i'm wondering just how important is the breakin period, and what is it exactly that's being broken in?

my dealer told me nothing about breakin and i have to admit to a few forays into vtec-land before i sat down and decided i really should read the owner's manual. (and found this site!)...

what would be the symptoms of a car that was not treated to the pampering suggested in the first 600 miles? (varying revs, always under 6K, not in one highway trip, etc...)

is there something i could do to test for any damage?

thanks all.

 

no, nothing you can really do to check for damage. just check your oil level around everytime (or every other time) you fill up the car with gas.

the intial break in is to cause friction and wear between the rings around the pistons and the piston walls themselves. with teflon lined piston sleeves in the block, its a bit slippery and lets oil burn right through - the break in period is to cause enough friction in the engine so it makes its own wear points and starts to make the rings into a 'groove' so it will match the piston sleeves a bit more.

this is the best way to describe it in my understanding.

 

To clarify, the cylinder liners are FRM (fiber reinforced metal) which is some kind of carbon fiber ceramic compound that aids heat transfer and helps reduce friction and wear. The consensus is that an S2k owner should follow a specific break in proceedure to help the rings seat with this exotic material.

You probably haven't hurt anything yet, just follow proper break in, and check that oil level often.

I followed the proceedure and burned 2 quarts from 600mi - 3000 mi and haven't used a drop since 3,500 mi. I have about 9,000mi on the clock now.

 

Check out this link

Everything you ever wanted to know about break-in...