When do y'all consider your motor "broken in" ??

[Vincent Waldon]

Assuming the rings got the proper seating drive on the hills early in their life,  when do you start feeling like it's broken in and it's time to see what that bad boy can do ??

1000 miles ??

10,0000 miles ??

100,000 miles ??

When fuel consumption levels off ??

When oil consumption levels off ??


Spring has finally come to the frozen Canadian north,  and Vince is getting impatient to drive his rebuilt AAZ it like he stole it....  must be his impending mid-life crisis  :wink:

[Vincent Waldon]

Yeah... gotta admit I passed a few people right around the 50 mile mark... "still breaking in the rings"  I told myself.

All kidding aside, I have a chance to take her to the Rockies in early May... about 4 hours non-stop on the highway... but am always leary of extended periods of constant RPM early in the break-in cycle.

Hence trying to determine what "broken in" really is.

[burn_your_money]

you could cycle 4th and 5th gear :lol:

[sethyboy85]

Personally after the car is up to operating temps, I drive it like I stole it till I feel it's broken in.

Id say 100 miles driving it like you stole it and 1,000 if grandma was driving your car. No need to pamper it.

[TedV]

on a brand new rebuild motor I

1) change oil and filter with engine warm after it gets operating temp.  gets rid of assembly lube and any missed crud from cleaning.
2) drive it on a curvy back road that gives me the accel then decel in 3rd or 4th gear(driving like I stole it) for maybe 50 to 100 miles, checking for any leaks or problems (watch gauges).  Change oil and filter adjust valves.
3) Drive it like I stole it from then on.

I belive in breaking the motor in how you are going to drive it.  Race engines get some dyno time then hit the track at WFO throttle.

I finally got over 50 mpg on my 98 Jetta TDI, at 255k miles,  hmm it's still getting better mileage, guess the motor isn't broken in yet.   :lol:

[Baselyne]

and what about if you just do timing belt and head gasket  would you recomend waiting/ giving time for breakin before hauling on it??

[burn_your_money]

and what about if you just do timing belt and head gasket  would you recomend waiting/ giving time for breakin before hauling on it??

Get it to operating temps (the oil, not the coolant) and giver

[jtanguay]

on a brand new rebuild motor I

1) change oil and filter with engine warm after it gets operating temp.  gets rid of assembly lube and any missed crud from cleaning.
2) drive it on a curvy back road that gives me the accel then decel in 3rd or 4th gear(driving like I stole it) for maybe 50 to 100 miles, checking for any leaks or problems (watch gauges).  Change oil and filter adjust valves.
3) Drive it like I stole it from then on.

I belive in breaking the motor in how you are going to drive it.  Race engines get some dyno time then hit the track at WFO throttle.

I finally got over 50 mpg on my 98 Jetta TDI, at 255k miles,  hmm it's still getting better mileage, guess the motor isn't broken in yet.   :lol:

the TDI's have a good advantage over the older IDI's... the precups in older IDI's put stress on one side of the piston due to the flame shooting on one side, whereas TDI's flow evenly in the middle of the piston.  but it is the EGR system that really gunks those engines up, negating any benefits...

[TedV]

 but it is the EGR system that really gunks those engines up, negating any benefits...

not on mine :wink:  :twisted: