Engine Break In Period

The PCM Excalibur says the first 25 hrs is the break in period time. Go XXXXX RPM for X Min than slow to ........ etc etc

How much does this matter? How long do you continue this for? Do you board while doing this?

I drove mine for 10 hours, varying speeds the whole time. after that I started riding. I crash a lot, so it is really verying speed quite a bit.

break in sucks.

Damn, that must be the most frustrating 25 hrs of your life.

Just purchased a new boat with the PCM 6 liter motor. This is a new engine for them so I called them and talked about the break in period. This process helps seat the rings in the pistons which affects oil consumption and engine life. As mentioned above, you do not want to run at a constant RPM for a long period of time. Run and wide open throttle for the recommended amount of time as per your manual. It does say that this is for the first 25 hours however PCM did not give me the impression that this much time was really necessary. Really no big deal, just take a brake from boarding every so often and open it up for 30 seconds of so. You only get one chance to brake in a motor so I recommend that you do it right.

They recommend 10 hours on my Malibu, I know it is going to be the longest damn 10 hours I have ever had to deal with when it comes in. My question is why can't they break them in at the factory? Technically it would ensure proper break in and what money they spend in gas they might save in warranty issues from people who don't break their engine in. Just a thought.

got about an hour on it then rode. worked out well.

I think most engines do go through a break-in at the factory. They still recommend a break-in after purchase as an added security. I doubt that anyone who doesn't break the engine in, as recommended, will see any problems relating to the lack of break-in. You would most likely see the problems related to that show up years later. A break-in is meant to do things, as mentioned above by Mark, that make the engine last longer. The question you should ask yourself is "Is it worth skipping the 25 hour break-in if I have to rebuild my engine alot sooner than I should have to?". If you have major problems right after a purchase you most likely had faulty parts which would be covered under warranty.

I spent my 10 hours riding around following friends boats and filming from it. It goes pretty quick and in my opinion is well worth the 10 hours just to be safe. Think about how much the longevity of you engine is worth to you. Is it worth 25 hours if it lasts another year before a rebuild? Have fun with the new boat.

MC said 10 hrs as well on the 310hp Vortec.

They never said to open the throttle all the way. Just vary the speed.

In addition, they said not to exceed 3000 rpm until 10hr and never until reaching operating temp. I don't know what good opening up the throttle full blast would do at break in considering most of the time we ride at around 25 mph. and, at least, I never drive at faster than around 38 mph. Maybe it's just a mental thing, but I don't think these engines are built to run full blast.

I've also heard running in idle for long periods is not good even after break in............?

I'm pretty sure though you can board while breaking it in. Just do short runs.

i wouldnt add ballast for sure till after the break-in, also my manual said NOT to let it idle for any amount of time (oil pressure is way low) bad for cam break-in i guess. Kinda hard to do when you come into the marina doing 1000+ rpm at 8 mph sending rollers everywhere.

Dealer suggests no riding either. Only cruising at various speeds with no ballast or drag. It a conspiracy I say.

The "factory" engines are NOT ran at the manufacturer, so that is a misnomer. Just vary the throttle for about 10 hours. I took a "booze cruise" a few times to get used to the boat then away I rode...

One mechanic told me that the break in oil is thinner so that parts break in and seat faster!

That was after I ran my boat past the first oil change...