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Break-In Period

1K views 7 replies 6 participants last post by  z06fun 
#1 ·
Just wanted to clarify things to avoid mass confusion.

Armitage, our Dutch friend, provided information about breaking in the European S2 111S. I blew it and made it sound like that would also apply to the US Elise. Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.

I don't have any information about how to break-in the US car. The European car has a Rover engine, while ours will have the Toyota engine, so the procedures probably will be quite different.

European car - First 600 miles, not to exceed 3000 prm; next 400 miles, not to exceed 4500 rpm. Oil change and dealer downloads computer chip containing your driving record. Not a certainty that you would invalidate the warranty by exceeding the recommended revs, but the implication is that the dealer could use this against you if you had engine problems while under warranty.

Sorry for the confusion.
 
#2 ·
FYI, my buddy has a Celica GT-S. I would expect that the break in period would be identical.

His manual says for break in you're not supposed to rev it over 4,000 RPM for 1000 miles.

Good luck!
 
#3 ·
I might be inclined to go with this break in method. Controversial.
 
#4 ·
Prolene,

I've totally read up on that method before. I have a lot of buddies with sport bikes where they've done this method.

I would definetly prefer to break in my engine hard, as I think it's a better way to seal it, but i'm too afraid of the warranty repercussions. Especially with the known flaws of the GT-S engine (although, I think they fixed all the flaws after 2002).
 
#5 ·
Modern Wedgie said:
Prolene,

I've totally read up on that method before. I have a lot of buddies with sport bikes where they've done this method.

I would definetly prefer to break in my engine hard, as I think it's a better way to seal it, but i'm too afraid of the warranty repercussions. Especially with the known flaws of the GT-S engine (although, I think they fixed all the flaws after 2002).
Thanks.

I did read in another of the Mototuner articles how steel connecting rods stretch with revs, and titanium does not. Makes sense if broken in hard, the rings get used to getting higher into the cylinder, but if gently, a shoulder might develop in the cylinder that prevents this extra squish later on.
 
#6 ·
MacMan said:
FYI, my buddy has a Celica GT-S. I would expect that the break in period would be identical.

His manual says for break in you're not supposed to rev it over 4,000 RPM for 1000 miles.

Good luck!
I'm sorry but that does not make any sense! The second cam doesn't come on until 6k. If it stayed at 4k there would be no runnning in of the second cam at all.
Unless I'm missing something:confused:
 
#7 ·
adament-

You're not missing anything, but that is what it says in the book.

It's an antiquated suggestion by the manufacturers that no one has bothered to update with the advance of engine technology. It's a designation for big engines with 6K redlines and with no v-tec
 
#8 ·
The S2000 suggested break-in (listed in the owners manual) also states to stay below rpms which will never engage the second cam for the first 600 miles. The idea of engine break in is to help insure that you properly seat parts of the engine (in contact with each other). Things like piston rings and all of the numerous bearing surfaces (crank, piston etc.) Unfortunately, in engines like this which have more than one cam lobe per valve, you can't really provide any low RPM break-in type use for the second cam lobe, unless you temporarily reprogrammed the computer to use it at lower rpms.
 
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