Engine Break-in?

Well I just bought my new 05 Accord LX-G 4 cyl 5 speed manual. This is my
1st new car. I want to make sure I break the engine in properly. Any
suggestions? I mostly do in town driving. I will be going on a 740km (440
miles) trip one way soon with it though. I live in Northern Ontario. I
don't know if that makes a difference or not?


Thank you all


Skipper

Follow the owners manual.

"skipper" > wrote in message
. ..
> Well I just bought my new 05 Accord LX-G 4 cyl 5 speed manual. This is my
> 1st new car. I want to make sure I break the engine in properly. Any
> suggestions? I mostly do in town driving. I will be going on a 740km
(440
> miles) trip one way soon with it though. I live in Northern Ontario. I
> don't know if that makes a difference or not?
>
Cars dont require extensive break-in like they used to.
Generally,
make sure your coolant, fluids, oil are at the proper level,
drive at highway speeds, sanely
don't lug the engine down.

skipper wrote:
> Well I just bought my new 05 Accord LX-G 4 cyl 5 speed manual.
> I want to make sure I break the engine in properly. Any
> suggestions? I mostly do in town driving. I will be going
> on a 740km (440 miles) trip one way soon with it though.

Considering it's a Honda, it was probably fully broke in within the
first 60 seconds, but if not, your city driving has likely already
taken care of it. Owner's manuals generally recommend not letting the
engine rev as high as normal or driving for prolonged periods at a
steady RPM. Varying the RPM concentrates forces on the pistons at
different places and helps the rings seat all around, and if this
wasn't done with new engines built 20-30+ years ago, a piston ring
could become stuck in its groove and never seat right, and the engine
would end up burning more oil than normal.

Also take it easy on the brakes until they fully seat, which can take
up to 4,000 miles, or the pads and shoes could overheat in small areas.

Your typical (in-town) driving makes your 'break-in' job a little easier.
Contrary to one of the other posts in this thread, the general rule is to
avoid long periods of continuous engine speed - such as highway driving.
Avoid high rpms (and lugging the engine if you've got a manual transmission)
.. The best advice is to follow the owner's manual, but in absence of
helpful information there, hope this helps.

--
Message posted via http://www.carkb.com

To break-in use a hammer

wrote:

> skipper wrote:
>
>>Well I just bought my new 05 Accord LX-G 4 cyl 5 speed manual.
>>I want to make sure I break the engine in properly. Any
>>suggestions? I mostly do in town driving. I will be going
>>on a 740km (440 miles) trip one way soon with it though.
>
>
> Considering it's a Honda, it was probably fully broke in within the
> first 60 seconds,

That's a ridiculous comment.


but if not, your city driving has likely already
> taken care of it. Owner's manuals generally recommend not letting the
> engine rev as high as normal or driving for prolonged periods at a
> steady RPM.

Reasonable advice. With modern oils, you can pretty much just get in a
new car (or an old car with a freshly rebuilt engine) and drive without
causing any problems. But if this is a car you care about, vary the
speed for the first 1000 miles or so- don't get on the highway and set
the cruise control for hours at a time.

> and if this
> wasn't done with new engines built 20-30+ years ago, a piston ring
> could become stuck in its groove and never seat right, and the engine
> would end up burning more oil than normal.

A function of the oils of 30 years ago, not the engines

>
> Also take it easy on the brakes until they fully seat, which can take
> up to 4,000 miles, or the pads and shoes could overheat in small areas.

Forget that! Brake materials seat within 20 or 30 miles of normal
driving. Do one or two "panic" stops during that period to bed the pads
in (not back-to-back, give them plenty of time to cool between hard
stops) and then forget it! If the "4000 mile" statement above were true,
you'd have to do that after every brake job on any car, which is flatly
absurd.

Steve wrote:
> wrote:
>
> > skipper wrote:
> >
> >>Well I just bought my new 05 Accord LX-G 4 cyl 5 speed manual.
> >>I want to make sure I break the engine in properly.

> > Considering it's a Honda, it was probably fully broke
> > in within the first 60 seconds,
>
> That's a ridiculous comment.

Not really. Honda has been using low-tension piston rings for a long
time and machines the cylinders really well. Still, since there's only
once chance to break in a new engine properly, I'd avoid prolonged
constant RPM driving during the first 1,000 miles.

> > but if not, your city driving has likely already taken
> > care of it. Owner's manuals generally recommend not
> > letting the engine rev as high as normal or driving for
> > prolonged periods at a steady RPM.
>
> Reasonable advice. With modern oils, you can pretty much
> just get in a new car (or an old car with a freshly rebuilt
> engine) and drive without causing any problems. But if this
> is a car you care about, vary the speed for the first 1000
> miles or so- don't get on the highway and set the cruise
> control for hours at a time.
>
> > and if this wasn't done with new engines built 20-30+
> > years ago, a piston ring could become stuck in its
> > groove and never seat right, and the engine would end
> > up burning more oil than normal.
>
> A function of the oils of 30 years ago, not the engines

I think it has more to do with the way engines are built now because in
the 1970s, when synthetic oils were first widely sold on the retail
market, Mobil and others recommended avoiding it and even
extra-slippery conventional oils (like ARCO Graphite) until the engine
had broken in for 12,000 miles. But now Mobil and auto makers say
synthetics can be used from day one or the first recommended oil
change.

