New Car Break-In Recommendations: Manufacturer vs "Engine Builder"
Summary
TLDRIn this video, the host discusses the break-in process for new cars and engines, highlighting two main schools of thought: following manufacturer guidelines to avoid high RPMs and heavy loads, or the 'engine builder' approach, which advocates for high RPMs and heavy loads to seat piston rings properly. The host leans towards the manufacturer's recommendations, citing most new car owners' normal driving habits and the adequacy of cylinder pressures at moderate RPMs. Personal break-in practices include avoiding idling, short trips, and lugging the engine, as well as varying engine speeds and loads to promote proper bearing wear and piston ring seating.
Takeaways
- 🚗 The video discusses the break-in process for new cars and engines, highlighting two main schools of thought.
- ⚙️ Manufacturers generally advise against 'racing the engine' and exceeding certain RPM limits during the first thousand miles to avoid excessive wear on engine components.
- 🛠️ The 'engine builder' perspective suggests that high RPMs and heavy loads are necessary to properly seat piston rings against cylinder walls.
- 🔧 The presenter leans towards the manufacturer's recommendations, arguing that most new cars are not pushed to extremes and still perform well.
- 💡 It's suggested that cylinder pressures can be high enough for proper break-in without extreme driving, as evidenced by the presenter's Subaru WRX experience.
- 🚫 The presenter avoids idling and short trips to ensure the engine reaches 'closed loop' operation, which is more efficient and beneficial for break-in.
- ♻️ The idea of using conventional oils for break-in due to higher friction is being challenged, as most new cars come with synthetic oils.
- 🛑 The presenter avoids using cruise control during break-in to vary engine speed and load, promoting a more natural break-in process.
- 🏞️ Engine braking is encouraged by the presenter as a way to help piston rings seat without exceeding RPM limits.
- 🚫 'Lugging' the engine, or running it at low RPMs under load, is discouraged as it can be detrimental to the break-in process.
Q & A
What are the two main schools of thought regarding engine break-in mentioned in the script?
-The two main schools of thought regarding engine break-in are the manufacturer's recommendations and the engine builder's mindset.
What does the manufacturer typically recommend for new car or engine break-in?
-Manufacturers typically recommend avoiding racing the engine, putting the engine under full load, and exceeding an arbitrary RPM limit for the first thousand miles or so.
What is the reasoning behind the manufacturer's break-in recommendations?
-The reasoning is to avoid excessive wear on the bearing surfaces and gears, as new parts might have sharp edges and not fit together well initially.
What does the engine builder's mindset advocate for engine break-in?
-The engine builder's mindset advocates racing the engine and putting it under heavy load to allow piston rings to seat properly against the cylinder walls.
What is the speaker's personal opinion on new car and engine break-in?
-The speaker leans more towards the manufacturer's school of thought, believing that cylinder pressures can get high enough without racing the engine.
What specific practices does the speaker recommend when breaking in a new car or engine?
-The speaker recommends avoiding idling, not taking short trips, allowing the engine revs to hang out high without exceeding RPM limits, and not using cruise control.
Why does the speaker avoid idling when breaking in a new car or engine?
-Avoiding idling reduces the load on the engine, prevents the engine from running in a rich state for a long time, and allows the oil to reach its operating temperature.
What is 'closed loop' in the context of engine operation, and why is it important during break-in?
-Closed loop is when fuel-injected engines operate at their designed stoichiometric ratio once they reach operating temperature. It's important during break-in to ensure proper fuel mixture and oil coating on cylinder walls.
Why does the speaker avoid lugging the engine during break-in?
-Lugging the engine, or having the RPM too low under load, can cause strain and is not beneficial for the piston rings or bearing surfaces during the break-in period.
What is the speaker's view on using synthetic oils for engine break-in?
-The speaker suggests that the notion that conventional oils are better for break-in is becoming outdated, as most new cars come with synthetic oil and there's no widespread evidence of synthetic oil being detrimental to the break-in process.
