Motor break in time,2005 sti

I just got my 05 sti rebuilt and the guys said to do an oil change at 500miles then the next 500miles(1000) do another oil change, then another 2500miles(3500) do another oil change then you're done...Does it seriously take that long to break in a new motor? Or are they just afraid ill blow my motor and come back to them as warranty.??? Plz help thnx

I dont have experienced but i have looked at a lot of threads and info on this. Theres people that say to do once at 1k and again at 3k then normal. Some say every 100 miles till 1k. Some say every 200..... Ect ect ect.

Wait for the other members to give their inputs. We have some very knowledgable people on here and am curious to see what they say on the subject as well. :tup:

You can do the 500/500 to be cautious. Personally, the 1000 and then 3k thereafter is what I do unless I have a built racing engine and then I'll go with shorter intervals.

However, they built the motor and this is what they recommend you do so go with what they said in order to avoid any flak.

Spamby said:

You can do the 500/500 to be cautious. Personally, the 1000 and then 3k thereafter is what I do unless I have a built racing engine and then I'll go with shorter intervals.

However, they built the motor and this is what they recommend you do so go with what they said in order to avoid any flak.

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What about rev limitations?

You want to change your oil after the first 100 miles. This is because, with in that time, most of the deburring has occurred and you want to change your oil as to eliminate and metal contaminants and to flush out any assembly fluids. The remainder of the brake in, from 100 to 1000 miles, is meant to seat the rings and heat cycle the head gaskets. So it is not necessary to change the oil any more until 1000 miles. You should be using a conventional oil and for a built motor that is usually 10W40. Many builders recommend Shell Rotella T. Do not use synthetics oils at all until you have reached 3000 miles.

You should also vary your speed often and try not to exceed 4000 rpm or go WOT. That is a sure fire way to lose any implied warranty.

SeanZ said:

I just got my 05 sti rebuilt and the guys said to do an oil change at 500miles then the next 500miles(1000) do another oil change, then another 2500miles(3500) do another oil change then you're done...Does it seriously take that long to break in a new motor? Or are they just afraid ill blow my motor and come back to them as warranty.??? Plz help thnx

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What was the block built to for the rebuild?
Example like forged internals etc...

It all depends what is not stock.

I had manley drop in pistons, with a brand new short block, and re-used my heads.

When the motor was first put in the car, it ran for an hour on idle, oil changed
then dyno'd for a break in (low boost), oil changed

picked up the car with 25 miles on the new motor. drove around nyc burned a half a quart. (normal for brand new break in procedure)
added what was needed

I changed my oil at 500, then another 500 (1000mi)
my builder said @ 1000 miles, the car is done breaking in, and perform an oil change.

that was my time to think and switch oils

Then another 500 miles (1500) i changed it again, but switched to full synthetic.

@ holy, it honestly depends on the builder, there are many different ways to break in, aggressive or not.

Id listen to your builder who installed the motor and tuned it... because there are so many factors of the build that would change how you break in your motor.

STIMULA8 said:

What was the block built to for the rebuild?
Example like forged internals etc...

It all depends what is not stock.

I had manley drop in pistons, with a brand new short block, and re-used my heads.

When the motor was first put in the car, it ran for an hour on idle, oil changed
then dyno'd for a break in (low boost), oil changed

picked up the car with 25 miles on the new motor. drove around nyc burned a half a quart. (normal for brand new break in procedure)
added what was needed

I changed my oil at 500, then another 500 (1000mi)
my builder said @ 1000 miles, the car is done breaking in, and perform an oil change.

that was my time to think and switch oils

Then another 500 miles (1500) i changed it again, but switched to full synthetic.

@ holy, it honestly depends on the builder, there are many different ways to break in, aggressive or not.

Id listen to your builder who installed the motor and tuned it... because there are so many factors of the build that would change how you break in your motor.

Click to expand...

Well there is what the uninformed builders use as a break in procedure and then there is the procedure that engineers and old school experts use. I am on the side of the engineer and old school train of thought (mostly because I am an engineer). From an engineering stand point there are several things that must occur during a break in and that can only happen in time and under certain conditions. Any other procedures may compromise the longevity of the motor. In all honesty only years of experience will prove this which is why I listen only to the experience of my machinist/builder and my mechanic and they both concur. This train of thought also concurs with my training as an engineer.

What must occur for a proper break in is you must properly debur/polish the bearings and journals and it must be a gentle process which is why they suggest 100 miles and of gentle driving and then normal driving up to 1000 miles. If you break in your engine on the dyno you introduce excessive heat into the bearings and to soon to allow the bearing surfaces to polish properly. I have witnessed this myself were the bearing surfaces were slightly galled after a Dyno break in.

The other thing that must occur is the head gaskets and other seals and gaskets must heat cycle and be given time to seat and adhere. If you are going into boost you risk compromising the head gasket seal and may experience problems in the future.

I'm not trying to be argumentative but I just believe what I know and I know what I believe.

HolyCrapItsFast said:

Well there is what the uninformed builders use as a break in procedure and then there is the procedure that engineers and old school experts use. I am on the side of the engineer and old school train of thought (mostly because I am an engineer). From an engineering stand point there are several things that must occur during a break in and that can only happen in time and under certain conditions. Any other procedures may compromise the longevity of the motor. In all honesty only years of experience will prove this which is why I listen only to the experience of my machinist/builder and my mechanic and they both concur. This train of thought also concurs with my training as an engineer.

What must occur for a proper break in is you must properly debur/polish the bearings and journals and it must be a gentle process which is why they suggest 100 miles and of gentle driving and then normal driving up to 1000 miles. If you break in your engine on the dyno you introduce excessive heat into the bearings and to soon to allow the bearing surfaces to polish properly. I have witnessed this myself were the bearing surfaces were slightly galled after a Dyno break in.

The other thing that must occur is the head gaskets and other seals and gaskets must heat cycle and be given time to seat and adhere. If you are going into boost you risk compromising the head gasket seal and may experience problems in the future.

I'm not trying to be argumentative but I just believe what I know and I know what I believe.

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Not trying to argue but my motor was broken in properly. It was built, installed, oil changed after first 100 miles, and all while doing so on the rollers, it was "putting" on the dyno, until it was safe to dyno for low boost (17psi) and on a sti block with forged pistons is nothing. This is my shops "de-burring process"

Then the oil was changed again, it only had 25 miles on the build, meaning driving miles, around the parking lots near the shop. so technically it had 125 miles on it, but the first 100 is for what you said to remove any burred metal flakes.

After that I drove around NYC for 50 miles and burned half a quart, which I thought was weird, but i called and asked my shop and he said its normal for brand new blocks, and also because of the larger tolerances of the forged pistons, that being said, break in for a stock motor and a built motor are two totally different things...also i might add aggressive break in (dyno break in) is not at all harming a built motor in any way, it is squaring out the rings to seat the cylinders for optimal compression. People are told to downshift to engine brake to induce compression on their motors to seat the rings, gaskets, seals, etc. This is done for a short period of time and several oil changes.

After that it never burned a drop. Oil changed every 500 miles till 1500 total miles to be safe, and I switched to full synthetic at that time.

Not at ALL trying to argue buddy, what I know I'm saying is right too, even though I am not an engineer. :tup:
All is well!