gavin
06-25-2001, 04:00 PM
I keep seeing the same questions asked, and mostly answered incorrectly, so here you go. PRINT IT!!!
1) Break- in.
Any engine requires a break-in period for all the moving parts to mesh, and the seals to seat. This only occurs under the heat and friction of a running engine. An engine cannot be built that does not require break-in.
There is no magic number at which your engine is broken in. Every engine is different. The break-in period in your owners manual is a general guideline under which ALL engines that they make will be sufficiently broken in. Follow it.
2) First oil change.
You can, if you choose, change the oil at the end of the specified break-in period. It's good to get all of the break-in crap out of the system as soon as you can, but it's not necessary, that's why you have an oil filter.
3) ECU reset after break-in
Your ECU has look-up tables that are populated from sensor data. The ECU is constantly comparing current sensor data against the averaged look-up table to make non-permanent adjustments. Since a broken-in engine will perform significantly differently than a new engine, it's not a bad idea to reset your ECU and immediately populate it with new data. Again, this is not necessary, your ECU will adjust itself, over time. A reset will just speed the process along.
4) ECU reset after mods.
Again, the ECU will adjust itself, eventually, but you'll save yourself a few hundred miles of funky performance by resetting the ECU after any major engine mod.
5) Synthetic Lubricants.
There is no magic number for making the switch from dino to synthetic. The only caveat is that you need to wait until your engine is fully broken in. The first regularly scheduled oil change should be fine.
Synthetic oil does not cause leaks. It may expose existing leaks in poorly maintained engines by eliminating carbon deposits that are plugging leaks in the existing seals.
A properly maintained engine will have NO issues in switching from dino to synth, and back again.
1) Break- in.
Any engine requires a break-in period for all the moving parts to mesh, and the seals to seat. This only occurs under the heat and friction of a running engine. An engine cannot be built that does not require break-in.
There is no magic number at which your engine is broken in. Every engine is different. The break-in period in your owners manual is a general guideline under which ALL engines that they make will be sufficiently broken in. Follow it.
2) First oil change.
You can, if you choose, change the oil at the end of the specified break-in period. It's good to get all of the break-in crap out of the system as soon as you can, but it's not necessary, that's why you have an oil filter.
3) ECU reset after break-in
Your ECU has look-up tables that are populated from sensor data. The ECU is constantly comparing current sensor data against the averaged look-up table to make non-permanent adjustments. Since a broken-in engine will perform significantly differently than a new engine, it's not a bad idea to reset your ECU and immediately populate it with new data. Again, this is not necessary, your ECU will adjust itself, over time. A reset will just speed the process along.
4) ECU reset after mods.
Again, the ECU will adjust itself, eventually, but you'll save yourself a few hundred miles of funky performance by resetting the ECU after any major engine mod.
5) Synthetic Lubricants.
There is no magic number for making the switch from dino to synthetic. The only caveat is that you need to wait until your engine is fully broken in. The first regularly scheduled oil change should be fine.
Synthetic oil does not cause leaks. It may expose existing leaks in poorly maintained engines by eliminating carbon deposits that are plugging leaks in the existing seals.
A properly maintained engine will have NO issues in switching from dino to synth, and back again.