What is the speaker's approach to varying engine load and RPM during break-in?
-The speaker varies the engine load and RPM by not using cruise control, changing gears, and allowing engine braking to ensure the engine experiences different harmonics and loads.
Outlines
🚗 New Car and Engine Break-In Basics
The paragraph discusses the two main schools of thought on engine and new car break-in. The first approach, recommended by manufacturers, advises against racing the engine or exceeding a certain RPM limit for the first thousand miles to prevent excessive wear on bearing surfaces and gears. The second approach, often associated with engine builders, suggests that heavy loads and high RPMs are necessary to properly seat piston rings against cylinder walls. The narrator leans towards the manufacturer's advice, citing that most new cars are not pushed to the limits and still perform well, implying that the break-in process recommended by manufacturers is sufficient.
🛠️ Personal Break-In Practices and Myths
In this paragraph, the narrator shares personal break-in practices, emphasizing avoiding idling, taking short trips, and maintaining a closed-loop fuel system for optimal operation. They also discuss the importance of allowing the engine oil to reach its operating temperature and varying engine RPMs to prevent prolonged exposure to specific harmonics. The paragraph debunks the myth that conventional oils are better for break-in than synthetic oils, suggesting that the widespread use of synthetic oils in new cars indicates their suitability for the break-in process. The narrator invites discussion on differing opinions and is open to new ideas on the subject.
📚 Engine Break-In Lore and Modern Practices
The final paragraph touches on the lore that conventional oils were once believed to be better for engine break-in due to higher friction, which was thought to benefit piston rings and bearing surfaces. However, this belief is being challenged as synthetic oils are now standard in new cars, suggesting that they are also effective for break-in. The narrator acknowledges the ongoing debate and the variety of opinions on engine break-in, indicating that there is no definitive scientific consensus. They express a willingness to share any issues that may arise with their new car as a result of following the manufacturer's break-in recommendations, emphasizing a commitment to providing accurate information.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Engine Break-in
💡RPM (Revolutions Per Minute)
💡Piston Rings
💡Boost
💡Closed Loop
💡Fuel Dilution
💡Engine Braking
💡Lugging
💡Cruise Control
💡Synthetic Oil
Highlights
Discussing new car and engine break-in, with an emphasis on overlapping aspects.
Manufacturers recommend avoiding high RPM and full load during the first thousand miles to prevent excessive wear on engine components.
Specific manufacturer advice: Subaru WRX advises not exceeding 4000 RPM during the initial break-in period.
For vehicles used for towing, manufacturers also advise against towing during the first thousand miles.
The rationale behind manufacturer recommendations is to allow new engine parts to wear together gently.
Engine builder philosophy suggests high RPM and heavy load to seat piston rings properly against cylinder walls.
The presenter leans towards the manufacturer's break-in approach, citing the majority of new car owners' driving habits.
Avoiding idling is recommended to prevent fuel dilution and ensure proper piston ring fitment.
The importance of reaching closed-loop operation for proper engine function and piston ring seating.
Engine braking is encouraged to aid in piston ring seating without exceeding RPM limits.
Avoiding lugging the engine by downshifting to maintain appropriate RPM under load.
Cruise control should not be used during the break-in period to vary engine speed and load.
Varying engine harmonics is beneficial for bearing wear during the break-in period.
The presenter shares personal break-in practices, including avoiding synthetic oils for traditional break-in methods.
Modern cars often come with synthetic oil, indicating a shift in break-in oil preferences.
The presenter expresses openness to differing opinions and invites discussion on engine break-in practices.
Acknowledgment that the science of engine break-in may never be fully settled due to varying opinions and practices.
