bullet1123

I have allready done the search thing regarding break in periods, however my situation is a little different...
Next week Honda is putting a new engine in my03...This is not a rebuild but instead an actual brand new engine (both block and head)....the dealer informed me that the engine will not have the typical "break in oil" that is used at the factory....I was planning on using an additive called Mr.Moly (this is supposed to be the same chemical hoda adds at the factory to aid in the break in....The engine will also have all my existing mods on it the first time it is ever started (AEM V2 CAI, Hondata gasket, mugen thermo and fan switch, Toda Header, and spugen dual exhaust) as well as 4.57 gear in the diff........I have been told that its good to break a new engine in with its intended mods allready complete, as opossed to adding them slowly one at a time??????

I asked the mechanics at honda about the break in period and they said there was none...they said the engine is broken in by honda before they ship it out, and I should drive the car the way I intend to drive it from the day I get it.....this conflicts with everything ive found on this site regarding break ins....???

I broke in my original engine by simply taking it easy and trying not to get on it too much until around 500 miles, then I changed the oil and went synthetic at 2000 miles.....

some people have said to break it in easy and proggresivly, and others have said to get on it from the beggining....?????? what do you guys think? since this is a brand new engine (no test drives ect.) I want to do things right!!!!!!!

CoralDoc

You are going to get a wide variety of recommendations ranging from the conventional gentle break-in to the alternative "drive it like you stole it" admonition. You know what I think , but I'll reiterate it here.

Break in gently if you want to maximize engine life. Break in aggressively if you want higher output sooner, but at the risk of a shorter engine life. I have broken in both of my cars by driving very gently for the first 600 miles (no VTEC and no acceleration beyond 3/4 throttle) and varying engine speeds and load. I then followed this with slight increases in acceleration rate and maximum engine RPM over the next 400 miles until I redlined the car for the first time at around 1k miles. I decided on this procedure after reading about the various alternatives and reading some interesting engineering reviews that debunked the "drive it hard" method of break-in.

I'd have the engine installed with the aftermarket parts simply because some will be easier to do with the engine out of the car than to add them later. The presence of the parts will not have an appreciable effect on your break-in; the way you choose to break-in the engine is the most important factor.

I'm sceptical about the suggestion that all Honda motors are broken in at the factory. Aren't you getting a long block and head? If I understand it correctly, the head is shipped seperately and unassembled, so I wonder how Honda could have broken in the long block with no head on it!

wortham

ya know, there are some knowledgable S mechanics, and then others who are morons who THINK they know what they're talking about. i always put them into the latter category til they prove themselves otherwise. but i always default to the wisdom of some of our board members before i'll believe what the mechanic is telling me.

as far as break in, i would assume it's just as with any new engine. take it easy for the first 600 miles as the manual states.

having said that, however, i'm on the side of the debate that believes you should break it in aggressively. i did my old Si, my bike, and my S, and all of them run beautifully.

honda606

Why did you have a new engine put in?

bullet1123

I agree with you Josh....I said the same thing to Neil and he said they hook a machine up to it that turns the engine or something???

The last one is no longer with us

Dezoris

This about sums it up,

Its recommended to run the additive for 3000-6000 miles to break in a fresh motor, after that the additive does nothing.

There is enough info in here on how to drive to break in the motor.

Dezoris

Also I should have given a brief explanation on it.

It is used to help cure and harden the steel inside the engine, during the running in process. It is for longevity. If you are not sure of if the motor was rebuilt or how many miles it has adding a can will not hurt regardless.

NNY S2k

If it was mine I'd be breaking it in easy for about 500 miles.

xviper

Ask yourself this:
If you were in the market for a used S2000 and you had the knowledge that there are two for sale, both the same year and both the same mileage. However, you also have been told that one was broken in as per the owner's manual (case 1) and the other was taken out of the dealer's parking lot while doing a redline 1 - 2 shift (case 2). Furthermore, it wouldn't take much intelligence to see that in case 1, the owner most likely cared about the car and throughout his ownership, he tried his best to "go by the book", not abuse the car to excess and generally was concerned about the car's health and maintenance. In case 2, there is a distinct probability that the owner "drove it like he stole it" the car's whole life, possibly bounced off the rev limiter repeatedly and maybe even did a bad downshift once or twice (with GUSTO), most likely ALL in the FIRST 1000 MILES!
WHICH ONE WOULD YOU BUY?

slipstream444

Everyone who mentioned the 'take it easy' approach to the initial 500-600 miles are correct.

That initial 500-600 mile period is critical in order to let seals, bearings, rings etc. seat and work as a unit.

I slowly worked my engine up in the RPM range (keeping it completely out of Vtech until the 600 mile mark) until my car saw its first redline around the 750 mile mark.
I then continued to work the engine into the high RPM range during the 800-1200 mile range (a lot of Vtech). It was a gradual introduction with the frequency of High RPM driving increasing until my car was experiencing the Redline frequently at ~1200 miles.

There is a lot of conjecture about the break in period that the book recommends. Mainly, because it's a generic recommendation that Honda puts in the owners manual of every model it sells. Additionally, I received the same "please don't change the oil until at least 3500 miles ..." statement from the dealership when I drove both my '03 Civic and S2000 off the lot.

Hondas' recommendations are based on the average driving habits of Billy Bad *ss and Darlin' Dainty Sue Drive Slow, and does not take into consideration the design purpose of the car. It's a 'safe' recommendation that won't get Honda sued and will allow most Hondas to make it out of their initial warranty period with a low failure rate. However, it's probably not the break-in process that will ensure the longest life based on YOUR driving habits.

For example (this is how I do it - it's worked for me for several cars I've owned based on my driving habits - it may not be suitable for your driving habits, so use at your own risk):
After the initial break-in period outlined above, I changed oil in my S2000 at ~1200 miles to synthetic (Amsoil). This mileage was based on my particular driving habits and my own personal experience.
I drive my cars very hard during the 'second phase' of their break-in period (~800-1200 Mi).
The 'drive it like you stole it' basically continues (toned down a little) after the first oil change until my odometer reads somewhere between 2500-3000 miles. At that point I change oil again and begin driving the car more reasonably.
I consider the initial two oil changes as 'cleaning' oil changes where any initial slurry of wear metal or slag gets flushed out. Additionally, you really won't get the full benefit of the synthetic oil until around the third change due to the fact there is always a little oil left in the engine that gets mixed in with the new. Therefore you mix in 5+ qts of the good stuff with ~0.5 qts of what's left over in the engine.

Keep in mind manufacturers' mileage recommendations do NOT take into account 'dynamic' driving conditions and use a static average RPM per mile (~3000 RPM per mile).
If your car sees a higher average RPM per mile over the break-in period (or any time during it's life for that matter), any reasonable person can do the math and see that you are essentially putting a much higher 'equivalent' milage on the drivetrain components that operate at crank speed. The RPM/mile that my car saw over the 1200 miles shown on the odometer gave it an 'equivalent' mileage closer to 2500 miles. Then you have to consider the increased wear associated with the higher operating temps and all the other affects that are associated with more severe operating conditions and then make an educated approximation of the change interval you're going to choose for your break-in.
You're the best gauge of the conditions your car experiences and to be sure, the conditions it sees are not experienced in a laboratory with all of the variables controlled. Therefore, you should look at all the conditions your car experiences (the punishment you give her) and adjust your break-in and corresponding oil change intervals accordingly.
Nevertheless, I would stick with the 5500 RPM (no Vtech buffer) limitation until you've passed the 600 mile mark.

Good luck and enjoy!