Running in your engine
This will probably get as many different answers as the questions about what oil to use, or what’s the best rubber to roll on, but I think it’s a question worth posting.
I’ve never purchased a brand new car, so I’ve never had to think about running in a brand new engine. Those of you that have may want to share your knowledge with Shyang, who asked the following via email:
I am about to take delivery of a new Saab and I am hoping that you can help me. I was wondering if you have any guides that will teach me to properly run in a new engine? I intend to keep my Saab for at least 10 years and I have heard that the difference between a properly run in engine and one that is not is quite noticeable in the later years.
I have searched online and there are quite a lot of different methods. Some examples of what I have found:
Some recommend running the engine hard through all the different gears to ensure that the seals sit properly and then changing the oil right after, about 100km.
Some recommend not pushing the engine too hard, to keep it under a certain rev and not to go past a certain speed until 1000 - 2000km.
Some recommend using mineral oil for the first 1000km then changing to synthetic after.
Some recommend changing the oil at 1000km and then again at 5000km.
Some recommend not changing the oil until at least 3000km.
Some recommend that the engine has already been run in at the factory and the car should be driven normally from day 1.
As you can see, some of the run in methods can coexist but most don’t and they may even contradict each other.
So - new car buyers…….please fire away with your thoughts, experience and advice in comments.
-
More from this category
- Turbo X startup question - answered!
- FAQ and not-so-FAQ about engine oils
- More Saab AMM/MAF’s and crank home mechanics
- What I learned today - Saab 900 Air Mass Meter
More from this author
Subscribe to this author
Recent Comments
- 2-don on Friday Snippets
- Jeff on Friday Snippets
- Jeff on Lance Cole: The Saab Psychosis
- Jeff on Friday Snippets
- Jeff on Saab 9-1 - the opinion
- Markac on Saab 9-1 - the opinion
- Swade on Friday Snippets
- rogan2915 on Lance Cole: The Saab Psychosis
- zippy on Friday Snippets
- joemama on Saab 9-1 - the opinion
i don’t know about Saab engines (especially the GM Ecotec ones) but I know on Mitsu’s 4G63 (engine the Evo, DSM 1G and 2G’s, etc) if you run it hard (like past 4000rpm) in the first thousand miles it will eat oil like crazy later on.
I suppose i would recommend a gentle break-in to make sure all the rings seat properly. But i’m not a mechanic.
What does the book say?
Follow what the manual says–the manufacturer (Saab) knows best and has already outlined the exact steps and precautions there. I’d definitely say no to the mineral oil based on everything I know.
What does Saab suggest? I have owned 4 new cars and each manufacturer suggested a different break-in and method.
Generally, I avoid hard driving for the first 800-1000 KM. In addition, I try to vary the engine speed and not keep it at the same RPM for any long period of time. When to get the first oil change usually differs by manufacturer.
Let’s keep it simple: Follow what Saab tells you. Use full synthetic oil and change the oil frequently. Even with full synthetic, change the oil every 6-7 thousand miles. What this does is it protects your investment for years to come. IT IS THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU CAN DO FOR YOUR SAAB. Also, have all oil changes done by your Saab Master Tek. If you are not happy with the tek. you are now with FIND ANOTHER. Be sure that when you pick up your new Saab, YOU MEET THE SERVICE MANAGER/+ Saab Master Tek. Let them see your face. Let them know how much you take care of your Saab. I have done this and it has worked well for me. I just had my oil changed last week, the Saab tek. came out and was taling with me for over a half hour, just because. That to me is premium service. If you run into a problem in the future, you stand a better chance of not being treated like a number.
The following instructions came with a set of piston rings (not for a Saab):
To break-in the engine, accelerate from 30 to 100 km/h at full throttle in a middle gear three times.
That seems about right. I would only add that you should check the oil level regularly before the first scheduled change.
Most of the break-in procedures that you hear and read about date back to the times before CNC machining and cylinder wall coatings (and quality control).
I’ve bought 2 new Saab 9-3SS in as many years with different dealers. (My last one is a JetBlack Aero TTiD.. man what a vehicle!)
They both gave me the same advice:
1) Drive normally for the first 1.000km
2) Change the oil at the first service-appointment (with mine it’s been at 10.000km each time)
3) For the first 1.000km try not to keep it at the same RPM for too long. Revving the engine makes sure everything settles in under “real-world” conditions.
Running-in your engine was a must a decade or more ago. These days each engine runs a couple of 1000km before they are fitted in the car. This to make sure everythings is more or less settled so the new owner can drive normally.
oh.. and I forgot:
You’ll love it.
4) If you’ve 2500km or more, drive it like you stole it at least once a month
Thank you all for your advice.
Since I am still waiting for my Saab, I only managed to get this from a 2004 9-3 owner’s manual:
Do not exceed 5000rpm for the first 2000km.
