Engine Break-in / Maintenance

[Paolo]

I just got my focus about a month ago. I have not pushed the engine for the first little while and was wondering how long should i wait till the engine is fully broken in. Also, i have abour 3000 km's on the car, and i was told by someone that i should do an oil change, I did quite a bit of hwy driving this month, so would i really need an oil change? or can i wait till 5000 km? also, how high can i rev the car while it hasnt been broken in? i have been keeping the shifts arround 3k rpm, give or take a bit.

[reddog]

Changing the oil,is up to you.You can't,overchange oil,if it makes you feel better,do it(i did) Let that little puppy rev up, once aday.

[tribalfocus2001]

there is no "break in" period for the focus... you may accually be doing harm by only letting your car get to like 3 grand.. it needs driven harder,, or it wont perform when you need it to..

[WhistlerZX3]

Paolo - if you look in the maintenance guide, it actually says 5000 MILES (not km)! My dealer told me to get the oil changed at 5000km, but really these new engines shouldn't need it changing that often. If you can do it yourself, feel free to change it whenever, but keep all the oil receipts so that you can show your dealer you maintained the car (you have to stick to the schedule because of the warrantee).

[Paolo]

I checked with the dealer yesterday, and i got an oil change done. They told me its always better to get oil changes done on the recommended interval or even before it. Especially if you plan on keeping the car for a long time , and I do plan on keeping my Focus for a long time. I also found out that the engine break in isnt really necessary. I have pushed the engine in the first month when i've got, and i'd have to admit, this is engine is good. I'm so satisfied with this car.

[Gregersonsalvage]

do they really check your reciepts. I just figure as long as they can't find any deposited inside the engine I would be good I pulled my head off at 55k and low and behold there was'nt a single deposit anywhere. I doubt ford could prove at any time that I did'nt change the oil for an extended period of time. I take the reasonable person standard.

[Shogun]

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Gregersonsalvage:
do they really check your reciepts. I just figure as long as they can't find any deposited inside the engine I would be good I pulled my head off at 55k and low and behold there was'nt a single deposit anywhere. I doubt ford could prove at any time that I did'nt change the oil for an extended period of time. I take the reasonable person standard.<hr></blockquote>

Unfortunately we are dealing with Ford dealers, and they are generally by no means "reasonable." They'll find any excuse they can to dishonor your warranty!

[noresull]

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Shogun:


Unfortunately we are dealing with Ford dealers, and they are generally by no means "reasonable." They'll find any excuse they can to dishonor your warranty!<hr></blockquote>

Make sure You say some dealers not all. I have worked at 5 different dealers in 3 different states, and all of them didn't mind working on modded cars.

[nightdoggy]

Here's what has worked for me regarding break-in. I swear by it because of the results I've had. I've had 6 new cars since 1984. With every one I changed the oil and filter the first day I owned them, even when there was only 23 miles on the odometer, as was the case with my Focus. Some will say this is totally unnecessary, however, why did/have none of these cars gone on to not burn a drop of oil between changes at 3,000? I'm talking the oil still being on the full line at 3,000 miles. All of my familys' and friends' cars use a quart or two during this time. This has never happened to me. And I'm one of the few that got TWELVE years out of an original Dodge 600ES 2.2 Turbocharger and motor. Yes, one of the most notoriously bad setups ever and it never burned a drop. And 168,000 out of my original Saab turbo. I think there is a lot of fine metal in that initial oil. After that I change it again at 1,000 and then every 3,000 thereafter. You can criticize me, but the results speak for themselves. As for driving during break in, I go easy on them, that's all. No upper 1/3 on the tach, steady acceleration, coasting down to go easy on the brakes, no prolonged steady speeds, etc.

[b_derksen]

They won't ask to see your receipts unless you have internal engine problems which appear to be caused by a lack of maintenance. Eg. you have a noisy top end, they take the valve cover off and have to chisel away at the buildup to see the head bolts. Toyota was asking for receipts to prove regular maintenance on their Sienna vans that had sludge problems...until they finally accepted the fact it was a design flaw. I know of a case on an F250 7.3 where the oil was changed every 20,000 km or so and when the engine went, they had to take a hammer and chisel to the buildup just to find the head bolts.
Brian

[OmniFocus]

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by nightdoggy:
And I'm one of the few that got TWELVE years out of an original Dodge 600ES 2.2 Turbocharger and motor. Yes, one of the most notoriously bad setups ever and it never burned a drop.<hr></blockquote>

Not to change the subject, but....

Actually there are a ton of us that have had that type of reliability. The 2.2L T is near bulletproof. The people that leave them for dead with a mere headgasket leak supply the enthusiasts with performance parts. [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]