ARTICLE: How to Run-In your new car

[Jaggu]

Oil change is aok, wont cause any harm. Fuel tank capacity will be as mentioned in the manual, though the actual quantity of fuel in your tank including reserve capacity, air lock if any in the system.

Finish your run-in first, turbo band ranges between 1800 to 3500 RPM and keeping the engine in this RPM band, you can enjoy it best.

[pamishra]

Hey Guys, need a advise

Its been almost 10 days since my new Getz 1.3 GLX arrived. Till today it has run 400km. I have driven it below/around 2k rpm on most of the occassions so as to run-in the engine.

I am planning a Pune-Goa (around 450kms - one way) trip on this coming weekend. Till the weekend comes, i will be done about 500-550 kms.

Since i have not completed 1000kms or run-in the engine fully, i wanted to know how i should drive the car on the highway?? Should i exceed 80kmph or 2k rpm on the 5th gear? Should i take frequent halts (say after every 2 hrs), so that the engine does not heat up too much?

And how much air pressure would be recommended on the highways. I drive on 175/65R14, and manufacture recommended pressure is 30psi. For long highway trip, what pressure would be good? Planning for 32psi

Please advice gurus!

[gpa]

Originally Posted by pamishra

I am planning a Pune-Goa (around 450kms - one way) trip on this coming weekend. Till the weekend comes, i will be done about 500-550 kms.

Since i have not completed 1000kms or run-in the engine fully, i wanted to know how i should drive the car on the highway??

Hi pamishra,

IMHO, it is recommended that you complete your car's running-in period and then take her on the highway. Taking a long trip when the engine is still new is not advisable as you will be driving at almost a constant RPM through the drive as you will be on the highway.

During the running-in period, it is recommended that you vary your speed, so that all the moving parts will bed in better.

As for the tyre pressures, you can stick to 32 or even 33 psi.

Cheers,
gpa

[Jaggu]

Please go ahead with the trip. When is your first service schedule, kms? If its 1000kms then get an ok from dealer, that he will honour the coupon at 1500 kms.

You can safely take her above 80 kmph if you are comfortable driving at that speeds.

• Vary the speed and rpm as much as possible- This will help in better runin
• Try avoiding abrupt accelerations and decelerations as much as possible
• Dont upshift early and strain the engine or risk yourself, especially while overtaking
• Rpm vise you can safely take her to 80-85% of max rpm
• Try taking breaks every one hour, this is good for the driver as well as the car anyways. 10-15 mts break is good enough
• This doesnt mean car will overheat otherwise
• Stick to company recommended pressure, dont go below that. Add 1-2 psi more if you are carrying more luggage

Originally Posted by pamishra

Hey Guys, need a advise

Its been almost 10 days since my new Getz 1.3 GLX arrived. Till today it has run 400km. I have driven it below/around 2k rpm on most of the occassions so as to run-in the engine.

I am planning a Pune-Goa (around 450kms - one way) trip on this coming weekend. Till the weekend comes, i will be done about 500-550 kms.

Since i have not completed 1000kms or run-in the engine fully, i wanted to know how i should drive the car on the highway?? Should i exceed 80kmph or 2k rpm on the 5th gear? Should i take frequent halts (say after every 2 hrs), so that the engine does not heat up too much?

And how much air pressure would be recommended on the highways. I drive on 175/65R14, and manufacture recommended pressure is 30psi. For long highway trip, what pressure would be good? Planning for 32psi

Please advice gurus!

[pamishra]

Thanks for your advice!

First servicing coupon says 1200-1500kms, so that should not be a problem.

And yes, i will stick to all your advice...

The max rpm (on paper) for Getz is 5500...so planning to achieve a max of around 3k rpm (while going) and 4k rpm (while returning, since i will be past the 1000km mark). And will fill 32psi pressure.

Getz does not come with the engine temp dial...it has on-off indicators when temp is low or high. Just for my knowledge, in how much time (kms), if travelled without break, will the engine over-heat up??

[Jaggu]

Normal driving engine will not overheat since that is why the liquid cooling system is in place. On the other hand for running in the engine, which includes the cooling system, occasional breaks are good in the initial couple of 1000 kms atleast.

Going upto 4000 rpms occasionally (and gradually) is a good idea even for the onward trip, once the engine is heated up. Slowly increase the max limit, and hold it for few seconds, similar to while overtaking.

More than RPM its the right load that matters, so revving out too much or under reving will not help.

