04 Corolla - Engine Break-in questions

some things to do.......

1. avoid hard braking for the first few hundered miles (brake pads need to bed in)

2. avoid driving really fast eg. over 70mph and avoid driving at same speed for long periods of time

3.try to avoid towing anything

yes, the ZZ series corolla is on the noisy side. it has been critisised in the aussie media because of this. i drove a new corolla recently and amazed how middle-of-the-road it was refinement wise, especially compared to my 2000 model

Newer Corollas are a bit noiser- they have a timing chain instead of belt.

you don't need to change oil at 1k.

I don't know if they put any additive in the oil

but if they do, you should keep it for 3-5k.

Greetings!

Just bought a new 04 Corolla with 80 miles on the clock. Is there anything special I should be doing during these critical first miles (other than avoiding full-throttle/high RPMs)? I have been careful to avoid interstate driving, instead giving the engine a variety of speeds and conditions.

I'll probably change the oil at 1000 miles, then again every 5k using a Fram filter and Castrol GTX oil.

How many miles before a brand-new Corolla engine loosens up and delivers maximum MPG? I've heard it may take 5000 miles or more.

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On final question... are these engines normally a little on the noisy side? I have an '02 Camry and it's much quieter and smoother than the Corolla. Your thoughts?

I've seen studies where people tore into various filters to evaluate their quality of construction and materials.

Fram, almost universally, is ridiculed. Has to do with glue, cardboard endcaps, and chintzy anti-drainback valves.

I don't have a suggestion either way. I would be comfortable with the Toyota or the variuos Purolator lines. Seems like Napa's up there, and Mobil 1 if you want to spend the big bucks.

I tried to avoid constant speed during break-in, but my commute involves mostly interstate. I varied the speed but I diid go over 70mph occasionally. In 5th gear, this is below 3,000 RPM, which is much lower that many of the automatics would turn at that speed, and they probably had the exact same blurb in their user manuals.

Jon- Your owner's manual is full of helpful hints about breaking in your car.

That's right, just follow what it says in the owners manual. It would not hurt to do an oil change at approx. 2000 miles. When I took delivery of my 2000 the dealer recommended that I do the first oil change early, just as a precaution.

Stick with the Toyota filter - it is small but has a lot of filtering media in it and you shouldn't have any warrenty arguments if something should happen to the engine. I am told it takes a while for the engines to loosen up for best mileage 20,000 to 30,000 kil or 13,000 to 20,000 miles. The engine will get quieter when it breaks in - my daughters 2003 Corolla has about 15,000 kil on it and I notice the engine is noticeably quieter with more pep.

Thanks, everyone for the advice!

I always thought Fram filters were adequate, but for the minimal cost difference (a buck or two, each) I'll stick with Toyota.

Filled up with my first tank of fuel today... 34.09 mpg. With cold weather (and longer warm-up times) approaching, it makes break-in a bit more difficult to detect -- it will be interesting to see when the maximum MPG occurs. I always keep a fuel log for my automobiles, and I'll keep everyone posted as to what happens.

Thanks again,

Jon

For the first 500 miles (1000 is overkill)

1) most improtant, CONSTATLY VARY YOUR SPEED, rpm and throttle position. You should pretty much be constantly on or off the gas. Change gears constantly and use plently of engine braking.

2) avoid wide open throttle and keep it under 5k RPM

3) Avoid long trips. Lots of short 10-15 minutes trips are perfect.

For the brakes. Several long moderate stops from about 50mph will seat the pads. Allow the rotors to cool between eash stop.

THe engine seemed to require at least 5000 miles ot break in. It was hard to tell since I boguht my car in Nov. and my low mileage was mostly from the cold weather. expect mileage to drop by 10-20% under 40 degrees F.

I averaged 38-42mpg on a 2500 mile round trip to FL this week going between 65-80mph. My low was 38mpg going 70-80 mph in the mountains and the hgih was going 60mph for 200 miles while using the temproary spare. (Georgia left me a present in my rear tire)

...it will be interesting to see when the maximum MPG occurs. I always keep a fuel log for my automobiles, and I'll keep everyone posted as to what happens.

#) elapsed distance in miles -- gallons consumed -- mpg

1) 313 9.1 34mpg

2) 334 10.1 33mpg

3) 338 10.6 31.9mpg

4) 343 10.1 34mpg

5) 345 11.3 30.5

6) 396 11.7 33.7

7) 418 10.5 39.8mpg

My first tank of fuel (miles 80-313) yielded 34mpg with me babying the engine and the car now has 2580miles on it. That translates into six tanks of 87 octance BP gas, or ~33mpg. However, that last tank of fuel delivered darned close to 40mpg! So what changed? Well, the weather has turned cooler, so I'm not using the air conditioning. Plus, I raised the tire inflation pressure upwards from the 23psi when it left the dealership to 30psi which likely reduces the rolling resistance.)

