Q:  How do I break-in my new / rebuilt engine?

Proper break-in procedures for your new / rebuilt 13B engine will help performance and longevity for your new engine.  A proper break-in will prevent premature seal and engine failure and will maximize the performance of your expensive investment.

Keep a sharp eye on oil pressure and water temps.  Just as in normal operation, do NOT overheat or allow insufficient oil pressure to happen.  Water temp and oil pressure become even more important during break-in.  If you do run into overheating and / or low oil pressure problems, please consult the shop that you purchased your new or rebuilt engine from.

"Straight 30 weight" oil is the recommended oil type / viscosity by Mazda, but more easily available 10W30, 10W40, or 20W50 should work also.  Please keep in mind that varying climates will also dictate restriction on which oil type / viscosity to use.  Consult your Mazda owners manual or the shop you bought your engine from for proper oil type / viscosity.

During break-in driving, vary engine RPM's as much as possible.  Try to do more stop-and-go driving on city streets.  Try to avoid steady RPM driving such as highway cruising.

Your new / rebuilt engine might be very hard to start for the first few hundred miles.  Flooding can be a major headache.  If possible, have a fuel pump cut-out switch installed to help with flooding problems.

Our break-in procedure is a bit longer than other recommended break-in procedures, but we find the added break-in goes a long way to ensuring a better engine in the long run.  A little more added time on a careful break-in is surely a wise sacrifice for better engine performance and longer engine life for your precious investment; rotary engine rebuilds are not cheap!

FC3S Pro recommended engine break-in procedure
First 1,000 miles	Gradual increase revs up to 4,000RPM maximum	NO BOOST	Vary engine RPM's as much as possible Change oil and oil filter at 500 miles
Next 500 miles	Gradual increase revs up to 6,000RPM maximum	Gradual increase in boost up to half of max boost or 5psi, whichever is LOWER
Next 500 miles	Gradual increase revs up to redline	Gradual increase boost up to maximum boost levels	Change oil and oil filter after break-in
If new bearings are installed, double recommended mileage intervals. "First 1,000 miles" = First 2,000 miles "Next 500 miles" = Next 1,000 miles

Questions?  Comments?  Send email to:  reted@fc3spro.com

06/16/2004