Camry & Solara LoungeDiscussion area for every generation of Toyota's family car, the Toyota Camry. Lexus ES250/300 owners welcome! Topics of discussion range from fuel economy, safety, modifications, performance and more.
so i had the car for 2 weeks now and i have been babying it cuz it's still the break in period. i'm at 550 miles right now and i wanted to drive it hard. whats the mileage everyone got to before driving their camrys hard?
I think the only definitive answer would come from Toyota, and i am sure this is a question they'd be happy to answer through an email or something.
If you're just looking for opinions though...I say keep babying it for at least 5,000 miles. Just drive it normally, dont mash the throttle if you can avoid it, keep it under 65 or 70 mpg. Try to keep all 4 wheels on the ground in other words
Don't baby it during the complete break-in period. Give it some throttle so the RPM will vary, also don't just travel at one speed, change it up. Also, don't be afraid to brake hard, you're just bleeding the brakes.
Proper break in means running it through the RPM range as much as possible without flooring it.
It is also helpful to run in up the RPM range and then take your foot off the gas and let it come back down on it's own.
the worst thing you can do is run it on the highway for an hour at the same exact speed/rpm.
That being said, these engines are built so well that nothing you do is really going to hurt it. Drive the car and don't worry about it, change the oil every 5k and be happy
It's kinda funny when I asked the salesperson at my dealership what's the break-in period. He told me there's wasn't any that he know of with the Camry. Regardless, I still broke it in properly.
As most people stated above..... don't be too hard on it, vary your speed on the highway etc. It's not practical, but if you can put all your break-in miles on a car with the least amount of engine cycles (start ups). So if you had nothing better to do, spend 2-3 days just breaking it in.
Kenny1773 stated.... every now and again run it up in rpm and let it coast down. Or better yet to build some compression get up to say 50 mph and then gear it down a gear or 2 to bring the rpms up and coast, this will help with ring seal.
Trust me cars still need to break-in. It's a mass assembly line where our motors are built. Our engines are not blueprinted and pistons go into any cylinder. So if the piston to wall clearance calls for say .004 thous. then some cylinders will be tight and some will be looser. Even the motors we built, completely blueprinted/clearanced etc., still need some break in, it was important to get some good ring seal in a new motor.
The only few factory motor programs that blueprint/clearance etc. I know of, are the LS7 in the new Z06 Corvette and the V Series Caddy motors.
Anyhow.... after your first oil change, take a look at the oil and I’m guessing you’ll find quite a bit of metal particles..… that’s your break in! J
i understand the need to break it in. on the owners manual it says 1000 miles. so i guess what everyone is saying is drive it hard but dont red line it?
Take rsjyss approach. Don’t lug the engine, don’t floor it (¾ throttle acceleration is ok), and don’t let it idle for a long time. If you drive highway speeds, back off the throttle ever once an awhile and coast. All this helps seat the rings. Keep the high RPM’s within the reasonable range (don’t redline it).
Once the engine is broke in, I would change the oil and filter early. You do not want those metal particles floating around in the engine any longer then necessary.
I varied my speed for the first 1000 mi. Kicked it down a few times at different speeds. I now have 2300 mi. with (NO PROBLEMS). Haven't changed my oil yet but will soon.
It's kinda funny when I asked the salesperson at my dealership what's the break-in period. He told me there's wasn't any that he know of with the Camry. Regardless, I still broke it in properly.
That's why he's a salesman and not a mechanic The very last person i'd ask for technical advice.
BTW isn't there a post by someone, with a link to some guy's site who is the engine break-in expert? I remember reading it once but i can't recall for the life of me where it might be found on this site
I do some of what this guy says, he is most likely right in his findings. People just tend to freak out when you say to redline a new engine and in the case of the camry, I am a little more concerned of what impact this type of break in style has on the transmission.
let's just say I was fairly rough with my engine when I broke it in At 18,000 miles now, things are going fine.
I still say that no matter what you do at break in time, you are not going to "damage" anything in this engine. That is what most people seem to worry about.
lol when i got my new gen5 camry 4 banger,,i didnt care,,i ripped it nyce for like a week,,and then my dad took the car and babyed it till the first oil change,,then after that,,i jsut kept on ripping it driving it hard,,but now,,i finnaly reliazed its a camry soo i drive more civilized now,,lol
The AutoGuide.com network consists of the largest network of enthusiast-owned enthusiast-operated automotive communities.
AutoGuide.com provides the latest car reviews, auto show coverage, new car prices, and automotive news. The AutoGuide network operates more than 100 automotive forums where our users consult peers for shopping information and advice, and share opinions as a community.
ToyotaNation.com is an independent Toyota/Lexus enthusiast website. ToyotaNation.com is not sponsored by or in any way affiliated with Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc. The Toyota, Lexus and Scion names and logos are trademarks owned by Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc.
break in mileage
Linear Mode
