3.3L Engine break in

[online]

What is the recommended break in method/period for the 3.3L engine?

Thanks in advance

[got sport]

For the first 5,000 miles I rarely went above 65-70 MPH. But, now that I'm at 19K, I do 80-100 MPH.

BTW I must say that the Solara's ride is so smooth.

[Jai_Jai_Binks]

What is the recommended break in method/period for the 3.3L engine?

Thanks in advance

any break-in entails basic things:
1. Keeping your rev's LOW (by lower speeds)
2. NOT using cruise control (ie. vary your speed, don't keep constant speed for prolonged periods)
3. don't have jack-rabbit takeoff's and smoking stops.(easy in the break in).

and mainly..take it in for the complimentary oil change at 1000 miles (cus thats when the breakin oils' are replaced.

[invdrgir]

is the complementary 1000 mile oil change part of the purchase within the warrenty Jai or is that for your area because my sales person never told me and i was wondering if i need to get my oil change done before the usual 3K time period?

[mattyboyl]

1000 mile oil change is not neccesary and says it no where in the manual or warranty papers. It's just a precautionary measure that some take, which in my opinion, is a waste of money.

[invdrgir]

oh ok so its more of a safety thing just in case. for a second i was worried there. thanks for the info

[Jai_Jai_Binks]

1000 mile oil change is not neccesary and says it no where in the manual or warranty papers. It's just a precautionary measure that some take, which in my opinion, is a waste of money.

Which is true...its a matter of opinion. I choose to get my car oil changed when it rolled to the first 1000 miles. The theory was that when cars car built, they sat on the lots for prolonged periods before they found a home; However, if one was sitting for a long time (like my solara - purchased new 01 in a feb 02). Today the time from mfg to actual purchase is shortened, and hence a lot of people advise this is unnecessary. Coming back to the topic at hand, the oil that comes in the car is formulated for lubing and taking on heat, well reg. oil's are as well..but a new engine runs warmer (hotter) than a broken in engine. Hence to me when you've spend your hard earned money to buy something nice, a 20 dollar maint won't dig too much into your wallets. But then again, the only new car i've bought was the solara. (my dad bought always bought new cars..and as far as i can remember, we always got first free complimentary service). Check your dealer where you bought the solara to see if they offer first free service and checkup at 1000 miles.

EDit: this is JUST AN opinion. It has worked for me & my pops. There is no HARD AND FAST rule to engine break in.

[cablemn]

To set things straight. If you change your oil in the first 1000 miles you are actually doing a disservice to your car. A new engine has a break in period for a reason. the rings and any other friction afected part needs to set itself, to basically polish themselves into position. every mechanic I've ever discussed this with has told me the same thing. In some cases a special oil specifically fromulated for break in is used. Not sure if this is the case for toyota. If the engine is too lubricated it won't take the hard edges off the internal engine parts so they can be flushed away with the first oil change. Makes sense to me. I usually do exactly what the manual says until about 7000 to 10000 miles then i switch to synthetic oil (mobil 1). This has always worked for me in the past, and i've never had any internal engine problems and have alway had above average gas mileage too.

[MD2606]

Our Toyota/Subaru dealer has always done a courtesy 1500 mile oil change on our cars. This is our 4th Toyota.

[SPF 0]

I have to gently disagree with Cablemn. As your engine breaks in, metal particulates are released into the oil. If these same metallic particulates get into sensitive areas (camshaft facings, etc.), damage can be done to your engine.

FWIW, I changed my oil at 600 miles and at just under 3000. Overkill? Perhaps, but I'm hard-pressed to think of anything with greater criticality to your engine's life than lubrication.

ONLINE, please enjoy having two conflicting opinions.

[MrMikeL]

Break-in info is in the manual. Try reading through it some time, it's quite interesting.

[stockae92]

according to the manual, its pretty much just take it easy. and no elaborate break in is needed.

for us (V6 auto), just means no redline, no full throttle, no 0-60-0 runs, no 4 hrs road trip

that's pretty much it (as least thats what i am doing)

[FLUXEMAG]

I can't count the number of redlines I put on my car in the first 5000 miles. I kept the original oil in until 5k and then I put in Mobil1. For some reason I forgot about break in periods. But then again I sell my cars after a few years so I'm not too concerned about engine life. Last time I checked my grandma has a corolla with 275k and my uncle has one with 340k (which he just scrapped out for a 97 Solara). They don't drive very hard, granted, but it puts into perspective the potential that toyota engines have. Those cars didn't even have advanced manufacturing techniques like laser polish or CNC precision.

I'll let you guys know if I have problems.

[indiglosolara]

I can't count the number of redlines I put on my car in the first 5000 miles. I kept the original oil in until 5k and then I put in Mobil1. For some reason I forgot about break in periods. But then again I sell my cars after a few years so I'm not too concerned about engine life. Last time I checked my grandma has a corolla with 275k and my uncle has one with 340k (which he just scrapped out for a 97 Solara). They don't drive very hard, granted, but it puts into perspective the potential that toyota engines have. Those cars didn't even have advanced manufacturing techniques like laser polish or CNC precision.

I'll let you guys know if I have problems.

97 Solara????

Solara was started in 99...

but toyota engines do last long. My 94 Camry has 265K miles on it and im still on the Original Engine and Tranny.... Not rebuilt... till this day i still drive her every day to work and back... 20 miles each way...

[FLUXEMAG]

I was guessing 97, I should have just said Gen1. My bad.