> > Also take it easy on the brakes until they fully seat,
> > which can take up to 4,000 miles, or the pads and shoes
> > could overheat in small areas.
>
> Forget that! Brake materials seat within 20 or 30 miles of
> normal driving. Do one or two "panic" stops during that
> period to bed the pads in (not back-to-back, give them
> plenty of time to cool between hard stops) and then forget
> it! If the "4000 mile" statement above were true, you'd have
> to do that after every brake job on any car, which is flatly
> absurd.

That's a better way to seat them, but I'd be afraid many people would
overdo it and end up with burnt pads or warped rotors (older Ford
Tauruses with lightweight 2-piece rotors). I've had pads with up to
2,000 miles on them that still hadn't seated and were making only 50%
contact.

Steve wrote:
> wrote:
> > Considering it's a Honda, it was probably fully broke in within
> > the first 60 seconds,
>
> That's a ridiculous comment.

But funny (unless you have a Honda).

> > Also take it easy on the brakes until they fully seat, which
> > can take up to 4,000 miles, or the pads and shoes could overheat
> > in small areas.
>
> Forget that! Brake materials seat within 20 or 30 miles of normal
> driving.

By 'seat', do you mean, the pads sitting squarely in the caliper ?
(Excuse my ignorance)

> Do one or two "panic" stops during that period to bed the pads
> in (not back-to-back, give them plenty of time to cool between hard
> stops) and then forget it!

I was warned to not brake heavily during the first few hundred
k of new pads, in case they "glazed". Is this accurate?

I also got the same warning for a new clutch.

The number of old wives tales about this is totally amazing. I suspect that
the internet community will never agree on this, but the engineers building
the engines (and brakes) sure have...

Even back in the sixties, engines were run in even before they got installed
in the cars. The majority of break in was probably complete before the
engine even fired for the first time. The most critical thing that has to
break in in the engine is the camshaft to lifter interface with non-roller
rockers. That's what synthetic oil is bad for, and the cam is broken in
after 20 minutes of running (or just rotating the engine, which can be done
without firing the engine). Modern rings will seat very quickly, and while
60 seconds is a little fast, 30 minutes is reasonable for the major gain due
to break-in to be accomplished. The best way to break in rings is to get
the engine fully warm, and do a few high power runs - just put it in third
gear and accelerate onto a freeway, that sort of thing. It's also good for
the ring and pinion...

Sure, you take it easy for the first couple hundred miles or so. It's new,
you take it easy! Personally, I'm waiting for something to fall off, or
otherwise self destruct, but I'm a pessimist. The other things that have to
break in are still there, primarily the differential gear if it's hypoid.
The best routine for breaking in these other things (including brakes) is to
get them warm, apply some power to them a few times, then let them cool.
For brakes, just do some medium to heavy braking, then drive normally for a
few miles. 30 miles of this is all that's needed.

For brakes, two things occur. First, many brake compounds need to deposit a
trace layer of material on the disc. That's why it's good to always put a
new brand or type of pad onto a fresh surface, and also why its best to put
new pads of the same type onto used rotors. Second, there are volatile
bonding agents in the pad material and you need to put in a little heat to
disperse them. If you look at used pads there is a thin layer of material
at the surface that has a different appearance to the body of the pad. As
the pad wears, that layer remains as the pad is used.

The good news is that these days, there is virtually nothing that you can do
that will hurt a brand new engine or car, short of outright abuse. I get a
new street car, I just get in and drive it totally normally. With a race
engine, it's broken in after 30 minutes warming up on the dyno and two power
pulls, or after the first track session. I go through the normal routine to
bed in pads, rotors and ring&pinions, and tires for that matter, they all
want exactly the same thing. Warm up, apply some power a few times, and let
them cool down. Takes one 20 minute session, if that.

Brian



"Old Wolf" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> Steve wrote:
>> wrote:
>> > Considering it's a Honda, it was probably fully broke in within
>> > the first 60 seconds,
>>
>> That's a ridiculous comment.
>
> But funny (unless you have a Honda).
>
>> > Also take it easy on the brakes until they fully seat, which
>> > can take up to 4,000 miles, or the pads and shoes could overheat
>> > in small areas.
>>
>> Forget that! Brake materials seat within 20 or 30 miles of normal
>> driving.
>
> By 'seat', do you mean, the pads sitting squarely in the caliper ?
> (Excuse my ignorance)
>
>> Do one or two "panic" stops during that period to bed the pads
>> in (not back-to-back, give them plenty of time to cool between hard
>> stops) and then forget it!
>
> I was warned to not brake heavily during the first few hundred
> k of new pads, in case they "glazed". Is this accurate?
>
> I also got the same warning for a new clutch.
>