Refrain from driving the car at full throttle, other than for brief instances during the first 3000km.
I was unable to find anything about the regularity of oil changes for the first 10000km.
If you only knew how the harbor companies that get the cars off the boat handle the car, you would be less concerned about breaking in your car
hi
i always thought it is good to keep the engine at the same RPM now i am reading this is “bad”
Why is it better revving?
I bought a 9.3 SC TTiD back in January. The dealer told me it would be preferable not to rev it more than 4000 for the first 2000 km. I have about 5K km now and still I don’t get to rev it that much, as it reaches 200 km/h under 4000 rpm. I’ll change the oil at 10 000 km.
My dealer suggests to change oil at 10000km even though Saab says it´s not needed. And so have I done.
Our new SC TTiD has now 7500km and I´ll make a first oilchange at 10000km as I did with our previous Saab as well.
For break in I drive a bit more carefully first 1000km and after that still try to avoid crazy revving, though I´ll rev it up to the redline few times. I don´t know if it is good or bad but somehow I feel like it should be revved few times even if it´s still on break in perioid.
I was surprised to see that Saab had a formal break in period for the engine in the owners manual but it does make sense and I (painfully) followed it for the first 1800 miles (around 2900 kilometers) of driving.
At any rate the primary reason you would want to follow a formal break in period is to ‘seat’ the rings against the cylinder walls, and allow other engine components (bearings etc.) to experience any initial wear and seat against companion components. An example of this would be camshaft lobes and rocker arms. Cylinder walls have a cross-hatch pattern cut into them and allowing the rings to seat properly against the walls is a critical area. This should ideally happen within the first 500 miles or so of driving. If the rings did not seat properly the engine could have resulting long term oil consumption issues as the rings are not able to scrape the oil off of the cylinder walls as they get older.
The other thing that might be harder to control during the break in period is thermal cycling. Cold engines require a richer AIR:FUEL mixture to keep the engine running and this tends to waste a lot of gasoline as more fuel is delivered to the combustion chamber than the engine would need under normal conditions. This has a side affect of washing lubrication off of the cylinder walls, which could result in the rings not seating properly.
If at all possible an engine should be run at operating temperature at a steady load during the break in period. Most high performance engine builders will run a new engine on an engine dynamometer (dyno) during the first 15 to 20 hours of operation at a steady RPM to ensure the parts wear and seat together properly followed by an oil change.
In conclusion, during your first few months of ownership I would avoid any short trip driving and run the engine under a steady load during this time. Highway driving as opposed to start and stop would be optimum for the engine. Wide open throttle starts and shifting at higher RPM should be avoided if possible as this also allows driveline components to break in as needed. Harsh stopping should also be avoided during the first couple hundred miles so the brakes seat properly. This keeps new rotors from warping due to excessive heating and subsequent cooling.
A little TLC during that first thousand or so miles (kilometers) of driving should ensure trouble free operation of your new Saab for many years.
I’ve always thought you should keep low rpm’s, and not accelerate as fast as the car will go the first 3000km or so, and then change the oil. And as for the brakes, avoid hard braking if not necessary the first couple of thousand km’s or so.
I’ve always followed the following rules:
For the first 1200-2000 miles:
vary your RPMs and speed
don’t accelerate too hard from a stop, and don’t stop suddenly
Don’t use the cruise control
But above all, follow the instructions in the manual. Between the 2 brands I’ve owned recently (Honda and Nissan) both brands had slightly different instructions for breaking in; Honda called for 1000 miles, Nissan called for 1200, so stick w/ what the manual says.
And consult a service advisor if you have any questions.
I follow the owner’s manual instructions and do a first oil change about 10000km or less.
Do you know how are managed the cars during the transport or in the car parks?
regards
The dealer who sold me a 9-3 SportCombi told me to change the oil every 5000 miles, nothing more than that.
Running in is still necessary, but is a lot less critical than it used to be.
There’s a number of reasons why and tedjs named some already. Piston rings, pistons, cilinder walls etc. must develop the right sealing against each other. But engine manufacturers have gotten better in choosing the right materials and the right coatings, so the chance that the driver’s wrong doing hurt the engine much is much smaller than it used to be.
What you should avoid:
- high load under low revs,
- high revs,
- high load with the engine still cold (and yes it takes up to 15 km for your engine to get warm),
- constant engine speed.
In general: drive your car in a normal way; moderate engine load, moderate revs and keep the engine warm ( doing 1.600 rpm will not really warm your engine).
About changing your oil: when the engine manufacturer filled it with special running-in oil you should stick to the change recommendation made by the manufacturer. If changed earlier you have the chance that the process is not completed. However, hardly any manufacturer uses running-in oil nowadays.
