Getting a good break in....

[Tyler Burgert]

So, I've got just a few ticks under 2,500 miles on my 2014 now. I've been pushing her pretty hard though too. It's only had a few wide open 1-2-3 shifts but its seen a lot of 3/4 throttle in the city and wide open on the highway to keep it clean and try to get a good break in. So, we took about a 300 mile road trip last week with it. And I wanted to do a MPG test just to see how I was stacking up to the EPA numbers. EPA claims 37 highway and (I think) 32 city on my car. Most of the trip was highway, with I'd say just roughly 20 miles city before I filled back up. But at the end of the day I had managed a 39.7 MPG fuel run. And I'll tell you it wasn't easy. Normally the car doesn't see 5th gear much in the city to keep it from lugging but I had it in 6th to maintain low RPMs at about 40mph on straight roads and I'll admit I did some coasting down hill. But I gotta say hitting almost 40 MPG, I almost shit my pants. I think I've got a good break in going with it, and its performing just outstanding!

[jeff711981]

If you're doing this type of "fast" break-in, I hope you're not following the recommended oil change interval, at least for the first change.

[akirby]

It's not really "fast" - when they drive a car off the assembly line onto the Dino they go WOT immediately. You no longer have to baby them and the oil change shouldn't be any different either. Engines today are much different.

[jeff711981]

It's not really "fast" - when they drive a car off the assembly line onto the Dino they go WOT immediately. You no longer have to baby them and the oil change shouldn't be any different either. Engines today are much different.

I agree with you. Tolerances are so much tighter than they used to be and less "wear in" takes place to achieve a good seal between the piston rings and the cylinder wall. Besides, your opportunity to do this is very short - if you have 100 miles on the car, it's too late to correctly perform that method.

 

However, there are people who won't let go of the old methods used to break in an old V8 with a flat tappet cam that they built in their garage. (shrug) Won't hurt anything, but probably won't help, either.

[Tyler Burgert]

I dont plan on changing the oil until about 5K just like Ford says. I don't know what you mean by a "fast" break in. Its not like I am racing the car, Its just getting drove harder than it normally will later in its life.

[jeff711981]

I dont plan on changing the oil until about 5K just like Ford says. I don't know what you mean by a "fast" break in. Its not like I am racing the car, Its just getting drove harder than it normally will later in its life.

There are a couple basic philosophies as far as breaking in a new engine, and most people forget about the rest of the car when doing so. It applied more to older cars or freshly rebuilt engines.

 

Back in the day of flat tappet camshafts, or even just push-rod engines with hydraulic lifters, there was a specific process to follow for breaking in the camshaft, which was basically to warm the engine up on a dyno or engine stand, then modulate the RPM between 2500 and 3000 RPM to ensure good oil pressure and flow while the lifters and cam lobes break in together for 20-30 minutes, then immediately change the oil. The problem with this is that this method doesn't take into account breaking in anything else like the transmission.

 

Immediately following that, people would often progressively make higher and higher load runs on the engine to seat the piston rings quickly, for example, start with 1/3 throttle runs from 0-45, 0-60 and 0-80, then repeat at 2/3 throttle and full throttle, using engine braking to decelerate between runs. Then change the oil again. It was also said that it was important to use natural oil vs. synthetic because synthetic was too slippery and worked too well to allow the rings to seat quickly like that.

 

I can tell you from experience, when I've built engines, I'd follow the cam break-in process and that's it. Nothing special after that, because usually what happened after that was full throttle 1/4 mile drag races. A little extra oil consumption was no big deal since the oil got changed roughly every 20 or 30 miles anyway in those type of engines.

 

Then there's the slow but sure method of babying a car - no full throttle runs... keep it under 60 mph for the first couple thousand miles. With modern engines, both of these methods are outdated in my opinion. With better materials and tighter tolerances, engines are pretty tight from the factory and you likely won't see any difference in oil consumption or compression regardless of how you "break in" the engine.

 

The only reason I suggested changing the oil sooner than the recommended interval is that if you're making an effort to try to get the engine to break in by driving somewhat aggressively, you may actually be doing so, and may end up with more metal shavings in the oil filter than had you driven normally, in which case it would be smart to change the oil filter, and if you're doing that, you might as well change the oil, too.

[Tyler Burgert]

There are a couple basic philosophies as far as breaking in a new engine, and most people forget about the rest of the car when doing so. It applied more to older cars or freshly rebuilt engines.

 

Back in the day of flat tappet camshafts, or even just push-rod engines with hydraulic lifters, there was a specific process to follow for breaking in the camshaft, which was basically to warm the engine up on a dyno or engine stand, then modulate the RPM between 2500 and 3000 RPM to ensure good oil pressure and flow while the lifters and cam lobes break in together for 20-30 minutes, then immediately change the oil. The problem with this is that this method doesn't take into account breaking in anything else like the transmission.

