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Gladiator Engine Break-in?

rnovia80

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just picked up my new Rubi Gladiator. whats the break-in procedure? The dealer said there was no break-in but im sure he has no clue what he is talking about.
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Mr._Bill

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Actually he probably does. I don't have my owner's manual nearby but I don't recall any specific break in procedure.

Oops! I stand corrected. Thanks Mr._Bill. There is one. Page 287 in the manual.

What I do with a new vehicle is drive it normally with varying speeds and loads. Don't flog it.
Probably not needed but I'm old school so I also like to change the oil at around 1,000 miles then again at 5,000 miles. My normal oil change interval is every 5,000 miles after that. This has always worked well for me.
 

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Page 156 in manual. Drive moderately first 300 miles. After 60 miles, speeds up to 50 to 55 are desirable. Brief full-throttle acceleration while cruising.
 

spectre6000

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The dealer said, "(insert literally anything a dealer says here)", but I'm sure he has no clue what he is talking about.
Always.

Echo the manual quote.

Seriously though, the care taken in the first 1,000 miles dictates how much trouble you have in the last 100,000 miles. The most common thing I've seen from improperly broken in engines is oil consumption. Do it right, and you don't burn a drop. "Drive it normally" right off the lot, and you'll more likely than not suck down a quart or more between oil changes. Some people escape this fate, and then claim survivors' bias. Proper break in is worth the time in the first few hundred to do it right. Aluminum blocks are even worse.
 

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MonkeySkunks

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I've been wondering about this myself and the manual does it's best to not give a real answer.

What would be considered "drive moderately"? Max 55 with no hard acceleration? That's going to really suck on the interstate.

for Miles 1-60mph what would they recommend? Lower than 50 is my interpretation. 35MPH for the 1st 60 miles? Putting around for 2 hours at 35 MPH is going to piss everyone off.

I'll have a 9 hour drive to bring mine home when it's ready. That might be an 18hr drive depending on break-in...
 

dcmdon

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I've been wondering about this myself and the manual does it's best to not give a real answer.

What would be considered "drive moderately"? Max 55 with no hard acceleration? That's going to really suck on the interstate.

for Miles 1-60mph what would they recommend? Lower than 50 is my interpretation. 35MPH for the 1st 60 miles? Putting around for 2 hours at 35 MPH is going to piss everyone off.

I'll have a 9 hour drive to bring mine home when it's ready. That might be an 18hr drive depending on break-in...
Constant speed with light to moderate load is about the worst thing. i.e. a long highway drive. You want to vary load and engine speed. Brief spurts of full throttle are generally recommended by independent engine builders though I'm sure for liability reasons manufacturers don't recommend that.

The goal is to let everything seat in without prolonged high load that can cause heat build up.

Back when I roadraced motorcycles a guy named Kevin Cameron was one of the best tuners in the business. His point ws that an easy lap around a roadracing course was just about the perfect break in. Brief full throttle runs followed by coasting and braking, then back on the throttle but don't run it to redline.
 

Chestnut

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The manual seems kind of conflicting.
"Drive moderately during the first 300miles (500km). After the initial 60miles (100km), speeds up to 50 or 55mph (80 or 90km/h) are desirable.

While cruising, brief full-throttle acceleration within the limits of local traffic laws contributes to a good break-in. Wide-open throttle acceleration in low gear can be detrimental and should be avoided."

I followed both. Basically i drove with out cruise for the first 1k miles. I didn't do WOT in 1st but accelerating in 2nd and 3rd I'd give some full throttle through the 2,000-3,000 rpm range. I'd say you'll be fine as long as you don't try and drag race someone from a stop light or take it rock crawling and hold the engine at 5,500 rpm for 3 minutes.

I drove it like i was running errands on a Sunday.
 

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There's a lot of debate about engine break-in. I think most of the advice we hear applied to engines back in the 1950s. Like the 3,000 mile oil change, following that advice won't hurt anything, but it's really not necessary.

The reality is if there really was a critical break-in procedure, the manufacture would require it to preserver the warranty. When the engines are built, they are started and flogged at multiple RPMs at the end of the assembly line. Technicians make sure there is adequate oil pressure, that all cylinders are firing, etc. Likely that procedure is enough to initially seat the rings and call it good. Over the next few thousand miles, the rings will seat a little more. Machine tolerances are pretty tight here in the computer-controlled laser era.

I rebuilt the 351 Cleveland in my '70 Mustang several years ago. The instructions on the ring pack said to accelerate to a specific speed and decelerate a few times and that was it.
 

MonkeySkunks

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I guess my plan is to cruise around town for a half hour or so then just drive home varying speed with some WOT every now and then. That should be easy enough considering how erratic everyone else is on the interstate.

I suspect that if it was a really critical necessity they would fully break it in at the factory to improve their long term reliability ratings. Us discussing break-in or even having read a single page of the manual is way more than most owners of any vehicle ever do.
 

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MonkeySkunks

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Hmm, the Natchez Trace is pretty much the road to bring it home if I don't do the interstate. Might be a nice drive and only 2 hrs longer than the interstate.
 

KX L

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Hmm, the Natchez Trace is pretty much the road to bring it home if I don't do the interstate. Might be a nice drive and only 2 hrs longer than the interstate.
That's the right answer right there :).

When I pick mine up from Tri-City NC [if the '22 orders ever open and if they build the damn thing] my intent is to spend 4-7 days driving around the area to ensure break in and no issues. Then I'll drive the backroads and visit friends on my way back to Missouri.
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