Break in Period

TinMan09GT

New Member
Mar 23, 2009
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This might be a repost...i looked and didnt find anything but anyways....just bought my 09 saturday, while i was at the dealer they scheduled me in for the cars first oil change in july...at 7500 miles? is this right? esp for break in oil or whatever they were saying? also i noticed some clanking between shifts is that normal, i read something about it in posts about aftermarket drive shafts but just want to clarify, and some vibration in the stick its like i can feel the clutch spinning when my hands on the shifter. thanks in advance for any information...sorry this was a little long.
 
My new leftover 08 now has all of around 2k miles on it and yes it frequently clanks when letting out the clutch unless you match revs very closely. Can't believe they'd build a car in this day and age that does that. I have driven lots of stick cars over my long 62 years and this is a first in the clank category. My theory is that it has twice as many ujoints or slip joints and therefore has twice as much play in the drive shaft as a single driveshaft car. I have yet to hear a good explanation on why it has a two piece driveshaft. When they have built hundreds of millions of vehicles successfully over many years with a single driveshaft, why go and complicate it? My two cent rant.... Oh and my dealer told me to bring it back for first oil change at 5k miles.
 
I asked the service manager the same thing about the first oil change.
He said it didn't need to be changed until 5k.
... And that there was absolutely no break in period for these newer 4.6L 3V motors because of the tight/exact specs. when these motors are built.
I told him he was ef' ing crazy!
I changed the oil after it had 800 miles on it and just took it in for regular service every 3k miles.
That might be old school... but I don't care. The break in on any motor will determine it's lifespan. IMO

About the manual tranny noise. It's all normal... that's just the way it is clunk, clank, and a slight growl from the throw-out bearing (clutch).
 
thats what i thought...i have around 600miles on it now (68 when i picked it up) but i drove it down to va from pa...ill probably end up changing the oil myself this weekend when i go back home.....what filter do you guys recommend? i used to run mobil 1 synthetic in my 90 GT...is that ok to run in these motors?
 
Motorcraft Filter.
Motorcraft 5W20 Synthetic Blend.
6.5 quarts fills it to the top line on the dip stick.
The manual says it's a 6 quart fill but that only fills it to about the center into the "safe" zone on the stick.

I use the Motorcraft stuff during my warranty period just to avoid any B.S. issues with the dealer service department.

After which I plan on going with...
Royal Purple 5W20 Full Synthetic.
Wix or K&N Oil Filter.
 
break in period is different for everyone..ive seen guys as soon as they built it ran full on..and engine is still flawless..myself i break in gently just because thats how ive always done it...the best way ive found is to do some in town driving let the engine warm up stop for a while then go again....most factory engines already have some break in time on them thats why your dealer told you no break in period...but i would still take it easy because the tranny and gears need broke in too
 
My break in rule: baby it and you'll get a baby!

I drive them how I intend to drive them long term. Run up to redline often, and vary the rpm's a lot. Do NOT do a steady state long-term cruise cross country. You have to vary the rpm's a lot to fully seat things. Heck, it even says so in the owner's manual and I thought I made that up years ago!