Engine break-in

[stall]

I've been looking at new cars and have found out that there seems to be no real engine break-in period for the new cars,

My question is, How do they do that? I'm simply curious.

[studegary]

They don't call for a special break in. I think that it is because they know that most people will not follow it anyway.

When I take delivery of a new car, I always take a day off just to break the car in. I drive the car around at varying speeds and do not use any excessive load conditions. I keep the car up to temperature for the day. I do not drive at turnpike/expressway/parkway speeds for more than 15 minutes at a time. I usually cover between 100 and 200 miles this way. After that I drive the car a fairly easy normal for about the next one to three weeks. I leave the factory oil fill in untill the recommended change period. The factory adds special break in additives to the inital fill and there is no point in draining them out too soon. This may seem like overkill to some, but I have had excellent results with this method. I have only purchased seven new cars, so my sample size is limited.

[studerodder]

steel camshafts, roller lifters, overhead cams and better lubricants have eliminated most of the need for break-in - cnc machining did the rest.

[kmac530]

I pick my new trucks up on a "whatever" week night, hand them the keys to my wore out trade in and jump in my new Chevy on my way home, drive it to my house, dinner, shower, bed, get up and drive my new truck to work the next weekday, just like ANY other day.
I have traded in my last 3 Chevy's with over 1/4 million miles on them and not ONE of them ever had a valve cover off or any other engine work done to them other than oil. I have done a trans on each one, but just one trans and all well over 100k and these are big trucks that carry ALOT of weight and tow very often. Never a motor problem and never a fancy break in.

Now my race motorcycles are different. I always break those in my way. Not neccesarily the way the book says, but the way I know has worked for 40 years of racing motorcycles.
I have bought used bikes and cars that the seller insisted was a little old lady type of driver/rider and they were always "babied"...only to blow them up in short order. I developed the attitude that you need to break them in the way you plan on using them.

My MC break in is start it, let it idle up to warm, rev it up a few times, ride it around and thru each gear at moderate RPMs for a few minutes only. Kill it and let it FULLY cool. Once cool, I restart and let it idle to warm, rev up thru each gear while riding around the track, but no full RPM long hard pulls, just briefly up to fairly high R's. Run it for about 10-15 min, shut down and let it FULLY cool. Repeat one more time and this time run it for 20 min or so reving occasionally to full revs but still not at sustained full revs. Let it fully cool for this 3rd and last time, then go race it at FULL revs, all day, any day.

It is only a couple of hours max process and I have rarely ever had a motor problem on bikes I have bought new and broke in with this basic warm up process and race it like you stole it attitude.

[BobPalma]

What Studerodder and Gary said, really. I've often wondered when the last vehicle was built for which they recommended that the cylinder heads be retorqued at a certain mileage-from-new.

Geeze, the industry has come so far. At the 2012 Indianapolis new-car Auto Show on New Year's Day, I noted one manufacturer (Hyundai? I'm not sure) offering a standard 12-year perforation corrosion warranty! Can you imagine the 1969 warranty claims on 1957 Plymouths had that been in effect....not to mention our beloved Studebakers!?

We take so many things for granted nowadays. BP

[kmac530]

Bob,
I am curious if things like Torque-to -Yield head bolts/studs have something to do not needing to re-torque them. Especially when you consider all of the issues that came around when the imports first went to Aluminum heads on Steel blocks back in the 70s. Big sealing issues and may be one reason why things like T-t-Y came out. Not sure, just spit balling.

[BobPalma]

Bob,
I am curious if things like Torque-to -Yield head bolts/studs have something to do not needing to re-torque them. Especially when you consider all of the issues that came around when the imports first went to Aluminum heads on Steel blocks back in the 70s. Big sealing issues and may be one reason why things like T-t-Y came out. Not sure, just spit balling.

Could be, Kelly. All sealing agents, from gaskets to compounds, have become so much better in the last 20 years. I've often wondered how much "dryer" Studebaker V8s could be, given today's technology. BP

[stall]