Another poster brought up a very good question....What is the current thinking on proper engine break-in? Used to be "drive it easy for first 1000 miles" then normally after that. Lately I've heard that it is good to "get down on it" during the break in period. Anybody know what Ford recommends now? I didn't see anything specific in the owner's manual although I could have missed it.

 

In the introduction section (page 5) there is a very short piece on breakin. Basically it says to vary your speeds during the first 500 miles, do not pull a trailer until after that, and then during the first 500 miles of trailering do not go over 50 mph. I find that last one kind of hard to fathom. However, the year is about over and I won't have much to pull until next spring. By then the engine should be well broken in.

 

my father has always told me to break in anything the way your going to drive them, including your spouse...lol j/k...

my new truck is actually driven daily by my wife and she is a led foot.


freddy

 

i did just what the sales guy told you to do i have 6000 on my truck and i have to say that is the olny way i would beake a engine the give 100-300 nice and easy to run a little and then run the s*** out of it i did my frist oil change at 500 then at 1500 and then after that every 3000 with moble 1 and it runs grate

 

I think I may try that method. Normall driving for 300-400 and ***** out for the next 1,000. Any significance to changing the oil promptly... 500, 1500, 3k?

 

Proper breaking results from acclerating and decelerating a warm engine. The rings need to apply pressure against the cylinder walls and scrape off the hone marks and high spots. That's why typical city stop and go driving is the best. The early miles are the most important. Don't baby it, and don't run the engine at a constant speed, and don't red line it.

The perfect breakin is to pick it up at the dealer and drive it around town for an hour.

 

I don't even have my VIN number yet and I am already getting excited about breaking my truck in. this is so depressing...

 

I haven't even ordered my truck yet and I'm excited.

 

Trever Adamo & All:

Talking to guys about their preferred oil and change interval is like having a conversation on religion & thus I hesitate opening up this subject but here goes. Lubrication Engineers will advise against switching to synthetic engine oil prior to 3000 miles. The engines in the extremely few cars that come from the factory with synthetics (Corvettes, BMWs, etc.) have gone through an in-house break-in process in a controlled environment. Synthetics are without question superior to dino oil depending on application. I have seen on this board those who love Royal Purple, Red Line, and other such products. These may not be the best choice in non-racing applications and may not even be best in racing applications but I am not going to go there. If you do the research, or study lubrication, you will find that there are two synthetics appropriate for use in daily drivers. These are Mobil 1 and AMSOIL. Of these two tests have shown one to be superior to the other but both are outstanding. Filters are important as well – do a search on “best oil filters” and study for a few hours and come to your own conclusion of which filters are best… keep in mind the name of the game when it comes to oil filters is the size of particles a filter will trap measured in micros and the amount of oil a filter will flow. Oil filtration is a science and yes, there are only about 3 or 4 manufactures that make all the filters out there but, each filter is made to a spec provided by the company marketing the filter. The best filter is one that traps particles down to around 5 to 10 micros but will also flow extreme amounts of oil per minute.

Anyway, back to the point. It you want to use synthetics then great (I certainly use them) but wait until your engine has around 3k on it before switching. It is very complicated to explain but changing to a synthetic too soon may result in your engine not breaking in properly and that will lead to problems down the road. Changing at 500 then at 1500 is fine if you want to do this but use dino oil until 3000 miles. In reality, all one would need to do is change the filter at 500 and 1500 miles for if you are using a superior oil filter the trash will be caught there and not left suspended in the oil.

Just one man's opinion based on lots of research and study.

 

I currently work for Porsche, and they do come with synthetic fill from the beginning.

It should be noted that there is no internal break-in procedure for any engine, not even race engines. They are put together like all other engines, tested, and sent on their way.

So they run "raw" with synthetic since their first mile, and Porsche has never issued out any TB regarding a lack of break-in due to synthetic oil.

 

i did not go to synthetic tell i had 3000 on it for that reason and i just feel it is best to change it a few times when the engine is new to keep it nice and clean in there

 

and to note ford comes with Synthetic blend oil on them so going to a full synthetic is not to bad if you don't have many miles on it

 

FYI, Mobil1 does not offer a 5W-20 synthetic motor oil. The owner's manual for the new F-150 specifially calls out 5W-20 (Ford Specification WSS-M2C153-H).

here's something from the Mobile1 website. it's under "Why Synthetics" then "Myths About Synthetics" at the top of the page. I know nothing about oil and engines, so I do not agree or disagree with this, just posting it for information's sake:

Myth: You should break in your engine with conventional oil, then switch to Mobil 1.

Reality: You can start using Mobil 1 with SuperSyn™ in new vehicles at any time, even in brand-new vehicles. In fact, Mobil 1 with SuperSyn™ is original equipment (it is installed at the factory) in:


Chevrolet Corvette
All Porsche vehicles
Mercedes-Benz AMG vehicles
Dodge Viper
Ford Mustang Cobra R
All Aston Martin cars

One of the myths that persists about Mobil 1 is that new engines require a break-in period with conventional oil. Current engine manufacturing technology does not require this break-in period. As indicated by the decisions of the engineers who design these high-performance cars, Mobil 1 with SuperSyn™ can be used in an engine from the day you drive the car off the showroom floor.

 

i know you run mable 1 5-30 and a 30 will pertect the engine better i'm not goign to start this in to a oil thread i was just givine a recamondation and i do know engines i have a pro mod race car that runs low 6's so i know engines well and ford recmonded the 5-20 to help there average fuel range over all there care that is why they went to 5-20 it mabe a difference for what they wanted

 

Just found this. "Mobil 1 with SuperSyn 0W20 is engineered specifically for Ford, Honda and any other vehicle where a 0W-20 or 5W-20 engine oil is recommended." Read about it here.