???????? thanks BEN

Ya simliar question as ben. I kinda did what they said for about 250 mi, but then i gave up and started accelerating faster. and i only do city driving. Is that bad?

One of the things that is going on during the break-in period, is that the ECU is "tuning" itself, by doing granny driving the ECU will set itself up for optimal gas mileage.

wow wow wow, gas mileage settings? um ok this could explain my 16 mpg in the winter, and 20-22 mpg in summer.

at least thats how it was explained to me by my dealer, so you might want to take that with a grain of salt, however I do know that the engine break in is for the oil to impregnate itself into seals and such as well as to remove any burrs in the parts; although i'm not sure thats much of a problem these days.

That's considered "harsh" driving (stop and go is not great for engines). I would definitely NOT recommend extending your oil drain intervals since your engine will usually be working hard through all of the lower gears. And if you're in a manual, that means that you're putting more stress on the clutch as well. I feel you though, I drive through traffic most of the time. So I just make sure I stay on top of my oil changes, both engine and tranny. But don't expect to have your engine/tranny last a million miles like some people. It'll require servicing earlier than non-harshly-driven cars.

It is mostly important to vary speeds and loads during break-in; Don't drive slow or fast for extended periods. A good break-in consists of light driving, up to about 3000 RPM for the 1st hour, then gradually start subjecting it to normal loads and higher RPM's. It is advisable to start operating engine through its full range; max throttle to redline after a couple hundred miles to achieve a complete break-in.
There's no need to worry about harder city driving at 250 miles. Change your oil at 1st 1000-2000 miles, then use synthetic (Amsoil or Mobil 1) 5W30 every 5000 miles.

When all else fails, just go by the owner's manual. It basically says take it easy the first 1000 miles (easy = below 3000 rpms), don't maintain a constant speed when cruising, go easy on acceleration/braking, and brush your teeth every day twice a day. :wink:

As for going 5000 miles between oil changes, even with synthetic I would only do that if most of your miles are highway. 3000 miles if you do city driving just because of all the stop/go traffic. But that's just IMO.

Toyota actually recommends changing oil every 7500 miles for normal driving, and 5000 miles for stop and go, commercial, towing and driving in dusty conditions, as well as for Canadian driving (8000 Kms), but it does seem a bit excessive. Frequent warm ups in colder weather and extended idling also speeds up oil contamination rate.
Fram now sells a "Tough Guard" oil filter featuring a synthetic glass and cellulose filtering media (much like Canadian Tire's "Formula 1" oil filter) which filters better than the standard paper element filter used by Toyota...http://www.fram.com/

i dont think 7500 mi is bad for synthetic...i think most tests show that they last longer ... and the book says to go with 7500 for normal conditions right? harsh conditions isn't in our category ... who goes off roading on a corolla?

"harsh driving" also includes stop-and-go driving like on local roads and highway traffic. It also includes short distance driving less than 10 miles, like that short hop from your house down to the grocery store... Harsh driving DOES NOT mean off-roading. And let's not forget Toyota's serious blunder with their V6 engines not too long ago when they overstated the recommended drain intervals. Your drain intervals should be based on driving conditions and the cleanliness of your oil. If something is going on where your engine oil is pitch black at 5000 miles, it does not mean that you can drive another 2500 miles just because you haven't hit the mark yet.