in my new mach 1. debate on engine break-in has no doubt been beat to death not only in usenet but by shade-tree and expert mechanics alike. here's what i've adopted over the years, but have never had a performance engine like this. i just want to make sure that i'm not overlooking any really important issues that may apply to an engine like this and that's not too important in a four banger. here's what i usually do:
i've been told recently that the adage of keeping her under 55mph for the first 500 miles doesn't really matter any more. so while i might exceed
55mph for brief periods of time, i'm not getting crazy with her.at 500 miles. change the oil. a new engine, it is reckoned, might have small burrs of metal that are likely to dislodge and float around in your oil. this, it is argued, gets rid of it. i secretly wonder, though, if any `damage' is already done at 500 miles. nontheless, it's a ritual i have stuck with.
my engine calls for 20w50, and i would use a dino-based one.
then at 2,500 miles change the oil again, using the same dino-based 20w50.
at 5,000 miles, i switch to a full synthetic, usually Castrol Syntec -- although in this case, i will likely use Amsoil or one of the other high-performance full synthetics.
change the oil at 5,000 mile intervals.
sound reasonable?
PS - not trying to bring on a debate about dino-based oil vs. synthetic. sorry if this seems troll-ish; it's not meant to be :-)