2012 250 pro xs / TM - curious break in questions.

[simplecircuit]

i read the FAQ on the break in.
so far so good... i have a 2012 merc 250 pro xs w/ TM and a 26 Fury on a 2004 Bass Cat Cougar. i've put about 1.5hrs on it running btwn 4-5k at 2-3min intervals of rpm speeds. my question is an odd one... as soon as i got the motor up to 4k on my initial break in acceleration, i had a marker buoy slide out and knock my kill switch. the engine shut down obviously. is there anything special i should be doing due to this?

otherwise, now that i'm 1.5hrs in, is it still important to not trim the motor up at all? i've been leaving it at 0 degrees to push the engine as hard as possible. however, it's not getting up above 4750rpm. on my next outing, should i start to trim up the motor a couple degrees to get a higher rpm range? or should i be keeping the nose straight in the water.

also, in the manual, it says that the initial break-in is 1hr at variable speeds, then normal use for the next 4hrs. however, the smart gauge is showing 40mins of break-in time remaining. just curious as to whether this is something new between the 2004 gauges and the 2012 motor not synching up?

i'm happy to do whatever will aid a longer more dependable engine - this being a replacement for a blown 225 pro xs.

sorry if this has been covered before. but, i'm super paranoid about putting this engine through the proper break-in. thoughts? thanks in advance.

j.

ps. i've done almost no idling. just let the engine up to temp then pushed it up to 4-5k.

[EuropeanAM]

You'll need to keep the trim level (or low) UNTIL the "Break-In Remaining" clears from your Smartcraft.

This is critical, as the Break-In Clock will ONLY count down when the engine is under a HIGH LOAD condition, at RPM's ABOVE 3500 RPM.

Once the clock has cleared, you can begin normal operation (still recommend that you not run at any specific RPM for more than 5 minutes... through the 10 hour mark).

Nothing specific to do due to the "lanyard dilemna" (there's not much to do other than reinstall, restart, confirm up to temp, and continue).

[simplecircuit]

Thanks for the info Don.
as for the lanyard... at least i know it works... and it's not the first time i've had something pull it while running. last time it was sunscreen... from now on, everything goes in the glovebox. :)

otherwise, i'm planning to head out tomorrow to do the rest of the smart gauge time.
that's one nice thing about Nashville in the winter. you get a few days of upper 50's and 60's. is there any downside to running it under HIGH LOAD longer than the smart gauge says? i'd prefer to be on the safe side. thanks again for your help!
j.

[EuropeanAM]

Once you've completed the "PCM Break-In Cycle" (as evidenced by the Break-In Time Remaining display being gone)... it's good to let this engine air out and reach it's full RPM range for 3-4 minutes at a time (changing RPM's up a bit every 3-4 minutes).