'07 HCH Engine Break-in
Created May 29, 2007, at 12:30 pm by Gooch
I just purchased my first HCH (2007) and take delivery of the vehicle on Friday. I have been trying to find information on how to properly break in the engine. Any experience or thoughts from the forum?
Much appreciated!!!
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4 years ago
Gooch;
Congratulations on your new car .
RE: Break-in periods.
The break-in periods vary considerably from owner to owner. You'll see folks claiming a break-in at 5K miles or even less. Others will report a noticeable break-in at much higher mileage values.
Some owners of 1st Gen Civic Hybrids only reported their "break-ins" at 25K miles!
In any case, it appears that most HCH-2 folks notice the break-in (or signs of it), occuring slighly before or just after their first oil change. As recommended, the oil change is to be performed only after the maintenance minder indicates 15% or less. Doing it earlier may interfere with the proper conditioning of the engine still holding the "special" factory oil.
Cheers;
MSantos
4 years ago
MSantos;
Thanks for the reply. As to the signs of the engine breaking in, what are those signs? Also, I was more specifically asking about the break-in procedures recommended (i.e. driving at less than 3000 rpm at varying speeds for X amount of miles). Any thoughts to the refined questions?
Once again, thanks for the input!
4 years ago
As far as I can recall, the break-in procedures are pretty common for most vehicles. Keeping the RPM to its lowest (preferably below 3000rpm), avoiding hard and sudden braking are some of the better known ones. This certainly applies to the HCH-2 as well. Some of my colleagues state that the procedures should last for the duration/life of the first engine oil.
Most folks will notice a marked improvement in the vehicle's efficiency when the car's engine is finally broken-in. The glides are longer, the engine can sustain cruising speeds at better FE rates (60-70+ MPG) for longer periods of time... and it runs smoother among other traits that are hard to ignore. The factory oil has a slow but very relevant role in the final conditioning of the engine so most people notice these changes at or about the time of the first oil change.
Cheers;
MSantos
4 years ago
Break-in will occur differently for all driver/operational habits.
As far as waiting to change the oil.
I serviced mine at 50% on the maintenance minder (4000 MI.) and found small metal fragments. I would not and never have waited until the recommended first oil change interval on any of my vehicles.
All my motorcycles get changed out at 600 miles and all my cars at 1000
I waited on this motor to 4000, but now wish I had not after seeing what was floating around from the break-in.:eek:
4 years ago
So when my car's oil is at 50% should I follow DrDiesel's advice and go get it changed or should i follow MSantos's advice and the maintenance minder at 15%? Are there signs I should be watching out for to take it in if the signs show up? I want my engine to get started off right after all!
4 years ago
I`m aware of the recommended interval, but I`m also aware of what contaminants are produced from new engines during the initial break-in period.
I change mine for my own personal reasons.
The filter will catch most particles, but it`s cheap insurance and piece of mind for me to change it.
You will need to make that decision for yourself. Good Luck.:cool:
4 years ago
Hi folks, new owner of an '07 HCH2 purchased last weekend. I'm going through the threads looking to learn as much as I can from the wisdom and experience of others. Great forum here!
I just had a conversation with my dealership yesterday about the first oil change and thought I'd pass it along. They include your first oil change "free" with the purchase of the car and wanted me to come in around 5,000 miles irrespective of the oil life indicator. He said that subsequent oil changes should follow the indicator which would use an algorithm based on average throttle position or engine load, oil and coolant temperatures, trip distances and of course, overall mileage. I wish I had asked about break in techniques as this guy seemed pretty knowledgeable and level headed.
semaj
4 years ago
semaj:
5000 miles is already a good amount of time. The maintenance minder would perhaps be orbiting around 30% to 20% for most folks. However, I can tell you that neither Corporate Honda nor Honda Engineering supports such dealership initiatives to have the oil changed earlier than recommended.
In the other hand the dealership may mean well in offering such service at 5000 miles and that may be a good indicator in terms of your long term satisfaction with this particular dealership.
Many of us prefer a dealership service department that follows its servicing guidelines by-the-book. This type of dealership has no problems reflecting their adherence to the material and knowledge they've been trained with. Unfortunately, the service technicians that more commonly resist the training instructions are also the most experienced.
In the end, it remains your call.
Cheers;
MSantos
4 years ago
the manual constains a wealth of info. It recommends not doing any hard accelerations or stop for 600 miles. No need to do an oil change until u hit 15% or less on the minder thingy.
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