How long to warm up engine before the first drive?

Although I had promised myself I would warm up the engine well before my first drive, somehow I forgot about it with all the excitement when I got in. It had 2 miles of mileage and was prepared for me at the European Delivery center in Munich. I ran it idle for about 4 minutes before driving off the lot and switching to sports mode (automatic transmission). I was driving with quite fast/dynamic acceleration for about 15 minutes in the high range of 2.5-4k RPM before hitting the highway where I drove off with rather stable speed and 2k RPM.

Now my fear is that perhas I put too much "pressure" on the engine while it was brand new and maybe (?) not well warmed up. It was in July and the outside temperature was not very cold (about 20C) so the engine was not as cold as it might have been in winter.

Another time I switched to manual shifting and accidentaly I ran 6K RPM but it was only for about 3 seconds and the car already had about 200 mileage so I am more worried about the first problem.

On a side note, I wonder how many pre-owned cars that are being sold through dealerships or private parties were broken-in properly. Isn't it risky to buy a pre-owned car knowing it might have permanently lost some power due to misuse in the first 1000 miles driven?

Reply » How long to warm up engine before the first drive?

I don't think you broke any of the rules except for your brief stint at 6k rpm. You're allowed to go up to 4k rpm when the engine is brand-new, and you're supposed to try to vary the engine speed during break in period. "Dynamic" driving is OK, as long as you're not flooring the accelerator. I think you're OK.

Reply » How long to warm up engine before the first drive?

I have an oil temperature gauge in my E46. I've found that, on average, it takes about ten miles of driving before the oil temperature reaches 180F, which I consider the minimum for "spirited" driving.

I keep it under 3000-3500 RPM until then.

Reply » How long to warm up engine before the first drive?

Quote:

Just curious: How long does it usually take for oil temp to be normal after the water temp gauge reads normal?

Reply » How long to warm up engine before the first drive?

Quote:

Just curious: How long does it usually take for oil temp to be normal after the water temp gauge reads normal?

I can't answer your question exactly (never thought to gather that particular statistic), but I do know that at the point when the water temp gauge reaches normal, the oil temp gauge hasn't even moved from it's peg.

If I had to guess, I would say that in the summer (I haven't used the gauges in winter yet) the water temp gauge reads normal after two miles. As I said it takes ten for the oil temp gauge to read normal. Obviously this varies slightly with conditions - the oil warms up much quicker in warm weather and slow-moving traffic than it does on a cool day going down on the highway.

The water temp gauge is incredibly optimistic, and completely useless as anything but an idiot light.

Reply » How long to warm up engine before the first drive?

Greg, you can sleep better because you didn't do any damage to your engine, you've made a few mistakes though. It's good that you wanted your engine warmed up before running it harder but you don't do it at idle. Idling for long periods of time leads to fuel contamination of oil since the engine runs rich after the cold start and it allows the build up of moisture. You also want your engine warmed up as quick as possible and it's best done at light load.

Initial engine break-in is all about seating the compression rings against the cylinder walls. You need strong gas pressure for a proper seal and this is why highway driving is not recommended during break-in, driving at 2K RPMs doesn't produce enough pressure. For the same reason you want to open up a throttle but make sure to avoid high piston speeds hence 4K RPM limit. You want short bursts of acceleration followed by deceleration using as much engine breaking as possible. It's all much easier done on cars with manual transmissions but you can still do it on your steptronic, just put it in manual mode and shift before 4K RPMs, try to accelerate and decelerate in one gear, say 2nd or 3rd and remember to avoid pressing the gas pedal pass the kickdown.

100 mph limit during break-in is more because of strains it does on the rest of a drivetrain than engine itself (remember that you break-in not only your engine but also transmission and differential).

Things to remember:

1. Don't idle, drive off after there is enough oil pressure to assure free flow (30seconds should be enough).

2. Limit RPMs during warm up, it takes at least 10 minutes.

3. Vary engine speeds without exceeding 4K RPMs.

5. Don't drive like a granny, accelerate hard but break early using engine breaking if possible.

6. Check your oil level on regular basis, keep a bottle in your trunk for top ups. Some engines use oil during break-in but up to a quart is normal.

Just my $.02.

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