Hey all,

I read a really old Engine Break In thread on here and just wanted to make sure I was doing it right.
I am trying to break in the engine correctly.
So every know and then I hit the gas pedal down to get the rpms up between 3 - 5k so I try to change the RPMs.
Is that the proper way to break it in?
I try not to keep the rpms the same for long periods of time.
Also, how long should I be doing this for, I was thinking about 300 - 500 miles on the car.

Also, I figured I might as well throw it in here I got the All Weather floor mats and on the drivers side they have the holes for the hook, however, I dont see a hook at all in my Mustang.
I just have these snaps on the floor.
Any ideas?

Again thanks everyone.

 

All depends if there are any Camaros nearby.

 

Now that is a good response. Haha

But in all honesty was wondering if this was being done right.
I dont want to screw anything up.

 

 

You're gonna find there is no "right" way to break the car in. Some people baby it for 600 miles, some people baby it for 1,000 miles, and some people rip loose the second they leave the lot feeling it will help seat and break things in.

I honestly don't feel break in makes much of a difference anymore, but that's just me.

 

http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm

 

The reason they say to vary the rpm's during break in is so all the parts are used throughout their full range of motion. Many also say that running it reasonably hard (fully warmed up first) seats the rings.
Think about the rotating assembly of an engine. Its nice and easy swirling around in there at low to medium rpm's. But as you approach redline, there is a bit of stretch taking place. If you were to only drive up to 5k rpm for like 25k or 50k miles, you build a ridge inside the cylinder where the rings always top out. Now if you start driving it all the way to 7k redline, the stretch of the rod is allowing the top ring to hit that ridge... and can break a ring. We're only talking thousandths of an inch of stretch but its enough to cause problems later if you aren't using the engine that way from day one.
I want my engine to be accustomed to stretching to the max (of max redline) from day one. In its early miles (first 1k or so) I'm not going to hang it at redline or bog it all the way there, I'm going to use 1st & 2nd and pop it up to redline, then come back to middle range. Mix in some freeway, some traffic, some two laners, shifting and busting up to redline occasionally, etc... Have FUN!!!
I changed the oil within the 1st 1000 miles for peace of mind. And everytime I take it out, it sees redline at least once (after completely up to temp - not just 'water temp') - to keep the carbon blown out and to keep everything stretching to max tolerance.
IMO (I've taken a lot of engines well past 100k so it must be working! )

 

I have been trying that, but its a bit hard in an auto to hit redline.
Highest I have been able to get up is 5k RPM.
I mostly drive it from between 1 - 3k RPM, but ocassionally (mostly at red lights) I hit it a bit so it goes to 5k RPMs.

 

You know you can put her in whatever gear you want with the drive selector. Just put it in second then press the gas till you hit readline.

 

Kinda surprised by that really. If I floored my old V6 Auto from a stop it wouldn't shift to 2nd until the tach needle actually went into the red.

 

If you're city bound, freeway on-ramps?


One thing I thought interesting about the mototune ideas was that deceleration is part of seating rings also. I would usually take it to redline, upshift, and then throttle back in the next higher gear more often than holding it in gear and using engine braking. But it makes sense to put some pressure both directions during ring seating.

I also did a lot of play on two lane twisties with no traffic where I would hold in 2nd and play from 5-6k rpm on the curves, using 'throttle steer' to carve the line. On/off play, shift and prep for the turn, hold it, nail it out and upshift and oops!!! How did 100 get here so fast!

 

Yea I figured the samething, but once it gets to 5 -5.5k it changes.
Dont forget they also upped the redline on the V6s to 7k

 

Yeah holding it in a gear should work. But as you approach redline you might want to change the drive selector and let the auto trans shift itself at that point.

Keep in mind the auto's "learn" your driving style. If you're babying it, perhaps that is why it is shifting before redline.

I'm breaking in a new 4 banger (brand X) and its auto trans. I've noticed if I lazily take it up, it will shift well before redline even though I'm floored at that point. They told me about the "adaptive learning". So I take off pretty quick right now so it shifts according to a more aggressive style. And when I want to run it to redline, I nail it hard from a stop and it will hold to redline before shifting into 2nd. Then sometimes I hold it in gear and run it up to about 5k and then decelerate a bit with engine braking. Just mixing it up...

 

Yep I have heard about that.
The thing is the car only has 100 miles on it so I dont kno if it has learned much.
I only babied it for the first 15 miles when I took it home.
After that I have been doing these hard launches from stop and it always seems to change around then.
Maybe I will put it in 2nd gear and hit the readline real quick.

Now it just has to stop raining.

While I have a few people's attention I was trying to use my Ford Mustang all weather floor mats, but only have snaps, no hooks.
Did they take the hooks out?

 

Uh oh. Prepare for the "Take it to the track!" avalanche.

 

A Ford engineer at the Woodward Dream Cruise once told me, "it's ok to drive it like you stole it" and that "these modern motors don't need a break-in". Food for thought.

 

From time to time i'll drive 40 to 50 m.p.h. in third gear (Automatic) for a few miles to let my engine loosen up some.

 

I think the bigger problem is the computers now learn how you drive if you keep driving it the same in the beginning.
Its always nice to mix it up occasionally.

 

 

Most of the break in has already happened.