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When to go Wide Open Throttle ?

Ehhh, I know this is somewhat of a senseless question, but I always enjoy hearing opinions anyway. My new car has 1,000 miles on it. I have not yet pressed the pedal to the floor, nor have I taken the engine up past 3,500 rpm. I am anxious to eventually open the throttle wide, bring it up to

5,500 rpm or so, and see what this little GT can really do. Just wondering WHEN I should do this. Perhaps now that the engine has 1,000 miles on it and has a crankcase full of fresh oil, it is safe to go WOT. Or perhaps I should give the engine another 1,000 or 2,000 miles of typical driving before really getting on it. Of course if you talk to 10 different people, you'll get 10 different opinions on this subject... my guess is that most people will say "just floor the damn thing and have fun"... and this is probably good advise... I'd think that the engine should be pretty well "broken in" at this point... but I wonder if any good mechanics out there might feel that 1,000 miles is still a little early to put extreme stress on a new engine, rings, bearings, etc. Thanks.
Reply to
GT-Vert-03
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My feeling is better safe then sorry so I hold off till 5000 miles on my personal vehicles. However, on company vehicles I don't worry after the first 1000 miles and I've never had any engine problems with them.

----------------- Jim '88 LX 5.0 (now in car heaven) '89 LX 5.0 vert '99 GT 35th Anniversery Edition - Silver Mods to date - Relocated trunk release to drivers side, shortened throttle cable.

Reply to
AZGuy

b4 the warranty runs out :-)

Reply to
Mustang GT

Nah, when I got a new Ford 289 for my 67, the Ford boys said to never go faster than 60mph, never floor it, and drive at varying speeds...even if on the highway, drive 60, then 50, then 55, etc... Break-in period was about

1,000 miles. Damn tough engine. Great car.

Brad S

Reply to
Brad

1000 miles? Now, before it's too late. Heavens, *drive* the thing.

Brief periods of high-RPMs, increasingly spirited, until you're revving freely as you run the gears. Start now and finish over the next 100 miles.

I would have done this between 600 and 700 miles.

Go, baby. It's a car, not a priceless vase. What do you think you're driving, a Miata?

Dana

Reply to
Dana Myers

Go back in time and do it 500 miles ago. Seriously, do it. First time I did on my 2000 I was in 2nd gear about 2500rpms, and just rolled into it. Wow, very nice. These engines spin up quickly, but don't worry, there's a rev limiter in there.

FYI, I opened mine up for the first time at 500 miles. I have 80,000 now. The car doesn't use a drop of oil, and I change it every

4000-5000 miles / 6 months. (I don't drive it as much as I used to)

Vic

2kGT 5m blk suspension upgrades
Reply to
Victor DiMichina

One point I didn't make in my previous reply was that the 4.6 litre engine over the last 10 years has developed a reputation for longevity. Police cars, taxis, and limousines frequently have 300,000 - 400,000 miles on the engines before they're replaced. You won't hurt yours at all.

Vic

2kGT 5m blk suspension upgrades.
Reply to
Victor DiMichina

Reply to
Johnny K

Bahh! Do it NOW, Lord knows plenty of other people did when they test drove that car before you bought it....

Reply to
WindsorFox[SS]

I second that ;)

Reply to
John W

1,000 miles and it's about as broken in as it's going to get. Drive it like you stole it.
Reply to
.boB

I'd have opened it up 1,000 miles ago as I was leaving the dealership! Modern engines don't need a break-in period, but they do need to be shown who's in charge! :-)

Reply to
Mustang_66

snip

The point is, if it can't take it, find out BEFORE you buy it.

Reply to
Ron Hammon

I'm no expert or anything but WHEN should have BEEN.... I can't believe you didn't do this during the test drive....I always tried to break the car before I signed any papers why wait until you have to pay for damages....Have fun (isn't that why you bought it?)

Reply to
Sharon

Yeah!! I ALWAYS thrash a car before I BUY it!! NOT!!

Reply to
Steve Marshall

You might as well give it a run. I'm sure everyone who test drove it before you bought it already did !

Reply to
Chief Wiggum

My point is, I don't thrash the car I'm buying!!! They have a warranty that will cover something that breaks in the first few years. If you abuse it right from the start, that could create problems that will shorten the life of the vehicle down the road, where the warranty will NOT be in effect!

Steve

Reply to
Steve Marshall

Remove NO-SPAM from email address when replying

Reply to
Rein

There's a big difference between "getting on it" and running it at WOT. High piston speeds are not good during breakin but pressure loading of the rings, for short time periods, is.

----------------- Jim '88 LX 5.0 (now in car heaven) '89 LX 5.0 vert '99 GT 35th Anniversery Edition - Silver Mods to date - Relocated trunk release to drivers side, shortened throttle cable.

Reply to
AZGuy

on the first test drive!

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Reply to
orangespawn50

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