cwd@ihuxq.UUCP (07/08/83)
When I got my new 4-banger I drove the car very easily the first 100 miles. I
did not attempt to push it. Also, you are supposed to be easy on the brakes
for the first few hundred miles so a double purpose was served this way.
>From 100 to 300 miles I would occasionally give the engine a few high revs,
but still did not push too hard. After 300, I steadily increased the number
of revs I used in each gear. Not too dramatically but steadily. I wanted to
be able to drive the car the way I wanted to after 800 miles. Take the car
on a good highway drive sometime after 600. The first 500 miles should be
city miles to get the rings to set properly. If a car is taken for a long
highway drive while quite young, the rings set in one way and the engine
gets accustomed to one speed. This is bad and will cause problems after the
initial break-in period. At 1000 miles, adjust the engine idle speed. Don't
worry about changing the oil until the first scheduled maintenance period.
The new 4 cylinder engines use less oil than the old ones and don't require
as much careful use. I now have 21,000 miles on my car. Every 7,500 miles or
1 year, I change the oil and oil filter. Over the 7,500 miles my car usually
uses less than 1/8 of a quart of oil. The engine revs very freely and doesn't
have any rough spots. If you have a manual transmission, don't down shift
until the 300 mile mark has been reached. As with up shifting, steadily increase
the number of revs after 300 has been reached. Don't by shy about downshifting.
It saves brake wear and tends to give the engine a good blow through.
Only use regular unleaded gas during the break-in. Most car manufactures now
recommend that the car should only get regular unleaded during the cars entire
life. I occasionally use premium on long highway trips to clean things out a
little but don't use it in the city.
(Sorry I wrote so much. I just thought I'd give you as much help as possible)
Chris Donahue ihuxq!cwd
#warren@ihnss.UUCP (07/08/83)
My own experience suggests that avoiding doing anything abusive during break-in or otherwise may be more important than the specific procedure. My older car (135K miles, 11 years) is a 4 cyl toyota. The only engine problem I have had was a stuck valve problem, which is standard on this particular model. It still doesn't consume enough oil to have to worry about it between changes. My break-in for this car consisted of driving it 1100 miles in two days. I did keep it slow for the first 300 and tried to vary the speed some, but back then 70 was the legal limit, and they get mad at going under 40 on an interstate, so I didn't have much leeway. My other car (72K, 4 years) is a 4 cyl rabbit was broken in commuting to work according to VW's directions. Again, no problems except for the valve stem seals, another standard repair problem fixed for free. The instructions suggested restricted RPM's for the first 2K miles, and varying the speed. It is interesting to note that you could drive the car at 70 and still be under the RPM limit. -- Warren Montgomery ihnss!warren IH x2494
seifert@ihuxl.UUCP (07/08/83)
> If you have a manual transmission, don't down > shift until the 300 mile mark has been > reached. As with up shifting, steadily > increase the number of revs after 300 has > been reached. Don't by shy about > downshifting. It saves brake wear and tends > to give the engine a good blow through. AUGH!!!!! NO! NO! NO! If one does not downshift, what does one do instead? Drive on the freeway for 300 miles? Come to a complete stop at every corner and carefully engage first? Lug the engine? Downshifting is very very necessary, unless you are driving a Detroit (torque city) V8, maybe even then. Small displacement engines need revs if you want any power. Yes, this makes them a little slow when you're breaking them in, and when you first fire them up in winter and the oil's 26 below 0. (Assuming you care about your engine and keep the revs down) Lugging is very hard on engines. Don't do it. The alternative is downshifting. The transmission is there to allow the engine to remain in a narrow rev band over a wide range of road speeds. Use it for this purpose. Do it carefully and do not over-rev your engine when downshifting. Learn to downshift properly. This means double-declutch heal-and-toe techniques. A little tricky at first, but soon (eventually?) becomes second nature and very automatic. Saves lots of wear and tear on the syncromesh. Point two, downshifting to slow the car down. This works very well. If you are driving down Pikes Peak, or if your brakes suddenly go away then this is the technique to use. For average everyday driving, brake pads are a *LOT* cheaper than transmissions. (and engines, if you manage to over-rev them) Dave Seifert Windy City BMW ihnp4!ihuxl!seifert
spaf@gatech.UUCP (07/10/83)
How do I break in a new car? Well, a coathanger down through
the window works on many cars. Otherwise, getting a set of
lock picks is a good way. If you're in a hurry, just break
the window.
