How are you breaking in your new Z?
06-12-2002, 03:18 AM
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How are you breaking in your new Z?
Ok, we're all excited about getting our new Z, but has anyone thought of the importance of breaking the engine in first? I'm definitely going to ask my dealer what to do. I've heard you're not supposed to take it over 60mph for the first 3000 mi. or 3 months, and i've heard of filling her up w/gas and just letting the engine run out to break it in. I just wanted to hear other people's ideas or knowledge.
06-12-2002, 03:25 AM
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Neither of those is right. The process of breaking in an engine is twofold; one, you want to allow all the various metal parts that rub against each other a chance to "seat" against one another. For that, you want to run the engine at various RPMs and various temperatures (engine temps, ie heat cycle it a few times) so that everything has a chance to expand and contract as needed. For this, you want to drive varied speeds, take "shorter" trips, and not go too hard on it for the break-in period. Some people call that 500 miles, others call it 1000. You be the judge there. The next important thing to do is to get OUT any contaminents (tiny particles of metal, gasket, whatever) that may have been dislodged as part of the break in - for that, an early fluid change (mostly engine oil) is also a good idea.
Note that the manufacturer's recommendations for a break-in period have gotten more and more lax over time. They claim this is due to improved manufacturing tolerances, etc. I don't know about you, but it seems to me that a lot of older cars are certainly outlasting newer ones. So if you're planning on keeping it for a while, I say go easy on it for the first 1000 miles, then change the oil and optionally any other fluids as well. Just my $0.02.
Note that the manufacturer's recommendations for a break-in period have gotten more and more lax over time. They claim this is due to improved manufacturing tolerances, etc. I don't know about you, but it seems to me that a lot of older cars are certainly outlasting newer ones. So if you're planning on keeping it for a while, I say go easy on it for the first 1000 miles, then change the oil and optionally any other fluids as well. Just my $0.02.
06-12-2002, 03:30 AM
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Here is a great article on breaking in an engine, clipped from http://www.performanceoiltechnology....ngtoamsoil.htm . Please note that I personally do NOT endorse Amsoil, but this is the most well thought out article on the subject I could find. I do agree that you should run standard dinosaur oil for the first 500-1000 miles (my vote is for 1000) and THEN switch to synthetics. If Nissan ships synethic in the 350Z from the factory, then you may want to wait a bit longer for the first oil change, but my vote is still no later than 1500 miles.
Article below:
Converting a vehicle to AMSOIL is fairly simple, but there are a few things you need to be aware of. First, if you have a brand new vehicle we recommend that you run a short cycle of petroleum oil on a gas engine passenger car or light truck (typically 500 miles) and approximately 5000 miles on a diesel engine in such as a Ford Powerstroke or Dodge Cummins Turbo Diesel before installing AMSOIL. This doesn't mean that you can't install AMSOIL sooner, as many OEM's install synthetics as a factory fill, it simply means these are our recommendations based on our extensive engineering studies and knowledge of this topic. Today's modern engine manufacturing and materials technology is much more sophisticated than in years past. Regular gas engine passenger car and light truck engines do not require the extensive break in process many people think they do. In addition, by the time you get your new vehicle the engine has already been through a series of hot tests also run on in-plant chassis rolls testers to check functionality of all systems and then driven around the plant and railhead in order to get the vehicle to the dealer, which also helps accelerate breaking in of the engine.
The engine break-in issue is the subject of much controversy as everyone seems to have their opinion on when an engine is considered fully broken in. The information we provide is based on the results of engineering studies as well as many years of experience and teardown analysis on test vehicles. The differences between a vehicle that was properly and fully broken in and one that was not can often be hard to detect, yet there are tell-tale signs of this but they are not easily detected except in all but the most extreme situations. The subject of what occurs during the break-in process can easily be the subject of a 100 page report therefore what we cover in this website page is only the essential points you need to know. The break-in process we describe here is nothing compared to the extensive break-in process that race car engineers go through before an engine is ready to be converted to AMSOIL as well as racing in competition.
