Just curious what everyone thinks about breaking in a new engine and transmission? Are there any hard and fast NO-NO's? My friends tell me not to set the cruise and leave it and to vary my speed for the first 5000 miles. I don't really know anything else. I don't have an owner's manual yet - the dealer is ordering one for me so I don't know if there is anything about that or not. I have a hard time finding what I need in the online manual.

 

Drive it, just don’t let it idle a bunch. My truck came home and first thing I did was set a heavy tool bed on it , 2 days later hooked it up to a trailer. 275k miles and hasn’t blown up yet.

 

Drive it like you use it.

 

When I bought my 16, I looked into engine break-in techniques and used the ones that said to hammer it some and vary speeds for the first few hundred miles... I've got almost 116k miles now. Lots of guys change the oil way sooner on the factory fill to get rid of the break in material.. I put my Filter Mags on at 1155 miles... and the first oil change was at 4997 miles... YMMV.

Found an article for you to peruse...

https://www.thumpertalk.com/articles...-to-know-r707/


These article deals with motorcycle engines but has good info on things that would apply to our engines such as oil myths...

 

Thank you!! I will check it out.

 

Thanks. I was wondering about the towing aspect. I don't "have" to hook up til Feb. But I sort of wanted to do a test run with my big camper just to get a feel or the different dimensions. This long bed is very different from my other truck! Of course, I had to put a good extender on it to prevent breaking the back glass! It is NICE not to have to worry so much about that!

 

Thanks everyone for the advice and comments!! Actually good to know there is not any thing major to NOT do.. I've been mostly driving like I normally do other than setting the cruise and leaving it on the interstate. However, that adaptavie cruise that I did not think I would like is actually pretty nice. At first I hated it but they have adjustment that makes it a lot better. It varies the speed for me.

 

It's my understanding that most new vehicles come with "break-in" oil in the engine and you need to wait until the vehicle tells you to change the oil before doing the first oil change. Changing the oil too soon can have negative effects on the engine.

 

I actually prefer the digital owners manual. Rather than flipping through pages just click the page you want and go right to it. The breaking-in instructions in the 2024 manual are similar to what they have been for the previous generations. You can find it under the Driving Hints section. Any additional procedures would be up to you and whatever makes you comfortable.

 

Varying speeds during break-in should be done in short but gentle bursts so that oil will lube the cylinder walls. One reason to avoid towing is to give the gears in the drive train a chance to properly mate before heavy loads are placed on them.. If you want to test tow, then do it but be extremely conservative with the throttle. As you can see, there are all kinds of opinions and many that got away with abuse but you need to take care of your investment. Engines and drive trains are nothing more than metals that should be given a chance to wear in properly with no abuse. Break-in oil is simply the oil that was present during first use and will have high amounts of metals from the wearing in process, early changing can only be a good thing.

 

I have to believe that the 6.7 Powerstroke engines, the ones in every new truck that was bought here, including mine, had a process like this done to it:

from the aforementioned article:

"Engines off the showroom floor

If you’re dealing with a brand new bike off the showroom floor instead of an engine you just went through, there’s even less to worry about. That’s because the factories usually do the dead run on the cylinders during the assembly. Methods vary from one brand to another depending on how automated the process is, but almost all of them do it one way or another. Then when the machine reaches the end of the line, it gets started and checked over for any problems. The factory approach to addressing issues that turn up at this point also varies, but any bike that makes it to the dealer has been run long enough to skip the initial steps above and go right to the second phase; run it for about the first 10-15 minutes at up to about 60-75% of its capacity, then step it up for another 10 to 15. You want to avoid thrashing it right at first, but don’t “baby it” during the process, either. Shut it down, look it over, and if all looks well, call it done and have at it.

The truth is that the break in period has been reduced to a less than one hour experience by improvements in metallurgy and machining methods, improved engine oils, and proper assembly practices. The main keys to success are to put it together right, avoid either being too hard or too easy on it at first, use a good oil during the period, and do a complete oil change early."

So I'm thinking these same engines are run and broke in when we get them... it's the drive train that possibly requires break-in...

I bought the truck almost 7 years ago and recall researching some info on engine break in tips, but can't really recall exactly what I did... but I surely don't think it was abused.

 

This hasn't been true for decades. You should probably avoid a synthetic for the first few thousand miles. However, changing the factory fill and filter after the first 500-1000 miles is a good practice. The primary concern when breaking in an engine is getting the rings to seat properly against the cylinder walls. This requires high cylinder pressure and must occur early in the break-in period. Without it you will end up with an oil burner that does not make optimal power. The worst thing you can do is drive gently. You should vary the load and rpm continuously for the first few hundred miles. Full throttle acceleration is critical. I've broken in dozens of new engines of all types throughout my sixty years and have never had an underperforming oil burner.

Break In Secrets--How To Break In New Motorcycle and Car Engines For More Power

 

I did not know that! I would not think it would hurt to wait til the vehicle notifies you even if that wasn't the case but that is just my reasoning. Thanks for the tip.

 

What is considered high speeds? I had to take interstate to get home with it. I also wanted to test the oomph and had it to 90 very briefly. But am taking it easier on this one than I did my other one. It's hard to imagine that I paid more for this truck per month than any house I have ever bought. I'm nervous to keep it in good shape!
Edited to add: I would like the online manual better if a passenger were able to access it while going down the road. It is annoying the amount of control the vehicle wants and actually has.

 

That is one thing I have been doing - short and slow acceleration. Hmm.. on the oil. That makes sense too although I'm not sure why it would have metal in it. It seems like any would be bad.