 

Immediately following that, people would often progressively make higher and higher load runs on the engine to seat the piston rings quickly, for example, start with 1/3 throttle runs from 0-45, 0-60 and 0-80, then repeat at 2/3 throttle and full throttle, using engine braking to decelerate between runs. Then change the oil again. It was also said that it was important to use natural oil vs. synthetic because synthetic was too slippery and worked too well to allow the rings to seat quickly like that.

 

I can tell you from experience, when I've built engines, I'd follow the cam break-in process and that's it. Nothing special after that, because usually what happened after that was full throttle 1/4 mile drag races. A little extra oil consumption was no big deal since the oil got changed roughly every 20 or 30 miles anyway in those type of engines.

 

Then there's the slow but sure method of babying a car - no full throttle runs... keep it under 60 mph for the first couple thousand miles. With modern engines, both of these methods are outdated in my opinion. With better materials and tighter tolerances, engines are pretty tight from the factory and you likely won't see any difference in oil consumption or compression regardless of how you "break in" the engine.

 

The only reason I suggested changing the oil sooner than the recommended interval is that if you're making an effort to try to get the engine to break in by driving somewhat aggressively, you may actually be doing so, and may end up with more metal shavings in the oil filter than had you driven normally, in which case it would be smart to change the oil filter, and if you're doing that, you might as well change the oil, too.

You've made a great point. I only get to drive the car on weekends. It's sitting at around 2,900 miles right now so I will actually change it next week. As far as breaking in the transmission I'm not worried about that. I have a manual. I have noticed the syncro "whine" is a little louder than when it was new but other than that I'm just trying to get all the "new part" smell burnt off that little hamster motor it has

[Traveler]

Background - I'm not a mechanic but do my own routine maintenance. And, I tend to keep cars 5+ years and do what I can to keep them running well. So, no expert but good intentions.

 

I bought a 2014 Fusion SE (1.5L EcoBoost) just under a month ago and changed the oil for the first time yesterday (1,005 miles - just an old habit for my first oil change). I haven't driven the car too hard, but it did have 180 miles when I bought it (out of state transfer). It runs great and has been a nice surprise all-around.

 

Normally with the first oil change I see metalic dust looking materials in the oil. And, the oil is more of a carmel brown color. So, you can tell it was used but it isn't so bad. Yesterday the oil was very dark brown (didn't smell strange), but there were metalic flakes (bigger than the dust but still pretty small) and about a dozen metal shavings in the 1/8" to 1/4" range. That seemed unusual.

 

Since the car runs well and is under warranty I'm not too concerned, but after reading this and other threads there is little mention of metal shavings. Just curious if anyone more knowledgeable has concerns. Also, I was wondering if the turbo might be what was causing the oil to be darker (more heat).

 

My plan is to wait until the monitor shows it is time to change the oil (I did not reset it this time) and then switch to a full synthetic. This is my first car with a turbo, and I do try to give it an extra 30 seconds warming up before driving and cooling off before shutting down, but full synthetic seems like a good idea - especially during a cold Wisconsin winter.

 

Any comments would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[jeff711981]

Typically "glitter" in the oil is a really bad thing. I'd change it (and the filter) again in another 1k miles. If you see it again, I'd take it to the dealership along with the oil and filter and let them examine it all however they need to in order to either fix something under warranty or put their stamp of approval on it, calling it normal.

 

The color of the oil means next to nothing. As you learned, oil with as little as 1000 miles will be drastically different color than brand new, and not much different than at 10k miles.

[Traveler]

Thanks Jeff.

 

What I should have done is kept a sample of the oil. I will do that again on the next oil & filter change (~2K mile range) and get a few pictures as well (should have done that last time as well). I did change the filter with the oil this time. Used a NAPA Gold filter (I've had very good luck with these) and standard Ford 5w20 semi-synthetic oil.

 

I'm used to the microscopic glitter in oil for the first oil change (Expedition, Lincoln LS, Maxima, Corvette - all did that), but that disappeared after the first oil change. This concerned me because it was the first time I actually saw small metal shavings. But, if it happens again I will definitely bring it to the attention of the dealer.

[jeff711981]

Thanks Jeff.

 

What I should have done is kept a sample of the oil. I will do that again on the next oil & filter change (~2K mile range) and get a few pictures as well (should have done that last time as well). I did change the filter with the oil this time. Used a NAPA Gold filter (I've had very good luck with these) and standard Ford 5w20 semi-synthetic oil.