The recommendation made by the manufacturer for changing oil is always a bit on the safe side. And there is no reason to think you know better. Example: the older B204E engine had a regular change interval of 20.000 km, but the first oil change was set at 10.000 km. Nowadays with the B207 engines all oil changes are after 30.000 km (of course it is a different oil quality, and there is more in the sump). Only when your driving circumstances differ from “normal” there can be a reason for changing your oil earlier. But remember this: when you use your car in a daily commute with either high or low outside temperatures combined with low vehicle speed your circumstances are “severe”.
A nice example of the fact that engineers also don’t know how to best run in your vehicle was when an OPEL-engineer was asked how it came that some of the 2,2 l diesels (also used in SAAB) were using lots of oil while others didn’t use any oil. The only answer that he could give that they believed it had to do with the way these engines were used when running in. They were under the impression that it would do well to be not too soft during running in.
For my 07 9-3 2.0t convertible I did have a break in period of 1200 miles. The manual says that I only need to get the oil changed every 10,000 miles.
the dealer stuck a “valvoline” oil change reminder sticker on the inside front window of my ‘08, 9-3. the oil change mileage is specified as “5,000″ (miles). now, my local dealer, 75 miles away, says it won’t change the oil (free–under the 36-month scheduled- maintenance plan) until around 7,000-8,000 miles, which is when it anticipates the “service” light should come on. (a sneaky trick to get the “service” light to come, though, is to advance the dash clock by a year. just be sure to cycle through the screens and reset it–to the correct date–when finished. ….jajaja.)
observations:
1. dealers in the same relative vicinity seem to differ on frequency of a new-car oil change. granted, almost 7 quarts of synth oil, an oem oil filter, ring and gasket are not cheap (around $100.00) and dealers want to save costs, but the engine is the heart (and, perhaps, the soul) of a car, so i’d rather err on the side of being “generous” with the frequency of oil changes, rather than being stingy. (thus, at 1,800 miles, it got fresh oil/filter. done!); and
2. if dealers can disagree as to oil change frequency, they may differ in terms of engine “break-in” or “run-in.” i’ve had luck, if 200,000 miles constitutes luck, with a ‘94, 900s engine by, as others have mentioned, not using the cruise control during the engine’s “honeymoon” period and by keeping the revs on the low side. but with turbo power at the twitch of my toes, the low-rev thing is easier said than done.
Follow the SAAB intructions and do not change the oil before the first service. Most manufacturs us special oil that is there for a reason.
Every manufacturer is different; the manual is the most important clue. I’ve followed this pretty closely and am approaching the 1000 mile mark on my X. I agree with Edwin as well - many manufacturers tell you to not change the oil too soon or this will interfere with the “settlng” process. I’ve followed this with every car I’ve owned and never had any engine problems.
This is what I have gathered, most manufacturers including Saab no longer use special run in oil. Furthermore, Saab itself does not state in the manual the regularity to change the oil in the beginning. It is left up to the dealer.
Most new cars come with a service package and to reduce cost, most dealers are recommending oil changes at only 10000km. This may or may not be the optimal distance to change the oil in a new engine.
I have heard from an experienced mechanic that the first couple of oil changes is the most important because there will be alot of worn off metal in the oil during the running in process. This leads to undue wear and tear in the engine. That is why some people recommend the first oil change to be done very early.
Is this why a “time for service” message came on my SID recently? I have about 7500 miles so far.
I thought the first oil change was 10k?
The service interval due message will be based on either time(app.12 mos.)or mileage(app.10K.)There is an algorithm in the engine management system which will monitor your usage and prompt you accordinly.
I had mine in at about 11,000 miles for its first oil change (the SID gave me the “time for service” at about 10,500) When it was finished I started the car and went to look what percentage the SID was at before the “time for service” comes up again. It was at 67% until service. I asked the tech about it and he said to just bring it back in after another 10,000 miles and that it was not necessary to change it before then. That seemed a little weird to me. What is the purpose of the SID if it isn’t correct?
Scott, No worries. I too sent in my 9-3 SS AE at 9K mi for normal service, and the SID also 67% or something as well. It good to hear that I was not the only person with this question.
From the 2007 9-3 Manual:
“Engine Break-in Period
Pistons, cylinder bores and bearings need
time to obtain uniform, wear-resistant
surfaces.
If a new engine is driven too hard, this gradual
process of bedding-in will not be possible
and the life of the engine will be shortened.
During the first 1,200 miles (2,000 km),
do not exceed 5,000 rpm.
In addition, refrain from driving the car at full
throttle, other than for brief instances,
during the first 1,800 miles (3,000 km).”
Also, I definetly follow not revving or doing anything for the first 10 seconds as the engine settles(I wait until the engine settles below 1000rpm just to be safe).