the perfect ecodiesel break in protocol. ?

[TheSolarWizard]

Is there such a thing?
Someone on the JL side went so far as renting a dyno and spending three hours going up to 100% load on the motor. I’m not sure if spending $1000 is going to pay any dividends but it got me thinking that there’s a least a good/better/best approach

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[JT LIFE]

Just drive it, the tolerances for a diesel motor are such that there really is no break in period....my last diesel ran 245000 miles over 16 years...... With no particular break in period....

 

[TheSolarWizard]

Just drive it, the tolerances for a diesel motor are such that there really is no break in period....my last diesel ran 245000 miles over 16 years...... With no particular break in period....

We don’t “break in” any of the fleet trucks because we sell them at 95k and while what you’re saying is what I’ve thought also, the person that recommended doing so pointed me to this video. The 9 minute mark is where the pertinent info begins

 

[FutureOdin]

It's not necessary--this is from the manual:

ENGINE BREAK-IN RECOMMENDATIONS
The diesel engine does not require a break-in period due
to its construction. Normal operation is allowed, providing
the following recommendations are followed:
• Warm up the engine before placing it under load.
• Do not operate the engine at idle for prolonged
periods.
• Use the appropriate transmission gear to prevent
engine lugging.
• Observe vehicle oil pressure and temperature indicators.
• Check the coolant and oil levels frequently.
• Vary throttle position at highway speeds when carrying
or towing significant weight.

NOTE: Light duty operation such as light trailer towing
or no load operation will extend the time before the
engine is at full efficiency. Reduced fuel economy and
power may be seen at this time.
The engine oil installed in the engine at the factory is a
high-quality energy conserving type lubricant. Oil
changes should be consistent with anticipated climate
conditions under which vehicle operations will occur.
The recommended viscosity and quality grades are
shown under “Fluids, Lubricants and Genuine Parts”,
under “Maintaining Your Vehicle” in this manual. NONDETERGENT
OR STRAIGHT MINERAL OILS MUST
NEVER BE USED.

 

[Shoebox]

We don’t “break in” any of the fleet trucks because we sell them at 95k and while what you’re saying is what I’ve thought also, the person that recommended doing so pointed me to this video. The 9 minute mark is where the pertinent info begins.

Lots of interesting information in that video, but much of it doesn't apply to these engines. However, a few things did stand out, particularly in regard to subjecting the motor to load right away, particularly in light of this part of the JTD owners' manual:

NOTE: Light duty operation such as light trailer towing
or no load operation will extend the time before the
engine is at full efficiency. Reduced fuel economy and
power may be seen at this time.

It would seem it would be best to subject the motor to a pretty good load, early and often from the beginning. I may have to make it a habit to go haul my toy hauler around a bit on occasion when breaking in the truck for just this reason.

I do wish he had expanded a bit on what he considers a "load", as the engine sees it. Seems awfully hard to do without a dyno.

 

[bentrod]

Lots of interesting information in that video, but much of it doesn't apply to these engines. However, a few things did stand out, particularly in regard to subjecting the motor to load right away, particularly in light of this part of the JTD owners' manual:

It would seem it would be best to subject the motor to a pretty good load, early and often from the beginning. I may have to make it a habit to go haul my toy hauler around a bit on occasion when breaking in the truck for just this reason.

I do wish he had expanded a bit on what he considers a "load", as the engine sees it. Seems awfully hard to do without a dyno.

This part " Warm up the engine before placing it under load " I believe means the engine should be warmed up / at operating temperature before using full power or throttle.
And I'd like to chime in when it comes to "warming up". Diesels of old and the real old school crowd would say " Diesels love to idle" and some would start them and let it idle for 30 minutes or more before driving off. This is the worst thing you can do to any engine. All that partially unburned fuel just washes the cylinders, contaminates the oil, carbon and accelerates wear big time. This also nets zero mpg. Best procedure to follow is start it, let it run, on average, 20-30 seconds and drive off easy. Once the engine is at operating temp I go ahead and use full throttle as necessary. Then anticipate your end of journey by driving gentle for the last mile. By the time your parked you can just switch off. Again - none of this idling and idling is needed. The only time its called for if say you just climbed a hill, pulled right over and stopped. Then 2 to 5 minutes of cool down is best as the cooling system is still circulating and the engine won't get heat soaked.

