i'm getting close to having my newly remanufactured engine in my runner ..3vze by the way... what do you guys think the best way to break it in would be...the paper that came with it said keep idling to a minimum and change the oil after 500 miles and dont tow anything till then..but that is pretty vague, i would like some details from someone with expirence. thanks! and if i am back under the hood of that thing for anything other than an oil change in the next few years it will become the green smiley>>

 

ive always heard to keep your acceleration slow for the first 500 miles but this was also back in the day when engines needed a good breaking in...

 

http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm read away

 

I heard that you shouldnt get your RMPs up for a while. and with a new car dont go over 40mph for 500miles to break in the drivetrain.

 

ive heard that as well. the keeping the rpms down may be managable but keeping below 40mph, thats a little difficult to do for 500 miles, but slow acceleration is key

 

Read this too: http://theoildrop.server101.com/ubb/...=011663#000001

 

and this: http://theoildrop.server101.com/ubb/...=009461#000000

 

I gave my Hybie I built for my 82', Hell the second I dropped it in, and she has some fookin nasty power for a 4 banger!!!

When I built it a few years back, DOA basically told me, to take it a little easy on it, not to do steady RPMs to long for the 1st hundred miles or so. But he also said, don't be affraid to open the engine up and let it know, what you built it for.

Till this day every now and then, I bank 6500-7000 R's in it... Doesn't burn a single lick of oil at all. In 3000 miles my dipstick will not change in level at all, and I have even have a slight oil leak in it. (rear of my valve cover leaks slightly)

 

If you go into your owners manual it has a section on engine break in, straight from Toyota themselves. I'd think they know their engines best.

 

Rollin', rollin' rollin'! Get them doggies rollin'! Man my butt is swollen'! Rawhide!!! (Billy Crystal in City Slickers)

 

Maybe not after reading this. Makes sence!

 

true, but thats for a new engine toyota built with all toyota parts, and i think they are partially broken in at the factory. dont know about doa, but most engine re-builders go with aftermarket bearings and rings. the links put on here are very good, especially the first one. i learned of that link from bill @ mr2oc, he learned me up a bit on it for those that have not read the links, basically dont let it idle or maintain a steady rpm during initial start, and basically dont be afraid to rev the crap out of it, and put it under heavy load. for those that dont know, piston rings do not seal by ring tension, they seal by the force of combustion gasses getting behind the ring, and causing it to expand. on the initial startup, you have a freshly honed cylinder with a fresh piston ring, it needs strong pressure to expand out and conform to the wall. to little pressure will allow the rings to skip across the tops of the grooves in the wall(crosshatch) causing burnishing, and poor ring seal.

 

thanks for all the help!

 

once it hits operating temp, punch it.
drive like you will after its been broken it

i think break-in for anything other than 'brand new from the factory' will handle what you throw at it, after its warmed up

 

I believe in the drive-it-like you stole it method. Engines that are broke-in this way. Usually have more power and better durablity.

 

well it seems like the general consensus(if i spelled it right) is let it warm up and drive it hard...i'll probablly end up doin that next weekend when its running!

 

The biggest thing that needs breaking in is the cam. The recommendations I got (and followed with mine) was to add a can of GM's EOS to the oil before break-in. This keeps the cam from scuffing during break-in. Run the engine for the first 15 to 20 minutes at 2000 RPM. Then drive normally. Change oil at 500 miles.

 

The cam should be broken in properly if it's new. But it's not neccessary if the old cam being reused.

 

I thought I heard somewhere, from a fairly reliable source if I recall correctly, that Toyota engines are run for 3 minutes straight at 5000 RPM before Toyota will put them into any new Toyota vehicle.

 

yep, the only 2 things that you need to pay attention to on a break-in are the first and foremost, the cam, and then the piston rings.

break in the cam the way the manufacturer says, usually running at around 2000RPM for about 20 minutes immediately after you start the engine. to get the piston rings to seat(this is rather crucial, as you need them to seat quickly, if they don't, your engine will start burning oil prematurely and you won't get maximum power), take it out on a nice long road, and go through the gears. after you rev it up and shift, take your foot off the gas and engine brake. do this several times -- once the rings seat you'll feel an almost instant power increase. sometimes it takes a couple days of driving, but with the new moly rings out there it's usually pretty quick.