[Green Acres]

Howdy Folks,

Okay so alot of us are waiting for our 2002 Odysseys. We go to the dealer and give them alot of money, they hand us the keys and away we go !! Maybe a trip to Texas, Alaska ?? Wal-mart ??

I have seen the check list which I think is a great idea. I will go over the list before I leave the dealership.

What have you previous experienced ODY owner's done for a break in period ??

Is there a reconmended speed to drive the van at for so many miles to break in the engine ?? Other than the engine break in, is there anything else on the ODY to break in ?? This is our first Honda vehicle and mini-van in 15 years. We hang on to things for awhile !!

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Future owner 2002 GG EX. Lots of mods soon!

Thanks for your help.

 

[pummal]

Well, the manual says 600 miles for the engine. During that period, you are supposed to avoid hard acceleration, and do not use the cruise control. The brakes have a 200 mile break-in period where you are supposed to avoid sudden stops or "mashing the brake."

In general, it is wise to take it easy on engines when they are new. But, it is not wise to drive them at the same RPMs the whole time as on a long trip. If you do drive many highway miles during the break-in period, be sure to change speeds often so as to avoid keeping the RPMs steady. You want to move around the RPM range, avoiding the high revs until the engine is broken in.

You can start moving your "max" up as you approach the break-in mileage, but do not redline or get close to it before the specified miles.

If you want to be extra nice to your engine, don't get into the very upper RPM range for an extra hundred or so miles.

Also, Honda says it is important not to change the oil for the first 7500 miles.

There is a wealth of information about engine break-in on the internet. Do a search on Google. I remember an article that actually gave you a step-by-step, week-by-week break-in plan for BMW M5s. It justified everything suggested by way of detailed discussion of the effects and goals of the technique. Pretty cool..

My guess is that there's something similar for Honda engines in general out there somewhere!
Enjoy your Ody!

Oh, and by all means, if you are about to hit someone or need to pass a semi in an emergency, forget about the break-in .. safety first!

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2002 Mesa Beige EX-L-RES - on order
2001 Mesa Beige EX - recently sold

 

[Pigeon]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by pummal:
Also, Honda says it is important not to change the oil for the first 7500 miles.
</font>

The manual actually says to follow whichever maintenance interval you're supposed to be on, so for those of us on the Severe schedule (just about everyone) that's 3750 miles. The Honda web site says somewhere that they use special break in oil, and I have no reason to doubt it knowing Honda. Then again I'm only leasing mine for 48k miles, so it only has to last that long! That being said, I'm being nice to mine for the break in period.

Scott

 

[twinmomma]

Well on the way home from the dealer last Saturday I had to stop fast or run a freshly turned red light (very fast yellow cycle). Is this a really bad thing? Also, I had not heard about the 600 mile break-in for the cruise, but have only had it turned on for maybe a couple of minutes at a time. Have I possibly done damage to it? What is the purpose of not using cruise for the first 600?

 

[cmmeyers]

I wouldn't worry about it twinmomma. It is suggested that you don't use cruise during the break in period so as not to run the engine at constant speeds for extended periods of time. Varied speeds during the break-in period is prefered.

 

[cmt4]

pummal states the correct break-in technique nicely. I have always bumped up the mileage to 1,000... just my personal mark.

The key is to avoid prolonged operation at one RPM or putting a heavy load on the engine/transmission. I also add the following step for my break-in periods:

At 500-750 miles change the oil filter. JUST the filter, do NOT change the oil. Fill the filter with quality oil (5W-30). There are alot of metal filings generated as the new engine runs. The filter can lose some of its effectiveness as it becomes filled with these particles. The consensus is that after 500 miles most of the filings are sheared clear. Either way, it certainly does not hurt to add this step.

Then change oil at first mileage mark, 5,000 (it's a nice comprimise between 3,750 and 7,500) -- as long as you are not in a severe climate area.

Now, breaking in the cloth seats, as it relates to kids, is a different story... start with fruit juice, add one railroad crossing......

 

[bjk2001]

twinmomma:
Don't worry. You won't hurt your Ody. Ody is not made of paper. LOL. When you break-in a new engine you try to break in piston rings with engine cylinder wall. Avoid using curise control is to try to make your piston rings seat better with cylinder wall.

cmt: I like your 5K oil change 3,750 is too short and 7,500 miles is too long, just like goldielock got to pick the middle one.

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'01 GG EX
Mud Guard, Wheel Lock, Cargo Tray, Weathertech Mats
leather steerling wheel cover, Pioneer 1655 speakers, 1086 on its way
Lojack

 

[phoenix2001]

How can you change the oil filter without changing the oil? (Honest question, though I can't seem to get this picture out of my head of flipping a car upside down in order to change the oil filter without have all the oil leak away.)

 

[Activator22]

The oil filter is usually located higher then the oil pan. Most of the oil drains down to the pan, the filter only holding whatever oil is trapped in it.

So it's very easy to change just the filter without draining and refilling all the oil - you just need to replace the amount that was in the filter. When possible, you should prefill the filter with oil before you screw it back on. It helps to bring the oil pressure up faster when you start the car again.