How to Break in a Suzuki SX4 Engine

If you invested in a new Suzuki SX4, there are a few things you should do for the first 4,400 miles of the engine's life to properly break it in. These steps are easy to follow and will make sure you don't damage the vehicle by running it too hard at first.

Things You'll Need

• 9.5 qts of 5w30 oil
• 2 FRAM TG4386 oil filters
• 17 mm and 10 mm wrenches
• Car jack or ramps
• Rags

Instructions

Instructions

1. Be careful not to drive above 3000 rpm. The first 600 miles in your Suzuki SX4 can be the hardest. It's hard to control the urge to mob the car around, but your engine will thank you later for going easy. Keeping the engine from revving that hard will allow the initial engine lubricant and other fluids to properly circulate into all the cracks and crevices of the engine.

2. Get your first oil change at 600 miles. You can take the car into a shop and have it done, but it's recommended that you do it yourself so you can look at the used oil with your own eyes. It should be a very dirty metallic color, so don't panic if the oil looks terrible. The engine is just undergoing its breaking-in period and all left-over bits of metal from the engine's machining are coming out in the oil.

3. Go a little harder on the SX4's engine from 600 to 1400 miles. However, try to keep it under 4000 rpm. Though it's hard to resist, just keep from gunning it for a short while longer.

4. Get your next oil change at 1400 miles. This time the oil shouldn't be as dirty as it was at 600 miles, but there will still be quite a bit of metallic color. This, again, is a good sign. It means that the last bits of machined metal are being cleaned out of your engine.

5. Check the fluids regularly for the next 2000 to 3000 miles. After your second oil change, the SX4's engine should be broken in. Change the oil once more at 3000 miles, if you want, to get the last particles of metal out of the engine. This isn't required, but it may put a few more thousand miles onto the life of your engine.

Tips & Warnings

• Changing your oil is very easy. Try doing it yourself instead of paying a high price for a shop to do it (see Resources below).

• There are many hazards when changing the oil in a vehicle. Watch for hot oil, pinch points and falling jacks or sliding blocks.

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish
• Oil Change Process for 2008 SX4