running in a new engine whats the point??

astra · 18 August 2009, 21:00

Does it make it slower or faster than a non run in engine,or make it last longer or shorter has everyone run in there engine in the propper way?????????? http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm

codprawn · 18 August 2009, 21:28

Well all my cars do very silly mileages and the engines are like new. I do run them in quite gently but stick to the following golden rules.

Never rev an engine hard until it has reached working temp.

Never put an engine to bed cold - make sure it has reached operating temp first - vital with an RX8 wankel.

Regular oil changes - every 12,000 miles.

When an engine has say 3,000 miles on it or more I will rev it to the redline in almost every gear.

I cringe when I see people jump in a freezing cold car - start the engine and race off down the road.

I must be doing something right - Alfa 175,000 miles Rover 175,000 miles - Discovery 120,000 and all my other cars have gone on to silly miles with no engine trouble at all.

Now my ex girlfriend has managed to go through 4 engines that I know of........

willk · 18 August 2009, 21:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by codprawn

Now my ex girlfriend has managed to go through 4 engines that I know of........

That's almost a confession

Searider · 18 August 2009, 22:04

Seagulls owners manual recommends running no slower than 75% for the first 10 hours.

My VR6 Corrado was a demonstrator when new and probably thrashed from day one. Never burnt any significant oil right up to 160k miles when I sold it.

I think that the usual recommendation for a marine engine (diesel anyway) is to keep varying the speed but keep the load on it.

astra · 18 August 2009, 22:07

This is a very controversial topic

chewy · 18 August 2009, 23:15

Depends who you talk to.
I'm sure some people reckon the cylinders can get a glaze on em by running engine in. One example was a bike team who fitted a brand bew engine athen raced it. Dyno before and after, it made 15bhp more after the race. Dunno what it would have made if it was run in?

Think it was in that link thats been posted?

Poly · 18 August 2009, 23:25

IMHO for a small outboard - its probably as much about having the chance to run the engine and so flush out any dirt/swarf in the gearbox / sump oil. the advice I got when running mine in was - get it up on the plane as quickly as possible then throttle back to keep it there - and keep changing the throttle. It was suggested that labouring the engine by running it 1/2 on the plane would be worse for it than getting it over the hump. Did make any difference? who knows - like 99% of people I have not had any cause to dismantle the engine to see what state its in - but it runs fine! I was surprised how much fine metal was in the gearbox oil after 10 hrs (been fine since).

MikeP · 18 August 2009, 23:43

Part of my job involves audio and video equipment, and believe it or not we are told to "run in" both high end speakers and high end flat panels.

The reasoning is that once you get the kit up to normal operating temperature, keeping it there for a while allows the various components to reach their settled position, and thereafter you get better performance because you have reached the 'comfort zone' for the kit.

Whether this gives us 0.01% better performance I'm not able to definitely quote on, but the proposition makes sense to me - and given that a lot of failures of all sorts of things are due to fluctuations in temperature - I was quite happy to follow the running in guidelines if this allows the various bits of the outboard to 'bed in' at their normal operating temperatures in low-stress situations.

So, sorry, no hard and fast physics, just a vague feeling that new bits of metal getting warm and cold should be treated a bit gingerly for the first few hours.

lightning · 19 August 2009, 00:27

I used to have motorbikes and there was endless discussion about how to run engines in. Some said flat out from the start would give more power, others that you should vary the speeds and be careful for 1,000 miles.
The conclusions from the bike racing fraternity was that an engine thrashed from new will deliver more power, but not last as long. An engine run in by the book won't deliver as much power, but will last longer.
There was also some discussion about oil. Some said mineral oil was best for "running in" as it allowed the parts to "bed in". Using top quality synthetic oil was no good as it protected the parts too well, and they did not bed in properly!

neilda · 19 August 2009, 03:24

Not running in an engine will ultimately give you a noisier, rattlier and leakier engine - perhaps a little faster. Treating with care for the first 1,000 miles in a car or 10 hours or so on a marine engine should mean additional long-term performance. The engine designers recommend running in, they have their reasons.

I've had a few cars over the years of differing sizes including a few 6L V12's, I've run them all in gently and have been rewarded with tighter happier engines.

bedajim · 19 August 2009, 05:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by codprawn

Regular oil changes - every 12,000 miles.

I'd never go that long between oil changes

Bigmuz7 · 19 August 2009, 07:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by bedajim

I'd never go that long between oil changes

Didnt chrysler make a sealed for life engine ?

bedajim · 19 August 2009, 07:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bigmuz7

Didnt chrysler make a sealed for life engine ?

I'm not that old

lightning · 19 August 2009, 08:24

Some years ago one of the major oil companies produced an engine oil that you could leave in for "25,000 miles". It was one of the first fully synthetic oils, and you probably could have left it in the engine that long.
However the general public (including me as I remember) could not cope with the idea, and the advertising was dropped. The oil was still marketed, but the 25,000 mile claim was dropped.

jwalker · 19 August 2009, 09:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by bedajim

I'd never go that long between oil changes

Me neither. 4k miles.

9D280 · 19 August 2009, 09:31

Modern manufacturing means that each & every piston & cylinder can be laser measured and be appropriately paired at the factory. A "well on the edge of tolerance" piston my sit for hours or days on he rack before a suitably matched cylinder comes along. Also the manufacturing plants are a LOT cleane than they were 20 years ago, so theres' a lot less cr@p floating in the air to get into the moving parts.

Better machining accuracy & tolerancing etc means less wear, hence the distance between services / oil changes going up.

It's been on those "how they do it" things on the telly lots of times.

12K is nothing in the automotive world these days.

codprawn · 19 August 2009, 13:23

Avis hire cars go to 15k miles with the original oil in from new - that I do not believe in.

12k miles is fine - I have never wrecked an engine yet and I use them harder and for higher miles than most.

codprawn · 19 August 2009, 13:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by jwalker

Me neither. 4k miles.

That's just silly.

lightning · 19 August 2009, 17:18

How things have come on over the years.
The oil on my last car had to be changed every 1,000 miles. And when the oil came out it was knackered, like sludge. Even with oil changes every 1,000 miles the life of the engine was 30,000 miles if you were lucky.
I changed it every 500 miles to be on the safe side.

codprawn · 19 August 2009, 17:27

What the hell car was that? And how long ago exactly???