I have 550 miles on my XB and after reading the dyno shootout I want to add an Injen cold airflow system to my XB. I just do not know how long I should let the engine break in if any before I add any after market parts to my engine. Any thoughts would be helpfull.

P.S I have the extended warrenty from the dealership, do you think the Ingen airflow system might void the warrenty?

Deputy Dawg. San Diego

 

I've heard 1,000 miles is the break in.

 

Don't worry about the warranty voiding subject because you could always swap back your stock airbox. Most dealerships don't really care but just in case you should do it.

As for break-in, it's usually anywhere in between 600 -1000 miles with non constant speed and no high rpms...as tempting as it may be. After that time I would suggest you change your oil and then you should be good to romp on your motor.

By the way I'm glad that you found the shoot out useful.

 

the owners manual says 1000 miles... i waited 1000 before i started playin with the motor..

 

this is one of those things that is kind of unknown... I've heard to let it sit nice a pretty w/o racing it for the first 1k miles (which for me was the first week) but some have a contrarian point of view:

http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm

give it a read, but YMMV (your mileage may vary)

 

could it be true??

 

yeah it is true! His site is really good. I broke in My Mach 1 that way and It's made more the average power. He is 100% right in his theory and logic. Look at a motor and the way the rings seat against the cylinder walls. makes sense! I've confirmed with a number of engine builders and engineers and they ALL agree. You think nascar or ANY other racing team puts 1000 miles on their cars before a race??? The only break in needed is a 100 or so to allow the gears in the tranny and diff to mesh together. Other then that, drive it like you stole it!

 

According to MotoMan's break-in technique you have already passed the break in period:

Quote:

Originally Posted by MotoMan's break-in FAQ

There's a very small window of opportunity to get the rings to seal really well ... the first 20 miles !!

Probably only going to have 15-18 miles left since most Scion's have 2-5 miles on the odometer from the dealer.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MotoMan's break-in FAQ

The main thing is to load the engine by opening the throttle hard in 2nd, 3rd and 4th gear. Realistically, you won't be able to do full throttle runs even in 2nd gear on most bikes without exceeding 65 mph / 104 kph. The best method is to alternate between short bursts of hard acceleration and deceleration. You don't have to go over 65 mph / 104 kph to properly load the rings.

So, to open the throttle means to floor it in each gear. For an automatic vehicle I find this is going to be difficult. When the throttle is opened on an automatic the motor will downshift to the previous gear. This mean to open in 2nd I must get into 3rd and then open up so the down shift is back into 2nd like recommended? Then I could slow down to lower speeds for a minute or so and then take the vehicle up to fourth gear and then floor it once again. This would be 3rd gear. 4th gear break in may not be possible unless you can get on a highway and accelerate just enough to keep the tranny from going back to 3rd gear.

Any thoughts on this? I have a 198 highway drive back home from the dealership tommorrow when I get my xB. According to mapquest there is 4 miles of city roads from the dealership back to the interstate I take home. I will probably do this on the highway. I'll avoid the rush hour traddic (3pm) and use the hazards as well.

 

For what it is worth, here is TRD's opinion:

"The following is part of the Formula Atlantic Motor kit instructions, from TRD:

To ensure long life and reliability you must properly break in your freshly assembled engine.

For a high performance street motor fill the engine with a good grade 20W-50 Mineral based oil. Fill the oil filter with oil before installing it. Remove the spark plugs and crank the engine until the oil pressure comes up on the gauge.

Re-install the spark plugs. Now you are ready to start her up. Start the engine and bring it immediately to 2,000 rpm. Vary the engine speed between 2,000 – 3,000 rpm for about 30 minutes. After 30 minutes stop the engine, check the valve lash and re-torque the head bolts. Drain the oil and change the filter. Re-fill the engine with 20W-50 Mineral based oil.

Drive the car slowly for about 500 miles keeping the rpm under 4,000. Don’t lug the engine either because that’s worse for the motor than over revving it. After 500 miles change the oil and filter again. You can now use a synthetic oil if you want to. Use a 20W-50 oil and change it every 3,000 miles. Your engine is now broken in."


http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/7177/trdbreakin.html