Breaking in an engine is a process of properly wearing-in the pistons/cylinders/rings, bearings, valves, camshaft, lifters, rockers, etc... In addition, part of the breaking in process is not only wearing-in and seating the internal engine components but also stress relieving the components as well. Crankshafts, connecting rods, pistons, blocks etc... have many stresses due to the casting or forging process, machining and welding process. We have viewed and measured these stresses, called fringes, using what is called lazer holography. These stresses are properly reduced/eliminated by costly and time consuming heat aging as well as shot peening and or high frequency vibration on a very specialized bedplate for an extended period of time. For production applications this is cost and time prohibitive. Therefore, the next best thing is exposing your engine to multiple heating and cooling cycles under various load and RPM's, which is described in the following paragraph. The heating and cooling break in process continues over a period of time and does not need to be run on petroleum oil.
Breaking in a new engine is the one area that petroleum oil is better for than synthetics. You see, petroleum oil has a very low film strength which is ideal for breaking in a new engine. That is why we recommend you run the factory installed petroleum oil for about the about the first 500 miles. Then drain the oil, remove the factory installed oil filter and then install AMSOIL Synthetic motor oil and an AMSOIL Super Duty oil filter and your ready to go.
Further heat cycling break-in will continue during the multiple heating and cooling cycles from driving your vehicle under varying RPM and engine load conditions and then shutting it down for a long period of time to let it cool completely. The multiple heating and cooling cycles are a extremely important factor in properly breaking in a new engine and are often an overlooked factor in the total break-in process. These heating and cooling cycles achieve what is called stress relieving. Back in the "old days" of engine manufacturing, after casting and before an engine block was machined, it would be set outside for several months to age, during which stress relieving occurred naturally, then the block was machined, which helped to produce a better engine than one that was machined immediately after casting.
By changing the factory installed oil and filter after the first 500 miles you will also be removing the initial wear-in particulates present in the oil and filter. The reason for this is that during initial wear-in there is very high particulate contamination in the oil. These particulates consist mainly of microscopic particles of aluminum, bronze, copper, lead and iron, plus soot particles and other by-products of combustion in your oil. Your filter cannot filter out all these small particulates as many are sub-micron size and too small for the filter to trap, BUT they are also small enough to fit between your bearing and other internal clearances and cause wear. That is why we recommend to that in order to properly break-in a new engine, regardless of what your new car salesman or dealership personnel tell you, is to perform the first oil and filter change at 500 miles. Then you can convert to AMSOIL Synthetic. On a diesel engine we recommend the initial filter and oil change at 500 miles, with another change around 3500 miles, then in the 5000 mile range you can convert to AMSOIL Synthetic.
Article below:
Converting a vehicle to AMSOIL is fairly simple, but there are a few things you need to be aware of. First, if you have a brand new vehicle we recommend that you run a short cycle of petroleum oil on a gas engine passenger car or light truck (typically 500 miles) and approximately 5000 miles on a diesel engine in such as a Ford Powerstroke or Dodge Cummins Turbo Diesel before installing AMSOIL. This doesn't mean that you can't install AMSOIL sooner, as many OEM's install synthetics as a factory fill, it simply means these are our recommendations based on our extensive engineering studies and knowledge of this topic. Today's modern engine manufacturing and materials technology is much more sophisticated than in years past. Regular gas engine passenger car and light truck engines do not require the extensive break in process many people think they do. In addition, by the time you get your new vehicle the engine has already been through a series of hot tests also run on in-plant chassis rolls testers to check functionality of all systems and then driven around the plant and railhead in order to get the vehicle to the dealer, which also helps accelerate breaking in of the engine.
The engine break-in issue is the subject of much controversy as everyone seems to have their opinion on when an engine is considered fully broken in. The information we provide is based on the results of engineering studies as well as many years of experience and teardown analysis on test vehicles. The differences between a vehicle that was properly and fully broken in and one that was not can often be hard to detect, yet there are tell-tale signs of this but they are not easily detected except in all but the most extreme situations. The subject of what occurs during the break-in process can easily be the subject of a 100 page report therefore what we cover in this website page is only the essential points you need to know. The break-in process we describe here is nothing compared to the extensive break-in process that race car engineers go through before an engine is ready to be converted to AMSOIL as well as racing in competition.
