I know this horse has been beaten to death in the past.....but can someone tell me the best way to break in a new cummins....

 

load it up and hit the road .I had 300 miles on mine before loading up the toy hauler full and the bed full of wood and no problems at all

 

Recommended to wait for 500 miles but not to break in the motor but to break in the rear diff so it sets just right. Then load it up and drive it like you stole it.

 

We a really are not kidding whe we all say wait 500 then tow heavy with it. I had about 12000 kms on my truck when we left for a trip from Vancouver to Toronto for the Mark Ecko car show last summer. It was a total round trip of approx 10 000 kms by the time we were home and my truck ran way better. Im at about 40 000 kms now and it is running great. I beat that thing daily and it loves it.

 

What everyone else said, after 500 TOW something and if you cant tow then dont baby it, drive it pretty hard for periods of time.

 

mine i have driven hard from the first time it was at operating temps...

 

Thanks for the reply....I email Cummins and they replied with the following...

A new vehicle such as the diesel powered Dodge Ram can have smoke or oil coming out of the exhaust, which is normal for a new diesel engine. A new diesel engine must operate for a period of time to wear-in the piston rings to the cylinder walls. During the wear-in process, the diesel engine can emit smoke and oil out the exhaust, as well as have excessive crankcase pressure, emit from the blowby (crankcase breather) tube.

The amount of time involved for the piston rings to seat will vary depending on how the truck is used during the break-in time frame. A truck that is worked hard, after the initial few hundred miles, will usually break-in quicker and better than one that is driven like a passenger car. Diesel engines need cylinder temperature to operate efficiently and light loading or no loading does not promote enough heat to avoid oil slobber out the exhaust and crankcase breather.

Here is what we have shared with others about engine break-in:

What is the recommended break-in procedure for my new Cummins engine?

Cummins does not publish a specific time or mileage threshold that provides when an engine is considered to be broken-in since our engines are used in such a variety of applications and purposes. Here are some general guidelines to consider when breaking-in your new engine:

INTIAL BREAK-IN PERIOD = 1000 miles or less. During this period, the piston rings may not have had a chance to seat yet, which allows cylinder pressure to pass by the rings into the crankcase, causing blowby. After the initial break-in period, the engine will need to be worked to create high enough cylinder temperature to seal the piston rings, which helps prevent blowby.

Vary the engine speed so the entire vehicle, as well as the engine, becomes accustomed to varying speeds, loads, rpm, etc..

For on-highway, automotive applications, operate the engine at 1500 to 1800 rpm in high gear for the first 80 to 160 kilometers (50 to 100 miles). However, DO NOT idle the engine for more than five (5) minutes at any one time during the first 160 kilometers (100 miles).

For off-highway, non-automotive applications, operate the engine at 75% throttle while loaded during the first three (3) hours. Again, DO NOT idle the engine for more than five (5) minutes at any one time. Also, DO NOT operate the engine at rated speed (rpm) and full load for more than five (5) minutes at any one time.

MID BREAK-IN PERIOD. After the first 1000 miles, the engine is ready to be worked, which will help seat the piston rings to avoid blowby and avoid carbon buildup to avoid fuel slobber because of light load operation. If possible, drive in hilly or mountainous areas OR load the truck with 700 - 800 lbs OR pull an empty trailer (tandem car-hauler type)*.

*NOTE: If you use a small single axle trailer, some load on the trailer is recommended.

Certainly everything with a new truck will 'loosen up' after 40 or 50k miles, including the engine, wheel bearings, brakes, etc. etc. We doubt that the engine torque or power will increase much, however. With light loading, the engine can take as high as 30,000 miles to be considered 'broken in'.

When the bearings, brakes, engine, etc. do 'wear in', the truck may seem to perform better, just because you will have less resistance from all these new components. The amount of fuel consumed by the engine may improve slightly after the break-in period, however, there are many other variables involved with the vehicle chassis that will affect MPG, more than the engine.

We thank you for your interest in Cummins products. Please let us know if you need assistance in locating the nearest Cummins-authorized Dealer or Distributor Service Provider. For assistance in locating a Service Provider, feel free to use Cummins North America Dealer Locator, which can be found on Cummins website:
http://www.cummins.com/service_locator/index.cfm

 

times eleventybillion: Once that ring and pinion is set (500 miles), drive that biotch like you stole it. Hook up a trailer. Haul it around. Drive up some mountains. MOVE some mountains. But USE THAT ENGINE. I know every time I tow with mine it feels better afterwards

 

I've had a number of CTD's. The best running truck was the one I carefully broke in the gears and brakes for the first 300 miles, then hooked up my friend's heavy trailer and towed it all over the place, especially up steep grades running hard. Fuel economy and power almost immediately improved.

I purchased my current 04.5 used with 24,000 miles on it, but it was used to tow a 10,000-lb. trailer from 500 miles on. It runs great!

Load that thing up and go!