I will summarize as:
- Vary the speed and RPM, thankfully Indian highways favor this with chaotic traffic
- Take breaks 10-15 mts every other hour
- Fill from reputed gas stations/major cities towns and do quick checks of all parameters when you stop
- Keep an eye out for anything abnormal and refer to the manual if in doubt, carry the service guys number if possible

Have a pleasant drive trip.

[Lightning2]

hi pamishra
How did U run down ur Piston rings?
I mean to say that since u have already done 400 kms , the Time window for Rings has got expired

Did U drove ur Vehicle with care & Tenderly??

After going thru an article Even I also Opined now that Vehicle MUST not be handled very tenderly

Pls find a link for Running down Rings,, keep in mind that Running down Engine & Power train requires much more Mileage and is an elongated procedure

Break In Secrets--How To Break In New Motorcycle and Car Engines For More Power

Thanks

Originally Posted by pamishra

Hey Guys, need a advise

Its been almost 10 days since my new Getz 1.3 GLX arrived. Till today it has run 400km. I have driven it below/around 2k rpm on most of the occassions so as to run-in the engine.

I am planning a Pune-Goa (around 450kms - one way) trip on this coming weekend. Till the weekend comes, i will be done about 500-550 kms.

Since i have not completed 1000kms or run-in the engine fully, i wanted to know how i should drive the car on the highway?? Should i exceed 80kmph or 2k rpm on the 5th gear? Should i take frequent halts (say after every 2 hrs), so that the engine does not heat up too much?

And how much air pressure would be recommended on the highways. I drive on 175/65R14, and manufacture recommended pressure is 30psi. For long highway trip, what pressure would be good? Planning for 32psi

Please advice gurus!

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by Lightning2

Pls find a link for Running down Rings,, keep in mind that Running down Engine & Power train requires much more Mileage and is an elongated procedure

Break In Secrets--How To Break In New Motorcycle and Car Engines For More Power

Thanks

Dont bother with this, since by the time delivery in India happens (registration etc) the window for mototune runin would have expired Better way is to gather the concept behind this and runin in a way so that engine is loaded properly and NOT pampered or abused.

[pamishra]

Originally Posted by Lightning2

hi pamishra
How did U run down ur Piston rings?
I mean to say that since u have already done 400 kms , the Time window for Rings has got expired

Did U drove ur Vehicle with care & Tenderly??
Thanks

Well, for the first 200kms, i had been quite careful, drove below 2k rpm. Also took care, not to accelerate and stop suddenly. Avoided overtaking which required more power. This was also because i needed time to get used to the car, its clutch, its brakes and not meet with an accident on a brand new car

From 200-400kms, i have gradually increased rpm to about 2.5k...however have not crossed 80kmph.

From 400-1000kms, i plan to increase rpm gradually from 2.5 to 4k and keep the max speed to 100kmph. Since i will be on the highway for most of this time, I will take care to drive at different speeds/rpm and not maintain a constant speed/rpm for a long time. As Jaggu says, indian roads will also not allow me to stay at same speed for long time

Also take frequent breaks to re-energies both me and the car

I guess, this is the best way to break-out a new engine.

[Lightning2]

As Jaggu concerned that by Delivery/Registration Time window for Rings breaking in gets expired
I suppose U are doing Well in rest of the aspects
All the best and Enjoy your vehicle

Originally Posted by pamishra

Well, for the first 200kms, i had been quite careful, drove below 2k rpm. Also took care, not to accelerate and stop suddenly. Avoided overtaking which required more power. This was also because i needed time to get used to the car, its clutch, its brakes and not meet with an accident on a brand new car

From 200-400kms, i have gradually increased rpm to about 2.5k...however have not crossed 80kmph.

From 400-1000kms, i plan to increase rpm gradually from 2.5 to 4k and keep the max speed to 100kmph. Since i will be on the highway for most of this time, I will take care to drive at different speeds/rpm and not maintain a constant speed/rpm for a long time. As Jaggu says, indian roads will also not allow me to stay at same speed for long time

Also take frequent breaks to re-energies both me and the car

I guess, this is the best way to break-out a new engine.

[CrackedHead]

Mods : I've seen the "ARTICLE: How to Run-In your new car" thread. Please merge this with the same if deemed appropriate.

What is the correct procedure for running in after an engine rebuilt(say - new cylinder sleeves, pistons and rings, a new camshaft, valves and valve seats)?

I'm aware of the need for resetting valve clearances and re-torquing the head bolts after 500 Km. What other running-in procedures should be followed after a rebuild?

I've read the articles which suggest that a new engine should be revved hard in the first few Km's to get a good ring seal - this should (IMO) also be applicable to an engine with new piston rings.

