I just got a new truck about a week ago. Its an 06 2500 QC6 speed Hemi.
I'm very happy with the truck. I picked it up with 40 miles on it and now have 230 miles. The manual doesnt say much about break in, what do you all do? I have been getting on it a little sometimes but not keeping high RPMs for long. have been mostly babying it.
I'm feeling bad right now because on my way home a Ford Diesel pulled up next to me at a stop light. I could just tell this guy was going to try and run me. I didnt dump the clutch off the line but he took of hard so I gunned it. I shifted hard into 3rdat about 5400 RPMs breaking the tires loose for a second while passing him. Then I let off and went back on my merry way home.
Now I'm feeling bad that I beat on my new truck like this, but I just couldnt help myself. Was this aterrible thing to do for breaking in my motor? or was this OK?I'm going to try and contain myself for a while and drive nicer until my first oil change or so.

 

Best break-in process I've found is to get it fully warm and then use short bursts of acceleration, with time breaks in between. You need to give it some go every once in a while or your rings won't get set properly.

 

There has always been much debate about proper break-in procedures but I found a good article that answered a lot of questions. Hope this helps. http://www.motortrend.com/features/e...ce_performance

 

The hydraulic lifters have the most precision fits in the engine.
Changing oil at 500, 1500 and 3000 miles will help protect the lifters
but will have little effect on the rest of the 'break in'.

Moly coated rings now seat in the first 5-20 minutes of engine run,
unlike rings of years ago.

Changing your ATF and diff oil is worth thinking about by 3000 miles.
You will be surprised by the metal shavings to be found stuck to the magnets or in the bottom of the pan. This will make the internal seals on auto trans clutches last longer, and your CVI or "clutch volume indexes" will stay good longer.

Draining and flushing the coolant by 3000 miles will allow you to remove a lot of the 'casting sand' left in the block. Removing this early will let the water pump seal last longer. You need to wait awhile for many heat up/cool down cycles of the engine to release the casting sand from the interior walls.

What many people call 'break in'
is actually the tension on your piston rings dropping from heating of the metal,
and carbon deposits building up inside the combustion chambers to raise 'real world' compression ratio,
along with the tread of the tires wearing thinner
that are the main causes of the MPG going up in the first 20,000 miles.....not some 'polishing' of the engine's insides.

 

Agreed, the most important thing is to heat cycle the engine. Let it warm up to standard operating temperature by driving normally (less than 3000rpm). Then, once it's warmed up, get on the highway and do a couple of WOT (wide open throttle) runs. The rpms aren't that important, keeping it out of the red of course. Let the engine cool completely and repeat.

As previously mentioned, the heat cycling will help set the seals and remove casting sand. The WOT runs will calibrate the computers for engine management, electronic throttle, MDS and automatic transmission. Although with an '06 2500 you don't have MDS in your Hemi.

 

so you guys are in agreement to kind of "push it to the limit" so to speak before red lining, of course? so i can drive my new truck (900 miles) hard once in a while? ok. well i do short bursts once a day b/c peeps cut me off all the time so i hit the gas and pull up to them and flip em off but they never wanna look over at a big angry white dude driving a truck thinkin he might be a KKK member. i live in San Diego where we have a city called Santee with the nickname of KKKlantee... lol. so yeah.

 

With an auto, you're good after the first 300 miles or so. After that, the computer will adjust the redline depending on how warmed up the engine is. At 144 degrees, the redline is at the maximum 5300 rpm with fuel shutoff at 5800 rpm. This is also when the MDS will kick in. Unless it's chipped ...

 

I would not do any wide open throttle runs until after at least 3000 miles,
and if you intend to keep your truck for a long time,
delay doing any WOT runs until past 10,000 miles.

One of the advantages of custom ordering a truck from a dealership
instead of buying one off the lot
is the truck off the lot has had previous customers taking it to WOT way too early. This is one way 'lemons' are made.

 

what exactly is a "lemon?"

 

lemons are the term used for vehicles that have multiple problems from purchase. Many states have "lemon laws" that allow you to return the vehicle for a refund if a certain number of problems occur within a certain amount of time.