Running in - Any advice ?
Discussion
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Not so important these days, but any engine will still benefit from a bit of care and common sense.
The below advice is based on how we used to break in race engines.
The main considerations are:
Don't labour it. Better to use higher revs with a light throttle, than low revs with a heavy throttle. Especially uphill. So, if you get to a hill, instead of putting your foot down in 4th or 5th, change down to 3rd and use higher revs but with a lighter throttle.
When it's cold, give it a decent chance of warming up before using higher revs. DON'T let it idle from start-up to do so, just drive off but keep the throttle as light as possible. The same 'don't labour' advice is even more pertinent on a cold engine.
Try not to let it get too hot. Ok, you might unavoidably get stuck in town or traffic, but if you can avoid the fans cutting in for the first 4 to 500 miles and being stuck in hot, heavy traffic - happy days.
The best break-in happens under constantly changing loads and speeds, so try to keep coming on and off the throttle as much as possible, varying the load and speed on the engine. Yes, this can get a bit tedious on a motorway for instance, but try not to sit at 70mph for example - providing the road is relatively traffic-free, it's good if you can keep coming off the throttle and dropping down to say 50mph, going down the gears to 3rd, and gently accelerating back up to 70mph through 4th and 5th.
Don't cane the tits off it.
Let it idle for a minute before shutting it down.
Then, once you've come up to the first service, I would spec an oil change using something fairly basic - certainly not an all-singing, all-dancing fully synthetic oil. But to be honest, you'll probably get something basic from a main dealer first service anyway.
Now it's had an oil and filter change, there's a bit more work to do. Now, you can still allow it to warm through properly, but once warm start increasing the load and revs right up to full performance over the next couple of hundred miles.
Then once there's lots of miles up, try to just be gentle with it when it's cold, and occasionally cane the absolute tits off it every once in a while.
Then my last tip - 3rd and subsequent oil changes, use Mobil 1.
This engine should now give better performance and outlast even you!
The below advice is based on how we used to break in race engines.
The main considerations are:
Don't labour it. Better to use higher revs with a light throttle, than low revs with a heavy throttle. Especially uphill. So, if you get to a hill, instead of putting your foot down in 4th or 5th, change down to 3rd and use higher revs but with a lighter throttle.
When it's cold, give it a decent chance of warming up before using higher revs. DON'T let it idle from start-up to do so, just drive off but keep the throttle as light as possible. The same 'don't labour' advice is even more pertinent on a cold engine.
Try not to let it get too hot. Ok, you might unavoidably get stuck in town or traffic, but if you can avoid the fans cutting in for the first 4 to 500 miles and being stuck in hot, heavy traffic - happy days.
The best break-in happens under constantly changing loads and speeds, so try to keep coming on and off the throttle as much as possible, varying the load and speed on the engine. Yes, this can get a bit tedious on a motorway for instance, but try not to sit at 70mph for example - providing the road is relatively traffic-free, it's good if you can keep coming off the throttle and dropping down to say 50mph, going down the gears to 3rd, and gently accelerating back up to 70mph through 4th and 5th.
Don't cane the tits off it.
Let it idle for a minute before shutting it down.
Then, once you've come up to the first service, I would spec an oil change using something fairly basic - certainly not an all-singing, all-dancing fully synthetic oil. But to be honest, you'll probably get something basic from a main dealer first service anyway.
Now it's had an oil and filter change, there's a bit more work to do. Now, you can still allow it to warm through properly, but once warm start increasing the load and revs right up to full performance over the next couple of hundred miles.
Then once there's lots of miles up, try to just be gentle with it when it's cold, and occasionally cane the absolute tits off it every once in a while.
Then my last tip - 3rd and subsequent oil changes, use Mobil 1.
This engine should now give better performance and outlast even you!
MercScot said:
Perhaps read the manual and follow the instructions therein?
I'm sure the Internet has much better advice though!
Seems I will only get the manual along with the car tomorrow I may well read it in depth.I'm sure the Internet has much better advice though!
Then again, I might just rag the arse of it (to get home quickly so I can continue the read of course)
Ahh, I remember the day I picked up my new Mondeo company car.. got in, turned off the TC and did a massive wheelie away from the office chuckling like a kid.. I basically nailed it from cold day in, day out thereafter and it didn't miss a beat uptil the time I left, about 60k miles later.
In other words-dont worry about it-cars are hard these days
In other words-dont worry about it-cars are hard these days
Ray Luxury-Yacht said:
Not so important these days, but any engine will still benefit from a bit of care and common sense.
The below advice is based on how we used to break in race engines.
[Interesting stuff - I don't doubt it at all
]
And I think of how my father drove his new (sales rep) Ital 1.7HL Estate from Weybridge to Bury at 55mph in 1980 and considered he'd then run the damn thing in The below advice is based on how we used to break in race engines.
[Interesting stuff - I don't doubt it at all
]
...In his 1984 205GR and 1987 205GTI he could run at 80 in 5th from scratch in the first thousand miles - the intervening 1985 MG Metro was limited to 70 in the second 500 miles from new from memory...
(He was driving nigh on 25k p.a. from 1981 [post Ital], arguably a brave man
. I last spoke to him 15 years ago...)Farm boy said:
Then again, I might just rag the arse of it (to get home quickly so I can continue the read of course)
Farm Boy, ever complained your new tractor aint producing what they said in the brochure? If so you'll know what they do with brand new tractors.....Put them on the dyno for 2 or 3 hours and work the arse off them to get everything nice and loose.
I would do the same with the car. Make it work, but make sure you replace the oil on time.
Ahh, I remember the day I picked up my new Mondeo company car.. got in, turned off the TC and did a massive wheelie away from the office chuckling like a kid.. I basically nailed it from cold day in, day out thereafter and it didn't miss a beat uptil the time I left, about 60k miles later.
In other words-dont worry about it-cars are hard these days
In other words-dont worry about it-cars are hard these days
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