[REBEL]

Engineers, G.M. Mechanics, Dealers I would like to hear what the general consensus is, on how to break in a new engine these days. i.e.: Baby it for 50 miles, CHANGE OIL, and then drive normally. ??

 

[Purple Penelope]

Rebel....

I bought my '04 in January this year from a dealer in Erie, Pa. Flew there from Florida and drove back home with 4 miles on the odometer. I don't believe 50 of those 1130 miles driven to get home were under 50mph. I was concerned about a break-in period but the dealer said this engine didn't require it.

Not an engineer, dealer, or the likes, but Penelope never skipped a beat all the way home.

Peace

 

[Brownhornet]

REBEL,

I have heard the same thing that you heard. When I bought mine the dealer told me to do the same thing. At least the first 50 miles I had drove it was in the city so the fastest I could get up to was about 45 or 50. After that I drove it on the highway and it performed great. Even got the truck up to 95 then the other half said slow down.

But to answer your question from talking to experts like Pat Gose from Moterweek. They have said that today's engines do not have to go throught the breaken like older engines.

 

[REBEL]

Thanks for the input

I remember jacking up the back wheels and taching the motor with light wt. oil in it, for brake in.

 

[SSRGUY]

Not Needed?

There is a lot of talk about breakin and what is or is not needed.

What seems to be the consensus is that it is a good idea to drive reasonably the first while and not to run the engine at one speed for long periods of time (i.e get on the interstate with the cruise on for hours at any one speed). Oddly enough, the real issue is with your brakes, where most manufacturers suggest no harsh stops for the first 200 miles or so (but if it is necessary then it is not a :nono ).

Am also told by folks at the GM St Catherines engine plant that it is a good idea to run the factory fill oil for as long as possible and not drain it out right away.

:seeya

 

[REBEL]

interesting

I can see not holding the rpm for long segments of time (miles) at same level, we would tack ours for 1/2 hour. But what is thinking of not changeing the oil, for as long as possible. I was taught to flush it soon to remove Metallic's from the engine. This is why I ask these questions, to learn and not make, hand me down mistakes. And I was taught to change old before storage, do to acid in the old used oil. True / false. Thanks!

 

[SSRGUY]

"break-in" oil

I am not sure but it seems that some manufacturers still use an initial fill that is meant for "break-in".

I believe what the guys at the GM engine plant in St Catherines meant was run the first fill for 3000 miles and then change but not to change the oil after just a few hundred miles. Interestingly, for most engines, these same guys are not big fans of synthetic before the engine has at least 10k on it but really recommend it after the "initial run in".

WTS, it is my understanding that the LS2 comes factory fill with 5W30 Mobil One such that the new SSr's are on synthetic from Day One.... perhaps someone on this site knows "the facts" about all of this sort of stuff :seeya

 

[VPerriello]

What I've heard is that you don't need to baby the engine at all really. Get it warmed all the way up to operating temperature and enjoy ...

... however, I've also heard that you need to baby the differential a little bit to allow the gears to seat well (apologies if my terminology isn't getting the point across exactly).

Taken in combination, what I tend to do with a new vehicle is to drive moderately until the engine is warm. Then I'll do most anything... avoiding super hard starts or extreme acceleration... but no particular RPM or top speed limits. I've never had any apparent problems caused by constant speed either ... so I'm not afraid of the cruise control.

YMMV.

Cheers,
Vince

 

[mr.merlin]

break in

run it like you stole it!!

 

[Axiom]

run it like you stole it!!

what HE Said !! :cool

 

[ssr17of25]

Ditto

run it like you stole it!!

And the cops r after U :glol :glol :glol

:cool

 

[nostoc]

Mobile 1

Guys,

This might be the wrong thread for this q, but how many miles do you all expect to run between oil changes with synthetic oil? I put Mobile 1 in after the first 5000 and the DIC display seems to think I have 90% oil life left even after another 2000 miles. I'm thinking this stuff should last 6 to 8 K, am I wrong? What does the DIC go by on oil life anyway? It must not be miles, so does it analyze the oil somehow?

I'm sure there are a lot of opinions on this.

 

[Purple Penelope]

Fwiw....

I was told the DIC indicator percentage is determined by a combination of engine temperature and RPM's using some algorythm(sp) to calculate it. FWIW..that was told to me by a tech at the dealership. :skep

Peace :flag

 

[houtex]

Guys,

This might be the wrong thread for this q, but how many miles do you all expect to run between oil changes with synthetic oil? I put Mobile 1 in after the first 5000 and the DIC display seems to think I have 90% oil life left even after another 2000 miles. I'm thinking this stuff should last 6 to 8 K, am I wrong? What does the DIC go by on oil life anyway? It must not be miles, so does it analyze the oil somehow?

I'm sure there are a lot of opinions on this.

The oil change guy at my dealership told me 5000 mi with Mobile 1

 

[wildcat66]

Mine said every 3000K.

 

[Buffy]

Mine said every 3000K.

Funny this came up now, our dealership, Walsh Chevrolet in Canton, GA, (The BEST of the BEST!) had a new owners meeting for anyone who bought a new car from them in the past 6 months and they recommended oil change at the first 3,000 miles and then whenever the "oil usage meter" gets down close to 10%, or 5,000 miles whichever comes first.

 

[Purple Penelope]

Still doesn't make sense....my scenario.....

Funny this came up now, our dealership, Walsh Chevrolet in Canton, GA, (The BEST of the BEST!) had a new owners meeting for anyone who bought a new car from them in the past 6 months and they recommended oil change at the first 3,000 miles and then whenever the "oil usage meter" gets down close to 10%, or 5,000 miles whichever comes first.

My first oil change was at 7090 miles. The DIC indicator read 8%. I asked if I need to come in more often, i.e. every 3k or 5k miles, rather than wait for the indicator to reach below 10% again. They said no, use the DIC, as guidance.

When I reached 16k miles and the DIC now read 10% I called and asked if I should come in for the Maintenance II package. Yes. So with 16403 miles the oil was changed along with the rest of the II package. It would appear the DIC uses something other than miles, as I alluded to in a previous post, to indicate when your oil needs changing.

However, we are hearing different stories from dealers as to when the proper time occurs to have the oil changed. :banghead

Peace :flag

 

[Buffy]

I understood the DIC takes a lot into factor such as RPM's, heat, sustained idling, speed, etc. and makes a decision as to when you should change the oil. No longer just miles..........

 

[Bill Scott]

oil change

I believe I'd stick close to 3000 mi. mark, clean fresh oil is the cheapest insurance you'll ever buy. IMHO :agree

 

[Bill Bogert]

I agree with "cheapest insurance you'll ever buy", but you should get much more out of a synthetic than a regular motor oil. I change the oil in all of my cars that use regular motor oil at 3,000 mile. I changed the Mobil I in my corvette at 4200 mile and at that the DIC said I still had 60% to go??????

Why use Mobil I (or any synthetic) if you aren't going to get extended use? I have 149,000 on my Tahoe and it burns no oil and run like it did the day I picked it up at the dealer.... using regular motor oil with oil changes every 3,000 miles????

I have some older vehicles that run fine... and who knows what kind of oil maintenance they have had. What I do know is that they weren't abused... I've seen abused (oil change-wise) vehicles and it is ugly.

I plan to drive my SSR. Unlike my Corvette, which only sees a few thousand mile a year, I'm not sure what to do.... 3K, 5K, 7K, or when the DIC reaches 10%

Additional thoughts & suggestions?????