 

I'm used to the microscopic glitter in oil for the first oil change (Expedition, Lincoln LS, Maxima, Corvette - all did that), but that disappeared after the first oil change. This concerned me because it was the first time I actually saw small metal shavings. But, if it happens again I will definitely bring it to the attention of the dealer.

This is one reason I call BS on the "just start with the recommended oil change interval" line that dealerships say.1000 miles is enough to flush remnants from manufacturing out of crevices and I'd much rather change the oil and filter rather than potentially let the filter clog and have dirty oil bypass it for the next 6500-9000 miles.

 

*EDIT* For the record, I don't consider ANY visible metal in oil normal. However, it seems to be status quo for OEM engines as you stated. I don't know if they just do a terrible job cleaning parts up after machining or what, but I've built several engines from an almost stock Chevy 350 to an Olds 455 big block torque monster that ended up in a boat to a ~600 HP 429 Ford big block for a drag car starting from the bare block and I have NEVER had glittery oil come out of one of my engines.

Edited October 6, 2014 by jeff711981

[akirby]

I sincerely doubt there would be enough to clog the oil filter. If this was really a concern then the mfr would call for an early oil change.

[jeff711981]

I sincerely doubt there would be enough to clog the oil filter. If this was really a concern then the mfr would call for an early oil change.

Shouldn't be, but if you can see particles with the naked eye, that's a shitload of particles. An oil filter isn't designed to filter out that quantity of particles of that size for 10,000 miles.

 

You're probably right, though, but if you didn't have a warranty, would you bet your $12,000 engine on it, or would you spend $65 on an oil and filter change for peace of mind?

 

The question isn't whether it's a concern, it's how big a concern is it, and to whom? Do you really think the dealer or manufacturer care how long your engine lasts beyond the power train warranty? Sure there's some value in having a reputation of building long lasting engines, but does the "service adviser" at your local dealership care about that?

Edited October 6, 2014 by jeff711981

[Traveler]

I still have the filter from the first oil change. I'm traveling this week but will cut it apart this weekend and see how dirty it is. I'll post a couple of pictures.

 

The other thing to note was that I had the front of the car elevated (on ramps) to help the oil drain more effectively. It's possible that the extra angle helped drain something that might have remained in some crevice in the engine block or oil pan that might otherwise just stay put. It seems like a long shot but who knows.

[akirby]

Shouldn't be, but if you can see particles with the naked eye, that's a shitload of particles. An oil filter isn't designed to filter out that quantity of particles of that size for 10,000 miles.

 

You're probably right, though, but if you didn't have a warranty, would you bet your $12,000 engine on it, or would you spend $65 on an oil and filter change for peace of mind?

 

The question isn't whether it's a concern, it's how big a concern is it, and to whom? Do you really think the dealer or manufacturer care how long your engine lasts beyond the power train warranty? Sure there's some value in having a reputation of building long lasting engines, but does the "service adviser" at your local dealership care about that?

 

Ford tests all their engines to 150K miles using the factory recommended oil change intervals.

 

Yes I would trust that even without a warranty. Think about it - what would Ford gain by not having a shortened first oil change interval if it was necessary?

And why does every other mfr do the same thing? You'd think at least one would change to a shortened interval if it was really necessary.

 

Also - if there are particles at startup, it's a one time thing. They're not going to continue to generate particles after the first few hundred miles so the filter isn't more likely to clog after 10K miles.

[jeff711981]

 

Ford tests all their engines to 150K miles using the factory recommended oil change intervals.

 

Yes I would trust that even without a warranty. Think about it - what would Ford gain by not having a shortened first oil change interval if it was necessary?

And why does every other mfr do the same thing? You'd think at least one would change to a shortened interval if it was really necessary.

 

Also - if there are particles at startup, it's a one time thing. They're not going to continue to generate particles after the first few hundred miles so the filter isn't more likely to clog after 10K miles.

Yes, but if you use up 50% of the oil filter's capacity within the first 1,000 miles, what happens if it would require more than 50% of its capacity for the next 9,000 miles? Oil starts bypassing the filter - that's what happens.

 

With a brand new car I will change my oil within the first 3,000 miles (probably sooner), there are others who will change their oil EVERY 3,000 miles regardless of driving conditions and regardless of whether they use conventional $1.49/qt Walmart oil or $10/qt+ synthetic oil. We can continue to debate the merits of each method and maybe even change each others mind or at least concede that there's merit to the other side of the debate, but there's one thing you'll never change my mind about and that is that IT'S NOT OK TO SEE METAL IN YOUR OIL WITH THE NAKED EYE. It may be "accepted" as normal by others and even by OEMs, but similar to how my dad used to tell me "not in my house"... not in my engine.