Transcripts
hey guys today i'm talking about new car
break-in
as well as engine braking so these two
topics they're
overlapping and as i'm doing this i'm
driving my 2021
subaru wrx and i'm first going to go
over the two
main schools of thought regarding engine
break-in
and new car break-in and i'm going to
tell you the reasoning behind them
and later on i'll give you my own
personal thoughts on the best way to
break in
a new car and or a new engine so
starting with what the manufacturers say
so uh
the specific variations um
are not so important but all
manufacturers pretty much
say that while the car is new or the
engine is new you want to avoid
quote unquote racing the engine you want
to avoid putting the engine under a full
load
and you'll also want to avoid
exceeding an arbitrary rpm limit for the
first
thousand miles or so specifically on the
subaru wrx
as you can see this one it's got a
hundred and eighty thousand miles so i'm
doing the break in now
subaru says to not exceed 4000 rpm
during the first thousand miles unless
in cases of emergency
uh now manufacturers of trucks or other
vehicles that do
towing they will also tell you in
addition to not exceeding a certain rpm
they will tell you to not uh
tow anything for the first thousand
miles or so
and even beyond that when you first
toast something they will tell you to
pull over after the first 10 or 15
minutes
and allow for the differential to cool
down
now the reason why all these
manufacturers have the same
general recommendations the idea behind
that is to avoid
uh excessive wear on the bearing
surfaces
and the uh basically the surfaces on the
bearings that
uh rub up against one another
and it also helps with the gears so the
differential all the gears that mesh
together
as well as in the transmission now the
idea is that
the bearings and the gears being so new
they might have sharp edges
and they might not fit together as well
when they're brand new so you want to
avoid
putting a lot of power through them
until the surfaces have worn together
so that's the general philosophy behind
the manufacturer recommendations
regarding break-in now another popular
school of thought regarding engine
break-in
is what i can call the engine builder
mindset and generally speaking this
mindset is that
you have to race the engine you have to
put the engine under a heavy load
for a prolonged period of time you want
to keep the rpms high
and the school of thought behind this is
that
only by doing these things can you
increase the cylinder
pressures high enough to allow for the
piston rings to seat properly against
the cylinder walls
and proponents of the what i call the
engine breaker school of thought
they'll tell you that unless you do
those things on your new engine or your
new car
you'll end up with an engine that is
burning excessive oil
or has excessive blow by due to the
piston rings not seating properly
uh so those are the two main schools of
thought now i'm gonna give
my input on uh what i think about new
car and new engine breaking in
and i'm gonna try to keep it brief
because i can go on and on about the
subject pretty much all day
but i'll tell you that i lean more
towards the manufacturer school of
thought
and i'll tell you why for one
if the engine breaker if the engine
builders if their
methodology was correct then we would
see
a lot more cars on the road that are
burning oil
because i can tell you right now most
people that buy new cars
they're not running them balls to the
wall they're not
uh hitting the rev limiter they're not
putting them under a heavy load
um and as it stands you know most people
are buying new cars and they're just
driving them normally
uh so i think there is something to the
manufacturer recommendations
you know i think cylinder pressures get
high enough
without racing the engine or putting it
under a full load
you know even at 4000 rpm you can see
my car has reached over nine pounds of
boost
from me driving it in this manner so
even with me keeping the rpms down
i'm still hitting a lot of boost and my
cylinder pressures they're going to be
high you know they might not be as high
as if i was redlining the car
doing wide open throttle up a hill uh
but you know
i'm confident that my piston rings are
not going to have any issues that they
wouldn't otherwise have
things that i do specifically when i'm
breaking in a car or a motor
i avoid idling so once i get the vehicle
running
i'm driving it i'm not letting it idle
i'm not letting it warm up
i'm avoiding sitting at a red light
and uh in the case that i do have to sit
at a red light for a long period of time
i'll turn off my air conditioning if i
have it on
this will reduce the load on the engine
while it's at idle
so that's one thing i do i also avoid
taking a lot of short trips
what i want to do is i want to start the
car start driving it i want the coolant
temperature to get up there
so that the motor reaches what's called
closed
loop so closed loop is something that
fuel injected engines
do once they're reaching their operating
temperature
so under closed loop that's when the
stoichiometric ratio
is um closer to the 14.7 that we all
learned in the textbook
during open loop when the engine is
warming up your engine is going to be
running
a bit richer and so if you keep doing
short trips
not allowing the engine to reach closed
loop then you're basically running the
engine
in a rich state for a long period of
time
this can lead to fuel dilution
an engine running rich it can also
inhibit the
oil coating on the cylinder walls which
will allow for the proper
piston ring fitment
so yeah i wanted to go into closed loop
and stay there
um running it for a longer period of
time will also allow the oil to reach
its operating temperature
and uh this is something that takes
longer than the coolant the coolant will
get to its operating temperature
much sooner than the oil will so yeah
run the engine uh run the car for a
while i don't do the short trips
and one thing that i have taken from the
engine builder philosophy
is without exceeding the rpm limit
i will allow the engine revs to hang out
high
i will allow the car to engine brake
whenever possible
so sometimes when i do wish to
decelerate i'll shift it into a higher
gear to allow that engine breaking
action to occur
and i believe that this is beneficial
for the piston rings
uh one other thing that i do and this is
something i do in general
whether i'm breaking in a motor or not
is i
avoid lugging the engine so lugging the
engine
is basically what you can call having
the rpm
of the motor too low while you're
putting a load on the engine
so if i need some power i'll downshift
i don't want my engine to be revving at
1800 rpm
when i'm trying to accelerate especially
if i'm going up a hill
so i try to keep the rpms higher another
thing i do
when driving when braking in a new car
or a new
engine is i will not use the cruise
control
so i want the speed of the engine to
constantly vary
provided i don't exceed the manufacturer
recommended
rpm limit
so i don't allow the car to just
you know be sitting in fifth gear at you
know
2800 rpm for minutes and minutes so i
want to always be switching to different
gears
i'm varying the load i'm varying the rpm
and i the idea behind this is
you want to vary the harmonics of the
engine
when the engine is uh you know when the
engine is spinning at a certain rpm
there's a harmonic associated with that
and if you allow the engine to hang out
at the same rpm and the same load
for a long period of time the theory is
you're hanging out in that specific
harmonic for too long
and you're inhibiting the proper bearing
wherein
so as you may have guessed there's a lot
of
juju to this this is a topic that people
have been arguing about
pretty much as long as engines have been
around and
uh i suspect that the science will never
be settled
pretty much anyone you speak to will
have a different opinion on
engine break-in and it's a bit like it's
a bit like
oil everyone has different thoughts on
what kind of oils to use
but i just thought i'd share my thoughts
on the new car and the new engine
break-in
and i'm interested to hear about what
you guys have to say
what your thoughts are regarding new
engines new cars
how they should be properly broken in
one thing i will share with you as well
for a long period of time
there was sort of i'll call it lore
so the lore was that conventional oils
were better for break-in as compared to
synthetic oils
because the conventional oils allow for
more friction
which can be beneficial for the uh
piston rings and the bearing surfaces so
that used to be the
that used to be lore people are kind of
moving away from that now
pretty much any new car you buy is going
to come out of the box with
fully synthetic fluid and so if
full synthetic fluid was so detrimental
for the break-in process
i'm pretty sure manufacturers would be
shipping their cars with conventional
oil
with the advice to change that oil after
the first thousand miles or so
there are many other myths regarding
engine break-in
don't really have time to go over all of
the ones that i've heard but
i'd like to hear about it in the
discussions below
so yeah i appreciate you guys watching i
want to hear about
any differing opinions that you guys
have always open to new ideas
and of course you know with this car i'm
driving right now being new
if it develops a problem burning oil
after i've done the manufacturer
recommended break-in
i'll definitely share that with you guys
you know i want to
put good information out there that's
accurate so yeah
thanks for watching
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