Running in new Porsche-Advice needed

[jredram]

About to pick up new 981 Boxster. Porsche tells me to to keep under 4200rpm for 2000 miles, OK, then change the oil 1 year or 10000 miles later. This seems like an awful long time to me or am I being a bit precious with my new baby? Surely the point of running in is to carefully scrape off all the tiny bits of excess metal so the engine/drive train/brakes fit together a little better? With all those metal filings floating around I feel that the oil and filter would benefit from a change somewhat earlier. What do you guys do? Any other tips for running in?

Cheers

[Rockster]

jredram said:

About to pick up new 981 Boxster. Porsche tells me to to keep under 4200rpm for 2000 miles, OK, then change the oil 1 year or 10000 miles later. This seems like an awful long time to me or am I being a bit precious with my new baby? Surely the point of running in is to carefully scrape off all the tiny bits of excess metal so the engine/drive train/brakes fit together a little better? With all those metal filings floating around I feel that the oil and filter would benefit from a change somewhat earlier. What do you guys do? Any other tips for running in?

Cheers

Just follow the Porsche guidelines. As for an oil/filter change I like to change it early. When I bought my new 08 Cayman S I changed it at 750 miles (filter housing oil was full of metal so much so it looked like some dark metal flake paint) and again at 1500 miles just to see if the oil cleared up (it had just a hint of metal flake to it) and again at 2000 miles at the "end of break in". (Lost the car to an accident shortly after so I'll never know but I treated my 02 Boxster to early (and often (5K miles) oil/filter services and it has over 271K miles on its original engine.)

I see no reason to break in a new engine then hammer on it at 2K miles with filthy oil in the engine and with a filter that may be partially blocked to the point that unfiltered oil is routed around the filter to the engine.

Now on this last bit I have some sources telling me this isn't possible, the oil pressure bypass is before the filter and after the pump, but other sources telling the filter housing or where the filter housing fits has some kind of pressure bypass that can route unfiltered oil to the engine.

I don't know for sure but believe there is no filter bypass -- at least in the older models but I do not know about the newer models -- but to be on the safe side I'd change the oil sooner rather than later.

Unless the owners manual forbids it, change the oil at least at 2K miles and carefully drain the filter housing oil into a clean container and tell me you are sorry you changed that nice oil at 2K miles.

[Triple7]

Yup, read the owners handbook. My last new car forbid me from changing the oil until the first service!

[jimmyone]

All of the above,
but , when , and if you change the oil, make sure you have a magnetic sump plug.
Not sure if they are fitted as standard on the new models.
but they are not expensive anyway

[nsm3]

I don't know the answers to what revs, how long and when to do first oil change, but based on the replies above, it doesn't bode well for the demonstrator cars does it?

[mrdemon]

nsm3 said:

I don't know the answers to what revs, how long and when to do first oil change, but based on the replies above, it doesn't bode well for the demonstrator cars does it?

I would say 98% of cars don't get the oil changed for 2 years.

[Bennachie]

4k rpm is about 140 in PDK top!.....................

[jredram]

Thanks for the info guys. Probably didn't explain myself very well- I have no problem with the 4200rpm/2000 miles bit, seems very sensible. It was the metallic oil swilling around the engine that caused me grief. Have huge respect for the Porsche engineers and you have to believe that they know what they are doing. Howerver, I think I will change the oil and filter at around 2000 miles if not sooner. It seems to be a relatively cheap option considering the cost of the possible consequences.

[Moog72]

When I asked the OPC about this when I picked up my Boxster it was much the same, except they said that the engine doesn't really need to be run but I followed the manual guidelines about limited revs, etc more to let all the other components bed in properly. I'll get the oil changed at its next service which is still 15 months away - if that's what the manufacturer says is appropriate for their car, then that's fine by me. Has stood me in good stead for the other cars I've had from new anyhow

[Moog72]

jredram said:

then change the oil 1 year or 10000 miles later

But the official service interval is 2 years or 20,000 miles so not sure why they would tell you that it's a year / 10k?