My mechanic believes in running the engine at idle for around an hour after doing valve and piston ring replacements. Is this the correct way?

The car in question is a carb M800 that has run 1.2L Km's and now goes thru a liter of engine oil every 1200 kms.

[Jaggu]

Once your engine is rebuilt, its the same runin procedure as a new engine. Actually you need to be more careful since the tolerance level will not be as accurate as machine/production line assembled engine.

Donot rev the engine to get ring seal, if the rebuild is tight you will land up with seizure. This is one of the reason why mechs recommend idling for runin, which also is bad.

Ideally start the engine, idle it so that its warmed up. Then shut down and check for any leaks and retorquing. Once health check is done, start the engine and idle again till warm and then drive around sedately but with varrying rpm/speed/load. Try avoiding abrupt acceleration and stops to avoid stress.

During the drive, initially take frequent breaks (10 mts break after 30-45 mts drive), while keepin a tab on the temperature. If its heating up, pull over and idle for a min or two and let the engine cool down. You might want to check on cooling system and tolerance set.

Also if possible try setting the fuel mixture lil rich during, runin.

First 350 kms be gentle and then slowly increase the load and continuous run period.

By 1000 kms you would have done the initial breaking in, but keep some tab on the load till you reach 5000 km mark. 1000 km mark change oil and filter and do a check on all fluids, attend to any leaks and retorquing also.

By 3500 mark you can set up the engine to original spec along with mixture adjustments (if applicable).

[equinox22]

This is what my 2008 Civic Si manual says about break in:

During the first 600 miles (1,000 km):
1. Avoid full-throttle starts and rapid acceleration.
2. Avoid hard braking for the first 200 miles (300 km).
3. Do not change the oil until the scheduled maintenance time.
It was painful to hold off VTEC but I managed. Now though with 6000+ km its totally revhappy. The scheduled maintenance is when the Maintenance minder displays the need to change the oil. I was advised by the dealer to not change the oil until that time. Can someone with a 2008 Civic in India post what they were told. Would be interesting to see if they set the same limits in India and the US.

[Lightning2]

Hi Jaggu
U seem to have First hand knowledge of Engine Reboring

Please clarify/Comment on these Doubts of mine

1. Engine Boring is done mostly by Road side mechanics with Mechanical Lathes ,, while I just Dislike (read hate) trying to machine out a mechanical component demanding Precision as subtle as a Cylinder Liner What say?

2. Do the local Mechanics have Dimensions/Specs required for Reboring Engine of a particular Model,,,, or they use their own Intuition?

3. Do Manufacturer authorised/Dealer service centres offer Re-boring?

4. Do Manufacturers supply Rings/Piston designed for Rebored engine ?

Originally Posted by Jaggu

Once your engine is rebuilt, its the same runin procedure as a new engine. Actually you need to be more careful since the tolerance level will not be as accurate as machine/production line assembled engine.

Donot rev the engine to get ring seal, if the rebuild is tight you will land up with seizure. This is one of the reason why mechs recommend idling for runin, which also is bad.

Ideally start the engine, idle it so that its warmed up. Then shut down and check for any leaks and retorquing. Once health check is done, start the engine and idle again till warm and then drive around sedately but with varrying rpm/speed/load. Try avoiding abrupt acceleration and stops to avoid stress.

During the drive, initially take frequent breaks (10 mts break after 30-45 mts drive), while keepin a tab on the temperature. If its heating up, pull over and idle for a min or two and let the engine cool down. You might want to check on cooling system and tolerance set.

Also if possible try setting the fuel mixture lil rich during, runin.

First 350 kms be gentle and then slowly increase the load and continuous run period.

By 1000 kms you would have done the initial breaking in, but keep some tab on the load till you reach 5000 km mark. 1000 km mark change oil and filter and do a check on all fluids, attend to any leaks and retorquing also.

By 3500 mark you can set up the engine to original spec along with mixture adjustments (if applicable).

[drvarunagarwal]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

• A 2,500 km running-in period is ideal. After this, you can high-rev her away to glory.


• Team-BHP recommends that you change your engine oil after the first 1,000 km. As with all new engines, you will find that some metal slivers have found their way into the oil. From this point onward you can stick to the manufacturer recommended intervals.

I recently took my i20 for first service. The mechanic told me that no run in period was required as all Hyundai cars are pre-runned in. He also said that after running in the engine at the time of assembly itself (i.e. at factory etc.) the engine oil is changed so that no engine oil change is required at 1000 kms.
He said that he had seen these things when they took him for training for i20.

Can anyone further comment on this please?