Engine break-in period questions

[Powerhouse]

Hey there,

Just wondering if anyone has pointers on breaking in the 218. WHen should oil be changed first, etc...

Thanks.

[Young Ed]

Our engine guy has us run straight 30 non detergent for the first 500 miles. then change and use whatever you intent to run

[Plymouthy Adams]

the Plmouth Service Manual on page 312 has the break in procedure for the new (rebuilt) engine..o-100 mile then from 100 to 500 procedure..its a bit long to re-type..maybe someone could do a scan and print on line

[Harvey Tank]

try this, hope it helps............

[Plymouthy Adams]

thanks for scanning....now everyone who does not have a book can at least make a copy of this procedure..

[Powerhouse]

Great, thanks!

I am running straight 30 non detergent...with breakin additive suggested by my friend at NAPA.

[Powerhouse]

so basically,

first 100 miles....take it easy...no faster than 50. No Fast Accelerations, Keep an eye and ear on everything. No long periods of high rpms. No steep grades.

from 100 miles to 500 miles...same as before but may go faster up to 65 but still take it easy.

[greg g]

My machinist told me to drive it like I stole it then change the oil in 500 miles. Done and Done and still doing.

[Don Coatney]

try this, hope it helps............

When this book was printed this was good advice. However with the improvements made to motor oil over the years I dont think this holds true today. I ran my rebuilt engine on a test stand for several hours prior to installing it in my car. But on my first drive I cranked it over 4,000 RPM's and I have had no problems after close to 40,000 miles.

[Plymouthy Adams]

the trick is not to sustain high RPM on break-in...the going up and down the scale under various loads is the method I use..however..I would not say one way or the other that one should use my method...that is why I quoted the book..

there is a fine line of distinction between broke-in and broke-down

[Joe Flanagan]

I read somewhere that you should run the engine at at least 1500 RPMs on break in and not to let it idle. Is this true to your experience?

[Plymouthy Adams]

IF you have new (resurfaced, reprofiled) cam and lifters, this period is necessary for the break in of these surfaces..I do not like the later break in lube..I still mix molybyendinum disulfide for all cam and lifter "shear" wear surface areas..

[Big_John]

My machinist told me to drive it like I stole it then change the oil in 500 miles. Done and Done and still doing.

That's pretty much my opinion too. Break in the cam, then run it! All the engines I did over the years were broke in that way and they all ran great.

[old rat 49]

Having worked in Mopar assembly plant in Detroit in the early 60's and seeing the newly built cars reved way up on first start and then peeling rubber off the rollers and out the factory door to a marshalling line perhaps a mile or more away or watching the Porsches flying in convoy down the autobahn at 100 mph+ test runs prior to delivery I just don't get this thing about "break in". Hasn't the damage already been done ? Picked up a Dodge in NJ on return from last tour in Europe and drove to NC imediately and had that car for 10years and 160K miles without a problem. Is this break in thing a myth ?

[greg g]

What about the break in for those Top fuel motors? They go from brand new or freshly new assembled to blown up in about 30 seconds.

[Plymouthy Adams]

those engines are built so sloppy there is no need for a break in..they also have such a short amount of time between rebuilds

[martybose]

What about the break in for those Top fuel motors? They go from brand new or freshly new assembled to blown up in about 30 seconds.

Nowhere's near 30 seconds, more like 15 seconds of running time. If you do the math, they get rebuild after every 1000 revolutions of use! They're also designed to be assembled using calibrated impact guns. Until a few years ago when they eased up on the rules about computers on the cars, the fuel curves and the clutch engagement were controlled by time-calibrated air solenoids; now they use computer-timed controls.

Marty

[Jim Saraceno]

These are the instructions for breaking in the engine in my 1935 owners manual...

"A new car should not be driven faster than 35 miles per hour in high gear during the first 500 miles of service. After that, the maximum speed may be increased gradually in cycles of 10 mile per hour after each succeeding 200 miles."

Things sure have changed, haven't they!

[greg g]

Well sometimes for the Dodge dealer I work for, I will pull a new vehicle from stock, put in some gas and drive it 200 miles to another dealership ( at steady highway speeds) then I will get a vehicle from that dealer's stock, put some gas in it and drive the 200 miles back to the dealer I work for (also at highway speeds and with less than gentle application of throttle on acceleration lanes) so are those two vehicles Broken in or just broken????

[martybose]

Well sometimes for the Dodge dealer I work for, I will pull a new vehicle from stock, put in some gas and drive it 200 miles to another dealership ( at steady highway speeds) then I will get a vehicle from that dealer's stock, put some gas in it and drive the 200 miles back to the dealer I work for (also at highway speeds and with less than gentle application of throttle on acceleration lanes) so are those two vehicles Broken in or just broken????

Many years ago I bought a Mercury Merkur (2.3L turbo) that had been a dealer demo car. A couple of months later I was picking it up after a routine service and overheard one mechanic telling another that when my car arrived at the dealership they had taken it out that first night and took it up to about 120 MPH of the freeway. That might help explain why at 30K miles it suddenly started using a quart of oil every 300 miles.

I won't ever buy a dealer demo car again!

Marty