[Ady128]

I've had my 991 for 15 months (9500 miles) now and I've not changed the oil. In fact I've not even put any IN. AND I put Morrisons petrol in it!

[Carl_Docklands]

You have been given duff info mate, every 20k or 2 years for the first oil change.

I asked this when I picked up my new boxster in 2009, opc east london said 'nope, see you in two years'.

[itsybitsy]

imho best to keep revs below 4k for first 500/600 miles without labouring and take long journeys without engine getting too bogged down in traffic or getting too hot,then over the next 500/600 miles continue the above but increase throttle openings briefly to circa 5-6k then after say 1500 miles start fully opening throttle to near the redline through the gears occasionally and as the miles increase drive it like you sole it
the idea is to break in and not drive below 4k for 2000 miles and then fully open up. I am sure in the manual it does not state keeping below 4k just avoid short trips and no racing for 3000km(1850 miles).

[Rockster]

itsybitsy said:

imho best to keep revs below 4k for first 500/600 miles without labouring and take long journeys without engine getting too bogged down in traffic or getting too hot,then over the next 500/600 miles continue the above but increase throttle openings briefly to circa 5-6k then after say 1500 miles start fully opening throttle to near the redline through the gears occasionally and as the miles increase drive it like you sole it
the idea is to break in and not drive below 4k for 2000 miles and then fully open up. I am sure in the manual it does not state keeping below 4k just avoid short trips and no racing for 3000km(1850 miles).

Well, that's you rewriting the Porsche break in guidelines.

Porsche does (or did) state to keep revs below 4K. New engine. Tight clearances. Heat. At higher revs the risk is the heat may overcome the oil and metal to metal and galling occur. Instant engine wear, or worse if a ring friction welds to the cylinder wall.

By 2K miles the engine is broken in enough that while it seems at odds high rpms are probably ok. I mean enough owners do this that if there were a problem I think we'd know.

But there is some argument to be made for sneaking up on the red line in stages after the 2K miles.

Regardless unless forbidden by the owner manual an oil/filter service at the end of break in I think is just good engine hygiene.

Also, while the engine revs are limited to 4K this doesn't mean big throttle can't be used, as long as the engine is up to temp. The engine wants to experience high loads at varying RPMs to advance the break in to a certain point that if one wanted to use high revs at 2K that's ok or not likely to cause any grief.

BTW, lab and field tests have found break in can take many thousands of miles more than the nominal break in mileage.

Oh, I read the long term reports on various cars run by the big UK car mags: EVO, Car, Top Gear. In more than one case the car is run and run and run on the factory fill oil with no apparent drop in oil level and the writer continues own about how great this is.

Then what I read is as the car approaches the end of the long term test and nears sometimes 20K miles that often the oil level takes a sudden drop. But by this time the long term test is over. One never gets to read about the car how it turns out in the 2nd or 3rd 20K miles...

[996TT02]

I'd go with Porsche, but if you feel better changing the oil at (say) 1k miles then do so.

Modern engines, or at least modern Porsche engines, are not built like engines of old, like what you'd have fitted in an MGB, say.

Clearances are generally "correct" to start off with, in the knowledge that wear will be limited, compared to an old tech engine. Clearances just HAVE to be correct.

Even back in 1983, the YOM of a 944 I owned many moons ago. Upon lifting the head, and with 80,000 miles on it, there was NO bore wear at all. Zero.

Sure there will be some polishing of parts, but to imagine pieces of swarf floating around in the oil grinding away at all moving parts is really out of touch with reality. And after all that's what the oil filter is there for, anything not filtered out because it's too small, is just too small to cause any damage.

If you do have anything major floating around, filter or not, when to change the oil will be the least of your worries, as the oil may be the only good thing left in the engine.