With almost 2600 miles, I believe the engine is broken in at this point even though the mileage doesn't really reflect a trend. Perhaps there's a reason: in the beginning I was especially gentle on the throttle and did mostly in-town stop-and-go driving to give the brand-new engine a chance to see lots of different rpms. After 1200 miles, I started taking the 70 mph interstate highway commute to work; taking the RPMs up around 3000 with an occasional downshift where necessary. After 1500 miles on the ODO I was taking the the engine up to the occasional 4000RPM spin. Now, I just drive it without much regard to engine speed.

As far as noise, I'm not sure whether the engine is quieter or I've simply adjusted to the sound. The cabin volume is acceptable while cruising, though it's a little harsh while accelerating at more than 2/3 throttle or anything over 3200RPM.

Overall, I'm very satisfied with the car -- it's a superb commuter machine. Not a lot of fun to drive (my previous car was a supercharged Mini Cooper S) but for the most part it's an extremely well executed package. The driver's seating position is a little strange -- I feel like the pedals should be about 6" further away in order to be comfortable (or give me a telescoping wheel), and the automatic headlights are just about the most annoying thing I've seen since the 2000 VW Beetle stereo which beeped LOUDLY through the speakers when the volume was turned down (what were they thinking?). Given how well the rest of the vehicle works, I'm willing to overlook those shortcomings.

No problems to report, except that I've heard a metallic "clunk" a few times when dropping the transmission into gear after a cold start. Perhaps a CV Joint or loose engine mount? I'll have the service dept. give it a look at the first checkup.

Overall, though this Corolla is proving to be a solid package; Miserly fuel consumption, low insurance, inexpensive MSRP, and legendary Toyota reliability. That's a combination I can live with!

I'll post again after a few thousand additional miles. Looking forward to more driving to see if the (nearly) 40MPG continues!

Cheers,

Jon

Greetings!

Just bought a new 04 Corolla with 80 miles on the clock. Is there anything special I should be doing during these critical first miles (other than avoiding full-throttle/high RPMs)? I have been careful to avoid interstate driving, instead giving the engine a variety of speeds and conditions.

I'll probably change the oil at 1000 miles, then again every 5k using a Fram filter and Castrol GTX oil.

How many miles before a brand-new Corolla engine loosens up and delivers maximum MPG? I've heard it may take 5000 miles or more.

----------

On final question... are these engines normally a little on the noisy side? I have an '02 Camry and it's much quieter and smoother than the Corolla. Your thoughts?

When I purchased my new '03 Corolla LE automatic last year, I had no choice but to immediately make a 450 mile (one way) trip starting with only 100 miles on the odometer. I tried my best not to spend too much time at any one speed, but out of necessity to preserve my life, I had to travel with the flow of traffic at speeds up to 65 MPH for most of the time. So far, my car has shown no ill effects, and my fuel economy this Summer has been nothing short of phenomenal. BTW -- your fuel economy in the Winter will totally vacuum, and you will undoubtedly encounter some sulphur odor from your exhaust.

My 2003 CE 5 speed has 13K miles and purrs like a kitten.

Quiet even with windows open and radio off.

Only real gripe is poor mileage in cold weather.

Why is it important to not drive to long at the same rate of speed when breaking in your car?

my guess is that drivetrain components wear at different rates at different speeds, varying ones speed will help bed in various drivetrain components. an further suggestions?

" I varied the speed but I diid go over 70mph occasionally. In 5th gear, this is below 3,000 RPM, which is much lower that many of the automatics would turn at that speed, and they probably had the exact same blurb in their user manuals.

"

Thats not exactly true, between 70-75 MPH or so in my Automatic the RPMs are easily below 3000 RPMs.

does it matter what gas you put in? not only for break in but for overall use? 03 corolla's engine are vvti, but they don't require high octane do they? 87 is okay? would i suffer poor gas mileage? how about i switch up in between? does that help to burn cleaner? (hoping to induce engine cleaning effect once in awhile, along w/ fuel treatment, etc...)

my integra revs up to 8k rpm, definitely require 91 octane or higher...not sure about the corolla...i am currently running 89 most of the time, but not even sure if that's necessary...

We've done the gasoline/octane thing many times. You can search on it to get the many opinions. My manual says 87 octane or higher, and I use 87. I've tried higher octane and it makes no diff in performance, it just costs more.

" I varied the speed but I diid go over 70mph occasionally. In 5th gear, this is below 3,000 RPM, which is much lower that many of the automatics would turn at that speed, and they probably had the exact same blurb in their user manuals."

 

Thats not exactly true, between 70-75 MPH or so in my Automatic the RPMs are easily below 3000 RPMs.

I wonder what the ratio is for the top gear in both models? Without looking, I'd bet the manual is "taller."