Educate me on break in period

[lokiju]

So as some might know, I got a brand new '09 Subaru Forester last week.

I'm not at 640 miles on the OD and according to the owners manual, I shouldn't get it above 4k RPM's and not drive at the same RPM for "long periods of time".

What would be considered long periods of time?

I'll be driving from north GA to south FL (about 1,300 miles round trip) any day now when my brother and his wife pop out their first kid and I'm a bit concerned with doing any sort of damage to the engine while it's still under that 1,000 mark.

Also I've heard some conflicting information on oil changes.

Some seem to think it's a good idea to get the first oil change done early on, such as after those first 1,000 miles but the dealership I bought it from told me to bring it in at 3,000 miles for my first oil change after the break in.

So I'm concerned about driving at highway speeds (but below 4k RPM's) for hours on end and I'm not sure about the oil change.

I was thinking I could get the first oil change down when I get to FL just to be safe though but am not sure if it's even necessary.

 

[DivideBYZero]

Read the owners manual. There will be a section on this with the answers.

 

[lokiju]

Originally posted by: DivideBYZero
Read the owners manual. There will be a section on this with the answers.

I did.

I stated that in the OP.

I was left with some additional question, which I asked in the OP.

 

[f1r3s1d3]

Just drop it out of overdrive for a few miles every so often if your concerned. Your MPG's will take a small hit but, it'll be perfectly fine for the car.

 

[PCMarine]

Unrelated anecdotal story:

So I worked at a GM assembly plant this summer that made crossovers (Acadia, Outlook, Enclave). Well, when the cars came off the end of the assembly line, they were parked in a temporary lot right outside the factory before then being driven to the rail yard for transport (a couple miles down the road). Often times the temporary lot would fill up quickly, so the manager would tell a group of union guys, "You have an hour to move these 100-200 cars; get it done." Predictably, these brand new cars (with new engines and transmissions) were red lined all the way up to triple digit speeds on the way to the rail yard.

Or one time they had to test out a seal on the transmission, which had to be heated up. Once again, a group of brand new cars were brake-torqued and neutral-bombed in the parking lot to heat the transmission up (of course sold as-is).

It's probably better the general public doesn't know what goes on in an assembly plant / what happens to their "brand new" car before they receive it.

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: f1r3s1d3
Just drop it out of overdrive for a few miles every so often if your concerned. Your MPG's will take a small hit but, it'll be perfectly fine for the car.

or take some scenic routes.

 

[PlasmaBomb]

If the manual says to get the oil changed at 1000 miles there is nothing wrong with changing it early, just stick with dino until its properly run in.

 

[spigot]

lokiju, I know we've talked a bit offline about the Forester. I hope you like yours as much as I like mine.

I spent a fair amount of time looking over what to do with the first oil change. I came to the conclusion to change it a little short of where I would normally, mostly because I wanted to go synthetic. I did it at a little over 2k and the oil was very clean.

Also, have you found any bad rattles yet? I've got one in the passenger door that sounds like the glass vibrating when I get a rough patch. I need to get that looked at.

 

[kalrith]

Here's a thread from a few months ago on the topic: http://forums.anandtech.com/me...id=85&threadid=2214549

Go by the owner's manual for the first oil change. It should clearly state it in there.

Taking your long trip at the same speed is the worst way to break in the vehicle. Is it possible to rent a car for the trip? If not, then I would periodically slow down and speed up, switch through some gears, and exit and reenter the highway. That would at least vary the rpms somewhat.

Another important thing is to let your engine warm up before driving it.

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

I like this guys attitude... http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm

I have built hundreds of diesels.
Warm'em up on the dyno, check for leaks, then full power run for about a half hour.
During the 1/2 hour temps(oil and coolent) come down and power goes up.

 

[kalrith]

Originally posted by: GalvanizedYankee
I like this guys attitude... http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm

I have built hundreds of diesels.
Warm'em up on the dyno, check for leaks, then full power run for about a half hour.
During the 1/2 hour temps(oil and coolent) come down and power goes up.

When I get a new car, I also plan to use the drive-it-like-you-stole-it break-in method. I'd rather not mess with taking it to someone with a dyno, but there are plenty of country roads around here that would allow going through several gears and through varying degrees of acceleration and deceleration.

How long should the break-in period be? The article mentions that the first 200 miles are critical to breaking in an engine but doesn't mention if that's the point at which you can start driving the vehicle normally.

 

[CptCrunch]

when I broke in my 2006 toyota corolla, I went on a few road trips of 80 miles each, went 65mph for 2-3 miles, then 70, then 75, rinse and repeat, then would drive it around town for several miles. Also red-lined it a few tines (read: 5) for the first 1000 miles. I had a problem with the drive train bolt that was fixed under warranty at 8k miles, but other than that, it has been perfect. 44k miles (in 2.8 years) with still the same power as new (1.8L 128HP) and plan on doing the same break-in method on all new cars I purchase.

 

[jagec]

Originally posted by: GalvanizedYankee
I like this guys attitude... http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm

I have built hundreds of diesels.
Warm'em up on the dyno, check for leaks, then full power run for about a half hour.
During the 1/2 hour temps(oil and coolent) come down and power goes up.

I followed that protocol when I broke in my new bike. Runs like a top.

Even if you don't believe in his arguments and would prefer to baby your engine, both Motoman and the manual agree that the WORST thing to do is (a)Flog a cold engine--ever! (b)drone along at a constant RPM on a new engine. Varying speed and throttle position...it's your call to decided whether you want that speed and throttle position to be mild or wild during break-in.