Breaking in an engine is a process of properly wearing-in the pistons/cylinders/rings, bearings, valves, camshaft, lifters, rockers, etc... In addition, part of the breaking in process is not only wearing-in and seating the internal engine components but also stress relieving the components as well. Crankshafts, connecting rods, pistons, blocks etc... have many stresses due to the casting or forging process, machining and welding process. We have viewed and measured these stresses, called fringes, using what is called lazer holography. These stresses are properly reduced/eliminated by costly and time consuming heat aging as well as shot peening and or high frequency vibration on a very specialized bedplate for an extended period of time. For production applications this is cost and time prohibitive. Therefore, the next best thing is exposing your engine to multiple heating and cooling cycles under various load and RPM's, which is described in the following paragraph. The heating and cooling break in process continues over a period of time and does not need to be run on petroleum oil.
Breaking in a new engine is the one area that petroleum oil is better for than synthetics. You see, petroleum oil has a very low film strength which is ideal for breaking in a new engine. That is why we recommend you run the factory installed petroleum oil for about the about the first 500 miles. Then drain the oil, remove the factory installed oil filter and then install AMSOIL Synthetic motor oil and an AMSOIL Super Duty oil filter and your ready to go.
Further heat cycling break-in will continue during the multiple heating and cooling cycles from driving your vehicle under varying RPM and engine load conditions and then shutting it down for a long period of time to let it cool completely. The multiple heating and cooling cycles are a extremely important factor in properly breaking in a new engine and are often an overlooked factor in the total break-in process. These heating and cooling cycles achieve what is called stress relieving. Back in the "old days" of engine manufacturing, after casting and before an engine block was machined, it would be set outside for several months to age, during which stress relieving occurred naturally, then the block was machined, which helped to produce a better engine than one that was machined immediately after casting.
By changing the factory installed oil and filter after the first 500 miles you will also be removing the initial wear-in particulates present in the oil and filter. The reason for this is that during initial wear-in there is very high particulate contamination in the oil. These particulates consist mainly of microscopic particles of aluminum, bronze, copper, lead and iron, plus soot particles and other by-products of combustion in your oil. Your filter cannot filter out all these small particulates as many are sub-micron size and too small for the filter to trap, BUT they are also small enough to fit between your bearing and other internal clearances and cause wear. That is why we recommend to that in order to properly break-in a new engine, regardless of what your new car salesman or dealership personnel tell you, is to perform the first oil and filter change at 500 miles. Then you can convert to AMSOIL Synthetic. On a diesel engine we recommend the initial filter and oil change at 500 miles, with another change around 3500 miles, then in the 5000 mile range you can convert to AMSOIL Synthetic.
06-12-2002, 06:03 AM
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Re breaking in
The G35 has the same basic great VQ 3.5 as we get in our 350Zs--- Page 5-13 of the G35 manual states the following re break-in:
1. break in period is 1,000 miles
2. avoid driving for long periods at any constant speed
3. don't accelerate at full throttle in any gear
4. avoid quick starts
5. avoid hard braking as much as possible.
Well.....items 3, 4 and 5 are going to take mucho disipline in the Z cars!
I intend to follow the above as much as possible, and then change the oil to Mobile 1 synthetic at 1,500 miles, and keep it on Mobile 1 after that.
1. break in period is 1,000 miles
2. avoid driving for long periods at any constant speed
3. don't accelerate at full throttle in any gear
4. avoid quick starts
5. avoid hard braking as much as possible.
Well.....items 3, 4 and 5 are going to take mucho disipline in the Z cars!
I intend to follow the above as much as possible, and then change the oil to Mobile 1 synthetic at 1,500 miles, and keep it on Mobile 1 after that.
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