[Wozy68]

When I was looking at M3s and Z4ms a while back, I was informed to walk away from any that hadnt had the running in service performed, which If memory serves was between 1100 and 1600 miles. BMW refused to warrant a car if not done.
That says enough for me, if BMW thought it wise on a high performance engine to have it serviced when nearly new, I can't see why Porsche think their engines would not benefit from it.

If i owned a new Porsche and was going to keep a hold of her, I'd be having a filter and oil change at the 2k mark.

[itsybitsy]

Rockster said:

itsybitsy said:

imho best to keep revs below 4k for first 500/600 miles without labouring and take long journeys without engine getting too bogged down in traffic or getting too hot,then over the next 500/600 miles continue the above but increase throttle openings briefly to circa 5-6k then after say 1500 miles start fully opening throttle to near the redline through the gears occasionally and as the miles increase drive it like you sole it
the idea is to break in and not drive below 4k for 2000 miles and then fully open up. I am sure in the manual it does not state keeping below 4k just avoid short trips and no racing for 3000km(1850 miles).

Well, that's you rewriting the Porsche break in guidelines.

Porsche does (or did) state to keep revs below 4K. New engine. Tight clearances. Heat. At higher revs the risk is the heat may overcome the oil and metal to metal and galling occur. Instant engine wear, or worse if a ring friction welds to the cylinder wall.

By 2K miles the engine is broken in enough that while it seems at odds high rpms are probably ok. I mean enough owners do this that if there were a problem I think we'd know.

But there is some argument to be made for sneaking up on the red line in stages after the 2K miles.

Regardless unless forbidden by the owner manual an oil/filter service at the end of break in I think is just good engine hygiene.

Also, while the engine revs are limited to 4K this doesn't mean big throttle can't be used, as long as the engine is up to temp. The engine wants to experience high loads at varying RPMs to advance the break in to a certain point that if one wanted to use high revs at 2K that's ok or not likely to cause any grief.

BTW, lab and field tests have found break in can take many thousands of miles more than the nominal break in mileage.

Oh, I read the long term reports on various cars run by the big UK car mags: EVO, Car, Top Gear. In more than one case the car is run and run and run on the factory fill oil with no apparent drop in oil level and the writer continues own about how great this is.

Then what I read is as the car approaches the end of the long term test and nears sometimes 20K miles that often the oil level takes a sudden drop. But by this time the long term test is over. One never gets to read about the car how it turns out in the 2nd or 3rd 20K miles...

checked the manual earlier and it does not mention any rev limit,it does say take long trips,avoid high revs when engine is cold and don't go racing.i am running in my 4th Porsche engine and yes I have found the engines don't start to really loosen up to about 5-6k.imho running an engine for 2k miles at below 4k rpm is not breaking the engine in.breaking in should be a gradual process of increasing the load and avoid labouring the engine or driving in too a higher gear at low revs

[itsybitsy]

Wozy68 said:

If i owned a new Porsche and was going to keep a hold of her, I'd be having a filter and oil change at the 2k mark.

I think this is a must for any long term ownership,but more importantly if the car does a lot of short runs or town work I would add oil and filter change every 5k miles or yearly which ever first.

[spyderman8]

I think I'd be tempted to ask your OPC to do an extra oil change.

[tjlees]

Stick to what ever the porsche run in and service manual says. I have never been asked if I change the oil more frequently that required on a car sale of any car so far, only has it been serviced as per schedule.

OCDs will feed they habit by changing oil more frequently - me included - probably based on the efficiency of an oil filter dropping quite quickly from 95% to 80% and in some tests below 70% on a multi pass, or scare stories from trackdays

However, I have driven several cars to destruction and high miles (above 100k) only following manufacturer schedule - none had noticeable signs of engine wear, but all were swapped or died for other reasons. Hoping to get my current load lugging VAG to the moon (240k) and that is only serviced every 20k and shows no signs of engine wear after 135k of short and long high speed runs

Btw have always revved the bks off my track cars from day one - subsequent retunes have shown no loss in power - probably because the engines are bench-run in, warmed up properly and oil changed frequently - oh dear OCD kicking in again