Ok, I've read that at around 1k miles it's good if you can tow something heavy to help with the break in process. How far is adequate? 50mi, 200mi?

 

Load it up and head for Los Angeles. After looking at the Pacific, head for the other coast then home again.

If you can't do that, load it up and run a couple of tanks through. As several say on this site, "Drive it like you stole it". Make your first couple of oil changes using dino oil, wait on the synthetic till about 20k miles. Welcome to the group.

 

Start with thousands of hard, heat making, towing miles. This is a diesel son!
It needs work, the more the better!!
Mike
###

 

For a start how about hooking up to a 4,000 lb load and pull it for 30 hours non stop except for fuel or or put 2000 Lbs. in the bed and do the same 30 hrs drive. Then take a break and drive it for another 3k and you should have the rings seated. Now if you can't do that then put 2000 lbs in the bed of your truck for 6 months or 8-10,000 miles.

 

The day after I drove my 04.5 off the lot I had my work trailer behind her. 52k miles on the clock now and I can get 21mpg highway empty if I can drive her at 65mph!!! Work these things. That's what they were designed for!!!

 

Most of these are not quite the type of answers I was looking for...

My truck is a daily driver but not a "work truck" and I do not travel with work so whatever towing break-in to be done will happen on the weekend. I guess I'll hook up the trailer & Jeep and put a couple hundred miles on it this weekend.

 

I agree with/have done what has been said above. Take her easy in the begining, first 500 miles or so, then give her heck!!!! If you want some weight, have Lowes or something like that load a pallet of mulch/rocks in the back, drive around all weekend, then take it back.

Hard driving/driving with a load does help. Good maintence is a must. Warm up and cool downs.

Welcome to the club!

 

They will just let you "take" this stuff with the agreement that you are bringing it back to them?

 

still waiting on mine to get better than 13
and i have worked the snot out of mine

 

Sorry you don't like our answers but did you want us to lie to you? Being you can only drive on weekends then that will be ok, just remember it takes time to break in your engine and the more you can tow/haul with it the better.

 

I see you have a K&N on yours. I've talked to some who did a cat delete and put on a pass through muffler along with removing the air box like you have and lost mpg. Too get the mpg's back they had to add a Areo Turbine muffler where the cat was. I'm not sure if this could be why you have such low mpg's or not but one can never tell.

 

OK if this is all true. I have about 8000 mls on my truck. should I make a large run with some heavy wieght now or will that help me? Before that should I have my truck flashed and then my the run or just put as much weight on it as I can and GO GO GO? I have not been able to get my truck above 20 mpg. Will this also help that or am I just stuck with what I got?

 

Heck I will trade you anytime!!!

 

the K&N was put in not too long ago (ie. @ 6000 miles)
no noticable change on either one

 

ok you all posted that stuff but it still does not answer my questions