How many miles is recommended??? - Diesel Forum

Markford14 · 05-06-2006, 07:27 PM

I should have my new F-350 6.0 by May 11th. By the time i get it should have an additional 200 miles on it because of the dealer swap. Im planning on taking it to tow a enclosed trailer to PA Memorial day weekend. How many will do you think i should put on it before i tow for about 5-6 hours?

huntjock · 05-06-2006, 07:31 PM

I waited what I thought was the recommended miles...1,000. You can choose to tow right off the lot,I guess.

Sandgeek · 05-06-2006, 07:47 PM

I waited until I had about a 1K on it before towing a 42ft Weekend Warrior 5th wheel. I havn't had a problem since.
Good luck! [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

Allister73 · 05-06-2006, 11:02 PM

MarkFord, I would recommend doing the engine break in period listed by owners manual. You could just tow, but the reason for the breakin is to let the rings seat correctly. You will nead to fary you rpm like it says, to get the rings. If you do not, they may never seal properly. I know some people say to break it in like you will normally drive it, but in the gas world, I have seen this cause lots of trouble, and either oil burining and a ring replacement and cylinder hone, or unusual oil consumption. My .02 is to follow your recommended breakin. It is advised for a reason. Colin [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif[/img]

CascarFan · 05-06-2006, 11:23 PM

I waited 300 kilometers, I have 160,000 kms on her now, but I did have the standard tranny and I did vary my rpms, even while towing and I made sure she wasn't pulling hard and my first trip was down a flat highway for the most part.

SmokeyWren · 05-07-2006, 09:50 AM

[ QUOTE ]
How many will do you think i should put on it before i tow for about 5-6 hours?

[/ QUOTE ]

The more, the better. You still have a couple of weeks, so I'd use every opportunity to put the right kind of miles on the truck before then.

The right kind of miles is moderately loaded with lots of stop and go traffic. You want lots of throttle-off deceleration, including some manual downshifting to get some RPMs as it slows down.

Constantly vary the speed. Don't use cruise control. Baby the brakes, but mash on the go pedal. Accelerate moderately most of the time, but every once in a while go with a full-blown drag-race or "jack rabbit" start, up to at least 30 MPH and preferably up to 60 MPH when traffic will allow.

As you can see, freeway cruising is not for you until after the breakin. If you simply must cruise on the interstates or other freeways before you have about 500 miles of good brake-in driving on the truck, then constantly vary the speed every 5 miles or so as follows:

With 70 MPH speed limit, take every exit, then get right back on the highway - so you can get some deceleration in during the trip. Every 5 miles or so when exits/on ramps are further apart than 5 miles, change the speed per the following. If there are exits less than 5 miles apart, then accelerate to a different speed each on-ramp as follows:

55
65
73
60
70
Then repeat 55, etc.

With 60 MPH speed limit:

45
55
63
50
60
45, etc.

Plus with the lower speed limit, then downshift one gear every other cycle, so you'll be in OD half the time and a lower gear the other half of the time.

Don't worry about fuel mileage during break-in. It will probably be awful, but that's the price you pay to properly break in a new engine so it will last 400,000 miles. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/warmsmile.gif[/img]

FamilyRide · 05-07-2006, 01:56 PM

I think Ford still says 500 miles, but you'd also need to change then oil. I believe the primary reason for waiting 500 miles is to allow the differential to wear in.

SmokeyWren · 05-07-2006, 03:27 PM

Hmmmmmm. Nobody has mentioned Diesel Jay's article on breaking in a diesel engine. Good article. Read it here.

grandma99 · 05-07-2006, 07:36 PM

I agree with familyride. If you tow without a good 1,000 mile break in, you'll be putting a new rear differential in your truck.

Wayne B · 05-08-2006, 08:05 PM

[ QUOTE ]
I think Ford still says 500 miles, but you'd also need to change then oil. I believe the primary reason for waiting 500 miles is to allow the differential to wear in.

[/ QUOTE ]

[img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shrug.gif[/img] [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shrug.gif[/img] It says nowhere in the owners manual to change the oil at 500 miles and it's NOT recommended since it's a break in 5W-30 oil.

Wayne B

loganhauler · 05-08-2006, 10:38 PM

Hi All, From the What It's Worth department. I have owned two PSD's. A 95 and a 99, both were brand new units. I drovr the 95 off the lot with less than 50 miles on it and pulled a bouble set of horse trailers from the plant where they were built to a dealer (100 miles) and continued to pull trailers for the next four years. When I traded it for the 99 it at 135000+ miles and never used oil or had any problems with it. THe 99 now has 271000+ miles on it and I done the same thing with it. As a matter of fact, I was pulling trailers with it prior to signing the papers on both, I found a really good dealer. I owner/operater of a small RV Transport company and move alot of units. I don't know if was just lucky or these motors are meant to be worked. Just my experance with two 7.3 PDS. Hope this helps you

Have a great day and keep on STROKEN
Paul

RopinandRidin · 05-10-2006, 12:55 AM

[ QUOTE ]
I don't know if was just lucky or these motors are meant to be worked. Just my experance with two 7.3 PDS. Hope this helps you

Have a great day and keep on STROKEN
Paul

[/ QUOTE ]

You may have gotten lucky but these motors aren't quite as wimpy as they get portrayed sometimes. My truck that just got wrecked had over 650,000 miles on it and ran like a champ while it pulled a 50 foot trailer and grossed out over 30K for 50% of it's miles and while it had the coolant changed a total of three times, never had injectors changed or anything else in the engine compartment except a fuel pump, a vacum pump and a starter and never had any problem with the rear end that worked it's rear off. My wife's truck has over 350,000 on it and while it hasn't worked like mine did it has been on a farm chasing and carrying cows all of it's life, it runs like a dream and has had nothing done to it but had three vacum pumps replaced, the coolant once and one fuel pump. These trucks are a lot tougher than people think. The older ones anyway, I don't know about the new plastic ones.... [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif[/img]