--
"The soapbox of Gene Spafford"
CSNet: Spaf @ GATech
Internet: Spaf.GATech @ UDel-Relay
uucp: ...!{sb1,allegra}!gatech!spaf
...!duke!mcnc!msdc!gatech!spafhalb@tekid.UUCP (Hal Bates) (07/11/83)
Some of what has been said about breaking in a new car is correct
but some points should be elaborated on.
Here are my hints-
Change oil AND filter after the first 100 miles. Change the oil
again after 500 miles. Then change as necessary (2000 to 3000 miles
for normal driving). Use Valvoline 10-40 or if you live in warmer climes
use the 20-50.
When driving-
Never drive the same RPM for more than 2 or 3 minutes. Never baby the
engine but dont race it either. Constantly change speed and gears. IF
you wait for a couple hundred miles to increase the RPM you will probably
wreck your rings because the scoring takes place in the first 100 miles
and when the RPM is finialy increased the rings will over shoot the
scoreing causing immediate or future problems. The main thing to remember
is to vary the RPM from min to max. After aprox 1500 miles change oil
and let er rip.
Hal Bates
teklabs!tekid!halbpchris@inuxc.UUCP (07/12/83)
As to why some car manuals recommend only using unleaded regular, many,
if not most premium unleaded fuels are GASOHOL (at least in the Midwest).
Warnings against using Gasohol appear at least five times throughout
BMW manuals. Gasohol use will severely damage the emission control
system in these automobiles.
Phil Fair, ABI-Indyrmiller@ccvaxa.UUCP (07/20/83)
#R:houxv:-12800:ccvaxa:4900010:000:708 ccvaxa!rmiller Jul 18 21:21:00 1983 on gasohol (and i have said this before): MOST midwest gas stations are selling premium unleaded gasohol with warning signs that are very small. if you are driving a fuel injected car, DO NOT use gasohol, the excess water that the alcohol picks up will ruin the injectors. if you are driving a wankel engined car, DO NOT use gasohol, the alcohol will attack the apex seal on the rotor (a cloud of blue smoke and a hardy repair bill). i have not seen regular unleaded or leaded gas listed as an ethanol mix yet (and hope i never do for the sake of my rx-7), but as i said, the signs on the pumps denoting gasohol are no where near big enough considering the problems that could result. uiucdcs!ccvaxa!rmiller
rik@bunkerb.UUCP (Ray I. Kaville) (07/22/83)
If you go strictly by the manual you will probably do all-right, providing you don't plan on keeping your vehicle for a long time. I drive a 1976 Mercury Cougar XR-7 and the manual calls for an oil change every 5000 mi. This is fine for the first couple of oil changes since it takes a few thousand miles to take the burrs off of the metal parts while they seat but I wouldn't recom- mend this practice if longevity of the engine is a consideration. Not only is engine wear a signifigant factor in the oil change but you have to realize that oil breakdown from heat causes more friction on the working parts. Currently I have more than 111,000 miles on my car and I don't use ANY oil. My oil changes My oil changes are done every 3000 miles on my car and every 1000 miles on my motorcycle (which has over 20,000 mi.) The filters are changed every other time and believe me, the oil is always in need of change. Oil is the one absolutely necessary part of your maintenance procedure and the only one that I would reccomend you do more often than the manual dictates. (a few cans of oil is a lot cheaper than a rebuild on the engine) R.I. Kaville