Good morning everyone:

So I am finally doing it. I sold the old Ford Powerstroke and this weekend I am going to St. Louis to pick up my brand new truck.

The big question is I am taking it right from the dealer's lot and then driving around town for a day. The next day I drive all the way home, about 300 miles.

What do I need to know, for real, about break in????? The truck has a 6 speed, diesel, 3.73 rear.

Please only answer if you are 100% sure of what need to be done or RPMs I should not exceed etc. I baby my vehicles and this is the first and last new truck I will ever buy so I want to make sure break in is perfect!!!

Also how early is "too early" to add on a dual bypass oil system and change to Synthetic oil? I figure i will change out the oil around 500-1000k miles, depending on what the owners manual says, and most likely would like to start using 5w-40 synthetic and a bypass system....

Good advice and reasoning is needed.... THANKS!

 

Johnny V....I'll comment on the synthetic oil first. I think 500-1000 miles is too early to change over to synthetic.

"Cummins recommends that you not use synthetic motor oil during the break-in period of 5000-20,000 miles, based on the type of driving, to allow proper seating of the piston rings. Beyond that mileage it is OK to use synthetic oil."

That is a quote from the cummins website.


There was a post on here regarding engine break-in. It was an email sent to a customer directly from cummins. Search around and you should find it. I'll look also and send it to you if I find it.

Hope this helps.

 

Thought you might be interested...

I emailed Cummins about breakin and they sent me the following response. I figure the builder of the engine is the best one to listen to when it comes to breakin!


Summary: Ram engine break-in

Solution:
Thanks for your Email message.

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

This site can be found on the "Service Locator" link, at Cummins North America website:
http://www.cummins.com/na/pages/en/index.cfm

For service locations and Cummins Regional Offices, outside North America, you may select the region of the world in which you have an interest, by using the following Cummins website and click on the "view distributor network" button:
<http://www.cummins.com/index.cfm?changecountry=true>

Please let us know if you have other questions and if away from your computer or have a time-critical request that needs more urgent attention, feel free to call us toll-free (from North America) at 1-800-DIESELS (343-7357). Customers may also call Cummins switchboard 1-812-377-5000 (worldwide toll call) and ask for the 800-DIESELS Call Center for assistance.