Engine break-in
- Joined: Oct 24th, 2006
- Posts: 703
Hi,
I've bought a new Honda Civic here and am wondering about breaking in the engine - is it still necessary?
If so, what's the rmp limit for how long / how many km?
Av read conflicting comments on this, as some say that modern engines are already broken in (or in French: pre-broke). The middle argument goes that even if it's been pre-broke, u still need to take it easy for the first 500km until the first oil change.
I thought I'd ask the gearheads on this forum.
Thoughts?
Cheers,
J.
Xelium23
Re: Engine break-in
I must bow before you coz driving in China it's kinda being suicidal. I hope you do some yoga or relaxation sh*t coz trust me...you're gonna need.
I'd go easy for the first 500-1000km though, anyways you won't be able to push it to hard on these roads.
All that I wanted were things I had before
All that I needed, I never needed more
All of my questions were answers to my sins
All of my endings are waiting to begin
coco-nuts
Re: Engine break-in
Do you plan to keep it long? If not, it doesn't matter. If you are, treat it gently for the first 500KM.
snagglepus
Re: Engine break-in
Hey, I thought that you had decided to buy a Ford Focus. What changed your mind at what must have been the last minute?
In response to your question about engine break-in, in short, you don't have to worry about that. Older engines did need a break-in period, but today, engines are manufactured to tolerances that are far better than a couple of decades ago. Manufactures no longer stipulate a break-in period for new engines. This is also aided by superior oils to those just a few years ago.
Having said that, some common sense might be used. The old break-in procedures involved three main things: 1. Not lugging the engine - that is having the revs too low when accelerating so that the engine labors. 2. Keeping to a sensible rev limit, which varied according to the type of engine. The rev limits would vary according to how many klicks you put on the engine until you could hit max revs at the end of the break-in period. 3. Not running the engine at one rpm for an extended period of time. This involved running the engine up to a certain rev limit and then taking the foot off the gas to let the revs die back down again. This put different stresses on the pistons and rings in particular, helping them "seat in".
While today's new cars do not require any engine break-in, I would still follow numbers 1 and 2 to at least a certain degree for the first 1500 km. I would also suggest that at your first oil change, you switch to a synthetic oil. Synthetics are vastly superior to conventional oils, and while recommended oil changes are extended with synthetic oil, that is not their main benefit - it's less wear, particularly at start-up when the engine is cold. This is especially important for turbo engines. Actually, changing your oil and filter frequently is one of the best things you can do for your engine. I change my synthetic oil every 3 to 4 thousand klicks, even if recommendations call for much more than that between oi changes.
So, today's engines are not pre-broken in so much as simply not needing to be broken-in anymore due to advances in technology. Don't overly worry about it, but use common sense.
ultrageez
Re: Engine break-in
- very helpful
Thanks a lot for the sensible advice - I'll take it easy for the 1000 klicks, and might move up in steps until 2000km . I think a couple return trips to and from beidahe should do the trick.
To answer the question re the focus, I had always liked that car. Particularly I had always liked hatchbacks and I thought ford had really nailed that one on the outside design. Once inside I felt OK enough, it had good grip/handling. I never had a chance to try their 2l engine, and that was the main sticky point: they asked me to wait up to 1month and a half until I could get a 2L. We tried different ford garages, with similar stories about bulk orders and whatnot. In the end they had just raised the price after weeks of haggling, and that was the last straw.
Funnily, it's that very same day, while haggling over the phone from one ford garage to another that a taxi driver heartily recommended the Honda. I had always liked it but my wife was adamant it would be no good. Once put off by the last garage we saw, we took a dip at the honda place and simply fell in love with the civic as soon as we stepped inside. Discount was good too, and equipment satisfying (for similar price as focus 2L we had the mid range civic with as much power thanks to its more performant 1.8l engine)
So there you go, it was an easy choice in the end. The dealer must have felt real lucky, we closed the deal in 48hrs.
joshi
Re: Engine break-in
Hello,
I have two friends back home, one with a ford focus, and one with a Civic. They are both new and the same year. The Civic is 100% better. The acceleration is better, the looks, the room, the quality of the engine and components, etc. Those engines will probably last 450,000 miles if you change the oil every 3,000 or 5,000 miles and break it in good(which you probably did already). If driving in beijing,, change oil more!
as well as the air filter... the air in beijing is gross.
The ford probably might get 200,000 if you take good care of it... but may have many problems.
from an engineering student