Engine Break in

hey guys, just joined the post.

proud owner of a new 2K2 MAX SE manual.

picked it up last friday March 22, and i already have 380 miles on it.

i had to drive up to school and just the drive up put 250 miles on it.

i was wondering if those kinda long drives are bad for the engine or if it's good.

i've got to go back home next week also which is another 500 miles round trip, so i mean...your opinions will be appreciated.

are long drives good for my car? and by putting on 250 miles at a time, is it good or bad? i figure that highway miles are probably better than local. what is the proper way to break in an engine??

also. when should i change my oil??

thanks guys.


i know i could probably do a search, but my internets way to slow and it took forever just to open up this forum.

for the 1st 500 miles.

1-you need to vary the speeds (driving at 55mph on the highway for many miles is NOT good).
2-you can't go over 60mph

after 500 miles, it is a good idea to do an oil and filter change.
and then you can drive your car any way you want :D

just for insurance....!!....dont go pass 4k RPM for the first 2500km..
....and dont floor it till 3000km....i know some people wait longer...like 5000km just to floor it.....but i m not the person to wait that long......;)

I'm like bobo, my car was driven 120 miles before I got it and I had no control of that since it was delivered to me from out of my area but after I got it I did not take it over 70 for the first 500 miles.

I bought a new 2001 Pathfinder SE (3.5 liter 5 speed) and asked about the break in period and recommendations. The dealership rep told me that the new Nissan Engines are broken in at the factory to reduce possible warranty issues due to owner misuse. Look in your manual, it should tell you about break in period if it is needed at all. I have 23,000 miles on the Pathfinder and no problems. Very strong engine.

There is a break-in recommendation in the manual... I don't think a long drive would be too harsh on a new engine. But what I DID do to break in my '02 SE was not even move it until it was warmed up and the tach was reading less than 1k. Whether or not it really makes an effect I felt better knowing it was warmed up before having a load on it. Definitely keep the RPMs down, anything too high could cause both piston seals to become weak. If this happens you'll get blow-by and get shitty gas mileage and weak power. (You need to let the oil penetrate the lower walls of the cylinder or you will tear apart your seals). Once I hit 1000 miles I got an oil change (ok, probably not necessary, but it makes me feel better. You always hear bout metal shavings and stuff floating around even though the whole engine block is acid treated to remove that). It is worth the wait to floor it... Taking it easy for a 1000 miles will yield many 100K miles of delight! And even if it doesn't matter so what so you drove like a grandpa for a while big deal... Do pack lightly the first few hundred miles; Don't cram 16 of your best friends in and pack ur anvil collection in the trunk and tow an RV - definitely bad.

i's say 99% of all nissan motors could be driven hard from day1. it's that <1% that have one component with one dimension that exceeds its tolerance. because of these few nissan prescribe a categorical break-in period for all vehicles. driving at the same speed or at high speeds for long periods of time can generate hot spots [high friction areas] within these motors. with the micropolishing that occurs today though there are so few that have anything out of spec.

this was my first post!

hehehe......i shouldn't have to worry about that....since i`m getting a 240SX(S14)......sorry guys....no 2k2 Maxima for me.....poor me have no bling bling...so have to go 2nd hand......damn....my friends keep "forcing" me to buy other brands...such as...subaru...honda or other cars.....mann...i`m losing a 2k2 maxima.....i cant loose NISSAN MAN..>!!!.....yah..THAT`S HOW MUCH I LOVE NISSAN!!!!!!!!!!.....my dad drives a nissan...my sis drove a pathfinder before getting a beetle..and my mom.....THE MAXIMA!....mann...just took it out and have a spin...
....sooooooo nice..!!...mann...just too bad i cant get the 2k2 max...
.....by the way...i learned how to drift in my("my"so called) maxima..
...n e wayz...i`m getting off topic....just havnt post in a long time....^^:D

....just havnt post in a long time...(bobo80)

Yea I noticed, have not seen your posts in quite a while.

Hi,
I also just joined the post after finding this forum doing a search on "Maxima break-in".

I just bought my 2002 Maxima yesterday and it had 322 miles on it. They had to get the model/color I wanted from Chicago. So right off the bat the vehicle was driven from Chicago to St.Louis, just what the manual states not to do. BTW, when the dealer told me that they had to get the vehicle from Chicago I specifically asked about break-in. He told me that the car didn't require breaking in! Well that's not what the manual says!

Anyway, if this long-distance driving did do damage to the engine, when should I expect to notice problems and what kind of engine trouble should i be looking for?

Originally posted by Cary Scott

Anyway, if this long-distance driving did do damage to the engine, when should I expect to notice problems and what kind of engine trouble should i be looking for?

well, it's like if you hand over the keys to the valet. you don't know what he did with the car since you weren't with the person. he could of abused the car or not.

one thing for sure though. if your car was on the highway then the driver was prolly going a minimum of 55mph for a long time. which the manual says not to do: go over 55mph AND stay there for a long time. so there were atleast 2 faults right there.
varying the engine speed is to seat the piston rings and other internal engine parts properly.

some ill effects of improper engine break-in are: oil consumption later on, worse gas mileage, and less engine life.

I'll do an oil and filter change right away because you may find some metal shavings in the old oil. if you see some that's not good.

Since you have 2002 Max, you better not open it up on the road. The break-in limit on that baby is 1000 miles, unlike on all other maximas (most of them are from 2500-3000 miles). After you will go over 1000 miles you can floor, burnout, etc... your car. Try not to go over 55-60 mph. Have fun.