ive got 20k miles on my new rebuilt engine and its about time for a tuneup, and i was just wondering what all this includes. should i just take it to the dealership and have them do a tuneup or should i do it myself? and what all does it include?

 

Do it yourself. You should have already changed your oil every 3000 miles at least. You should change the oil, oil filter, spark plugs, spark plug wires, & air filter. You can change the fuel filter as well & flush the coolant as well. Shouldn't cost too much & the stuff is sooo simple its like throwing money away having someone else do it. Also, then you get to know your car & exactly what has been done to it.

O ya....you can bleed the brakes & clutch if you like. Don't think that is in your normal tune up though.

 

Well a tune up is maintence. What I said is basic tune up plus alot more. If you take your car to a shop & ask them for a tune up ask them exactly what it includes.

 

Every 5k miles I...

Rotate the tires
Run fuel system cleaner on no more than 1/2 tank of gas

Every 10k miles I do this...

New spark plugs
New fuel filter
Coolant system flush
Clean air filters
Next time around I'm going to add the ATF treatment to this list

I'm adjusting to change my oil every 2500 miles instead of 3000 like I have been. At every oil change I check the spark plug wires and the belts. Spark plug wires are expensive so if they look good, then I'm not going to change them.

I just finished up a 10k tune up tonight, and the difference in how the car runs is amazing. The car felt like **** before, now it feels great again.

 

I change the oil every 2500, haven't ran the car enough to change wires but change plugs every 5000 or so(only done once ). Prolly only ever put 10,000 on the car so far.

 

The only things that I see that you missed were a timing check, idle speed check, and fuel filter replacement. There is an A/F adjustment on pre-89 cars, but it only affects idle, and should never need to be done unless there are significant changes in intake/exhaust (it is sealed from the factory). These days, "tune ups" consist of new plugs, new plug wires if necessary, and checks on the very few items that can be adjusted. Everything else is controlled by the ECU, and is not adjustable in any way. If the car's performance is being caused by bad plugs/coil wires, a tune-up will fix it. If not, something is broken and must be diagnosed. For example, you say your car has poor performance. Have you developed a vacuum leak? Are your cats clogged? Is the water temp sensor ok? Are the intake air temp sensors ok? Is the short range TPS ok and adjusted properly? (oops, missed an adjustment, didn't I?) Do you have sufficient fuel pressure under heavy load? Does your fuel regulator shift from low to high pressure when manifold vacuum goes away? Is your MAF sensor ok? Is your compression OK? (Very important!) Is your ECU properly grounded and working properly?

You get the idea. Tune-up = regular maintenance. Poor performance = broke. Give us a detailed collection of all of your symptoms, and if this suddenly started occuring, what changed at that time. Maybe one of us can help.

Irv, Keith's dad