- Joined
- Mar 30, 2021
- Posts
- 18
- Reaction score
- 22
- Location
- Southern Illinois
- Ram Year
- 2022 G/T
- Engine
- HEMI 5.7 w/eTorque
If anyone knows of a thread that is already discussing this topic, I would appreciate a nudge in its direction. Otherwise, I did some searching and didn't find the information that I was looking for. I realize that there are lots of threads on which engine oil to use, but none seems to discuss the oil needed for proper break-in.
I've been working on my own vehicles for many years now. I've always heard that to properly break-in an engine one shouldn't use synthetic oil as it is too slick to actually wear down the cylinder honing which is key to a proper break-in. Perhaps the manufacturer uses a conventional oil from the factory to help with the break-in. I usually change the oil in a new engine after a few hundred miles to get that initial accumulation of metal particles out of the engine. I then use conventional oil for the next few oil changes switching to synthetic around 2500-3000 miles (Yes, I change the oil about four times before 3000 miles on any new vehicle that I've purchased -- I tend to keep new vehicles a minimum of 10 years; I'm hoping to get 25 years out of my new RAM 1500 4x4 5.7).
Is the "don't use synthetic oil to break-in an engine" mantra still valid? I'm open to changing my mindset if more recent valid information presents itself (for example, after decades of being a loyal Mobil 1 user, I'll be switching to Rotella after reviewing data that it outperforms M1 statistically and in tests). But at this point it's hard not to keep doing what I've been doing, if it seems to be working.
Any thoughts?
Side note: I did the first oil change in my '21 RAM and it was very frustrating. How hard would it have been to make the oil drain bolt point straight down?? It points straight at the sway bar and splashes oil all over the place until it slows enough to miss the sway bar. And why on Earth would the factory crank on the oil filter so darn tight? That is totally unnecessary! For all the money that manufacturers spend on advertising to get us to like and trust them, they shoot themselves in the foot by idiotic engineering and production actions. My confidence in their ability to manufacture a quality product should come through in my interaction with the product and not from unrealistic television commercials of vehicles smoking their tires and racing through city streets. I've been waiting all of my life to look over a new vehicle and think: whoever designed this was thinking of me, the consumer, when they did it. Instead I usually end up thinking, "I have to deal with this crap so they could save $0.23 on manufacturing costs??" We'll see, maybe one day...
I've been working on my own vehicles for many years now. I've always heard that to properly break-in an engine one shouldn't use synthetic oil as it is too slick to actually wear down the cylinder honing which is key to a proper break-in. Perhaps the manufacturer uses a conventional oil from the factory to help with the break-in. I usually change the oil in a new engine after a few hundred miles to get that initial accumulation of metal particles out of the engine. I then use conventional oil for the next few oil changes switching to synthetic around 2500-3000 miles (Yes, I change the oil about four times before 3000 miles on any new vehicle that I've purchased -- I tend to keep new vehicles a minimum of 10 years; I'm hoping to get 25 years out of my new RAM 1500 4x4 5.7).
Is the "don't use synthetic oil to break-in an engine" mantra still valid? I'm open to changing my mindset if more recent valid information presents itself (for example, after decades of being a loyal Mobil 1 user, I'll be switching to Rotella after reviewing data that it outperforms M1 statistically and in tests). But at this point it's hard not to keep doing what I've been doing, if it seems to be working.
Any thoughts?
Side note: I did the first oil change in my '21 RAM and it was very frustrating. How hard would it have been to make the oil drain bolt point straight down?? It points straight at the sway bar and splashes oil all over the place until it slows enough to miss the sway bar. And why on Earth would the factory crank on the oil filter so darn tight? That is totally unnecessary! For all the money that manufacturers spend on advertising to get us to like and trust them, they shoot themselves in the foot by idiotic engineering and production actions. My confidence in their ability to manufacture a quality product should come through in my interaction with the product and not from unrealistic television commercials of vehicles smoking their tires and racing through city streets. I've been waiting all of my life to look over a new vehicle and think: whoever designed this was thinking of me, the consumer, when they did it. Instead I usually end up thinking, "I have to deal with this crap so they could save $0.23 on manufacturing costs??" We'll see, maybe one day...
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