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1000 mile break-in period?


Kory04

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Over the last month or two, I've seen several members on here reference how they needed to drive 1000 miles before towing.  Is this a formal recommendation from Ford, or just a general rule of thumb for any new engine?  My ordered truck has a 7.3. 

 

I have a friend who recently rebuilt a tractor engine, and they took it to the dealer to break it in on the dyno running the snot out of it all day.  I thought he mentioned they do that to seat the valves or something, but that's been a couple years ago.  

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On 9/23/2021 at 8:42 AM, akirby said:

It’s a formal recommendation from Ford although it varies from vehicle to vehicle and year to year.  Modern engines don’t require the same type of break-in as older engines.  It’s more of a precaution than an absolute requirement.

The way it's looking I'll have my F350 right before we leave on a 2500-3000mile trip pulling a 6500lb travel trailer across I70 in Colorado into Utah. I'm hoping I can get some miles on it before hand. If not I guess I'll get 60 miles from the dealership home on it then we'll go. 

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11 hours ago, Dbarrett38 said:

The way it's looking I'll have my F350 right before we leave on a 2500-3000mile trip pulling a 6500lb travel trailer across I70 in Colorado into Utah. I'm hoping I can get some miles on it before hand. If not I guess I'll get 60 miles from the dealership home on it then we'll go. 

 

Had a Chevy 2500 that when from the dealership directly to the rv dealership to bring the trailer home.  Truck had 30 miles before towing and I never had an issue with the truck.  

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Whenever you have a differential regeared, it's standard practice to inspect the gears and replace the fluid 500-1000 miles afterward. Why should it be any different on  new vehicle?

 

I usually replace the rear dif fluid at 1k-2k miles and it usually looks worse than subsequent 30k fluid replacements. 

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  • 2 months later...
On 9/25/2021 at 4:20 PM, 2Wheel-Lee said:

Whenever you have a differential regeared, it's standard practice to inspect the gears and replace the fluid 500-1000 miles afterward. Why should it be any different on  new vehicle?

 

I usually replace the rear dif fluid at 1k-2k miles and it usually looks worse than subsequent 30k fluid replacements. 

 

10 hours ago, txsd6.2 said:

If the manual says to do it, then why not? I want my trucks to last. 

 

I like the idea of changing the fluid after 500-1000, think I will do that also.

 

And, agree that the manual recommendations are there for a reason.  Hard to complain if something breaks if you don't follow the recommendations IMHO.

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On 9/23/2021 at 10:09 AM, 92merc said:

I thought I read somewhere one of the other reasons they recommend not towing heavy loads right away was due to the differential.  Something about varying loads and speeds and waiting for the surfaces to harden with the heat of use.  I could be wrong...

 

Read many discussions on f150forum.com that suggest this rationale.

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On 9/23/2021 at 8:25 AM, Kory04 said:

Over the last month or two, I've seen several members on here reference how they needed to drive 1000 miles before towing.  Is this a formal recommendation from Ford, or just a general rule of thumb for any new engine?  My ordered truck has a 7.3. 

 

I have a friend who recently rebuilt a tractor engine, and they took it to the dealer to break it in on the dyno running the snot out of it all day.  I thought he mentioned they do that to seat the valves or something, but that's been a couple years ago.  

There is an 8 hour break in period for new tractor engines. Lots of shifts in rpm and load percentage based on rated rpm and rated HP. That’s typically to seat the rings and make sure nothing comes apart… Most factory reman engines come pre broke in however, at least from New Holland. There even used to be special break in oils you ran for the first 25 to 50 hours.
 

I think if you look at use case, tractors typically go from the dealer to the field and pull 2,000 RPM and 80+% Horsepower all day long. vehicles have much more variation of RPM and HP naturally with accelerating, stopping, General speed changes, hills, etc. 

 

there are tons of opinions on break ins from many people. I plan to do what the manufacturer recommends when mine shows up.

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Like some of you guys, I’m a big believer in timely oil and filter changes, some say anally so. I’m driving my first brand new truck, a beautiful F250 Lariat and she’s just rolled over the 1000 miles, so can anyone tell me that if I ask him nicely, Mr Ford will change all oils and filters for free please? 
Any obvious answer to this question has evaded me despite scouring reams of paper and dozens of posts. 
 

TIA

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48 minutes ago, StevoF250 said:

Like some of you guys, I’m a big believer in timely oil and filter changes, some say anally so. I’m driving my first brand new truck, a beautiful F250 Lariat and she’s just rolled over the 1000 miles, so can anyone tell me that if I ask him nicely, Mr Ford will change all oils and filters for free please? 
Any obvious answer to this question has evaded me despite scouring reams of paper and dozens of posts. 
 

TIA


In my experience, dealers may offer all kinds of good will gestures when selling a new vehicle, but these things are usually specified when the deal is made or closed.  If you ask politely and nicely, the worst they can do is say no.  When I bought a new car in February of 2014, they offered the first two oil change service jobs free of charge, but it was part of closing the deal.  The dealer  is 130 miles from home, so they gave me enough oil and filters for the first two changes, and I had my regular home town car care center do the work.  I was plumb happy with that.  When we bought our new Super Duty in August of this year, the salesman gave us $250.00 credit in their parts/service department, again part of closing the deal.  I assume they do that with every new vehicle sale, but I don’t know that for a fact.  Haven’t used any of that credit yet, we’re still using the FordPass points.  Oh yeah, 1200 miles on the new truck with no towing, so I guess I followed what the manual says, and it’s broke in.

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On 9/23/2021 at 8:25 AM, Kory04 said:

Over the last month or two, I've seen several members on here reference how they needed to drive 1000 miles before towing.  Is this a formal recommendation from Ford, or just a general rule of thumb for any new engine?  My ordered truck has a 7.3. 

 

I have a friend who recently rebuilt a tractor engine, and they took it to the dealer to break it in on the dyno running the snot out of it all day.  I thought he mentioned they do that to seat the valves or something, but that's been a couple years ago.  

Most likely to seat the rings.  

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26 minutes ago, catastrofe said:

So avoid driving like normal in South Floridas road wars? High speed and heavy braking are impossible not to do down here... especially when you drive like a complete A-hole as I do. 

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30 minutes ago, marinerjoe said:

It does say “avoid,” it doesn’t say “under no circumstances should you…”  So a little “blip” every now and again shouldn’t be too detrimental.  Captain, A-Hole away. But judiciously.  ?

The uplifter switches are already assigned... Aux 1 air compressor, Aux 2 Crap your pants air horns.  

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 12/28/2021 at 5:48 AM, bheminger said:

is it dealer recommended to change the diff fluid at 1-2K miles? What about the first oil change, should that also be around the 1-2K mile range? SD on order

 

I'm sure a dealer would love if you changed the diff fluid and oil change at 1K miles, that's easy money in their pocket. I would say just go by what the recommended schedule is in the owner's' manual.

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