 

[aevgladitorrubi]

Is there such a thing?
Someone on the JL side went so far as renting a dyno and spending three hours going up to 100% load on the motor. I’m not sure if spending $1000 is going to pay any dividends but it got me thinking that there’s a least a good/better/best approach

Drive it like you stole it!!! lol.

 

[Speedy_12139]

Man, I grew up with the "drive it like you're gonna f****n drive it" mentality, when it came to a fresh build....

Although, I cant really speak for the high end of the longevity of it, as I usually trade up after I get bored and wanna build something new. And by then, whoever buying it, probably doesn't give 2-- regarding how it was originally "broken in". He's standing there, wanting to get a deal. If you get what I'm trying to say.

 

[WXman]

What myself and many others have seen with the Gen 3 engine is that it burns a lot of oil in the first ~5,000 miles or so, and then after that oil consumption almost completely stops. To me this makes it pretty obvious that the rings are not seated well when the truck ships from the factory, but that they do seat well over time.

Personally, I would NOT want to run a brand new EcoDiesel at 100% load on a dyno as soon as I get it home. I like the approach of doing things in moderation. Coach used to always say, "we're going to practice the way we're going to play!!". That idea I think applies here. Let the typical course of driving with frequent RPM fluctuation and load allow the rings and valves to seat normally. After the first few thousand miles I wouldn't be afraid to romp on it.

My father is a master mechanic of 45+ years experience and he's spent most of his career in the heavy equipment side of things. He always used to say regarding break-in that there's no need to do anything different or extraordinary, just operate the new engine the way you intend to operate it long term.

 

[Diesl Jp]

What myself and many others have seen with the Gen 3 engine is that it burns a lot of oil in the first ~5,000 miles or so, and then after that oil consumption almost completely stops. To me this makes it pretty obvious that the rings are not seated well when the truck ships from the factory, but that they do seat well over time.

I find this really interesting. My diesel overland is my first Jeep, coming from the WRX world. The bane of the Subaru flat 4 EJ series engines are rings and ring lands. As such, the break-in of those engines is an exercise in making sure the rings seat properly and early in the engine lifecycle. And so the break-in method is a modified "drive it like your stole it", wherein you bring it all the way to redline, then let it glide down to 2000ish rpm, then repeat many times. The heat and pressure seats the rings properly and (supposedly) lessens the potential for ring/land failures down the road that "babied" break-ins might increase. I just find the parallels between the two engines fascinating.
That all being said, I've arrived in the camp of "I'm skeptical that engine break-in makes any real difference over the life of the machine". I consider myself to be a scientific man, in that I trust proof and logic, while only "considering" opinion and anecdote. And I've simply not seen any real proof that the break-in method really matters. Even in my Subaru parallel above, Subaru still recommends the "baby it" method. It's the aftermarket world, through a few decades of modifying these engines, that came to the conclusion of the "proper" method.
Now there's something to be said for "well, the manufacturer who MADE the thing probably knows best", and I'll offer the example of BMW, who actually limits the rev range of their new cars until the break-in period has passed. But as a system architect who creates all kinds of clever things, I quickly learned a simple lesson: the genius architect knows squat, the users are the real genius. "Oh, you DESIGNED this shovel? Well, I'm a ditch digger, pal, and let ME tell YOU the reality about your shovel."
But I'll offer up my current suspicions:
1. Fasteners, gaskets, lubrications, and touching parts of various materials need some heat, pressure, and time to naturally mesh into their long-term positions. Helping them find that position quickly or slowly is infinitely arguable.
2. Manufacturers are beholden to stupid consumers more than proven science, and nearly as beholden to dickhead marketing experts as they are to paying consumers. As such, there is a very strong not-scientific motivation for them to provide a break-in method. "Why is there no break-in method?! There should be a break-in method! This is complicated stuff, I've always seen a break-in method, why is there no break-in method?!"
3. More than ANYTHING else, manufacturers are beholden to "this is how you don't get a class action" lawyers. And they will advise that the 10 morons who take their vehicle straight to Moab/drag-race/whatever, will get a new vehicle on warranty. Hence the advised break-in period.
4. Just drive the damn thing. Modern engines and manufacturers have decades of experience making super-high tolerance, just the same as one guy in the factory who didn't have his coffee will under-tighten one bolt with serious ramifications. Nothing you do can change these. You get a warranty, accept the risk or buy a Hyundai. You can argue this topic pointlessly. It's the same as the "what brand oil" arguments. THOSE are some funny threads.

Sorry for the long post. Have a beer and pretend that I bought it.

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