Everyone has heard the recommendation to get a tune-up on their car. Today we are going to dive into what a “tune-up” is, how often you should be doing this, and what is involved.
What is a Tune-Up
The term tune-up was originally coined back when Henry Ford himself was working on his production vehicles. Each cylinder had a coil that made a buzzing sound, which when synced was considered tuned-up.
In days past a tune-up involved replacing your spark plugs, wires and distributor cap, and rotor. Generally, distributors were phased out in the 80s and 90s, in favor of the more reliable, and better for emission and gas mileage, fuel injection with coils.
In one of our last articles, we discussed ECM/ECUs, which helped usher in the death of carburetors, and eventually distributors. This changed tune-ups forever.
Tune-ups on Older Engines
When vehicles had distributors, there was a rotor attached to the distributor that would make contact with different points on the distributor cap to send the signal for the spark to the appropriate spark plug, through the spark plug wire.
Over time, the rotor would wear down, causing a weak flow of voltage from the distributor(spins with the engine) to the spark plugs igniting your fuel to produce power.
Buttons, or the portion on the distributor cap that conducts voltage from the rotor to the spark plug wires, could also wear down with age. Replacing the cap and rotor ensured proper voltage running to your spark plugs through the spark plug wires.
Spark Plug Wires
The next part of your ignition system is spark plug wires. Once the voltage is successfully passed through the distributor to the rotor and cap, it continues on its journey through your spark plug wires.
Spark plug wires are a flexible and heat resistant coating over a conductive core (wire) that carries voltage from your distributor in older cars, or coils in newer cars, to the spark plugs.
Over time, these wires degrade and the ability to transfer voltage is compromised. This can result in misfires or a rough idle.
Replacing spark plug wires is usually an easy job, just be sure to do them one at a time, as on certain applications the wires will be varied in length.
Spark Plugs
Spark plugs have been used on every gasoline engine ever made. They consist of a central electrode, covered in ceramic, tipped with metal threads to screw into and be grounded by the engine block.
When voltage is applied to the spark plug, it creates a spark inside the cylinder of your engine. This spark ignites the fuel/air mixture in the cylinder to create an explosion that forces your cylinder to move and create power.
As spark plugs age, the electrode can wear down and/or gather buildup from unburnt fuel, excess air, or oil leaking into the cylinder. Any of these conditions not properly balanced will result in a fouled spark plug.
Replacing your spark plugs will guarantee a complete burn of your fuel, improving gas mileage and power.
Modern Engines
While spark plugs are still found on every gasoline engine, and wires are still found on some, the definition of a tune-up has changed with the parts that come from the factory.
Gone are the years of distributors and “tune-ups” in the classical sense of the word.
Spark plugs and wires (if installed) are still recommended about every 90-100k miles, or after any major repair which affected the fuel mixture, such as a prolonged engine air leak, fuel problem, or valve cover oil leak.
Tune-ups Now
General maintenance or a tune-up on your 2000-something vehicle is going to be vastly different.
These days a tune-up would consist of changing your spark plugs, air filter, and flushing fluids, such as coolant, brake fluid, differential fluid, and throwing an additive in your gas, or having an induction clean performed.
Accordingly, most vehicles don’t need a “tune-up” as a specific service, but rather require general maintenance throughout the vehicle’s life.
Induction cleans spray a chemical cleaner into your intake to clean out deposits in your air intake and combustion chambers.
Fuel additives will help clean built-up debris from injectors and fuel lines, to prevent clogs or poor flow.
Air filters prevent dirt and debris from entering your engine.
Different fluids break down at different intervals, and flush recommendations can be found in the owner’s manual.
What Do You Do?
So we’ve been over what a tune-up is and why it isn’t as much of a thing in the industry these days. Next time you ask yourself “shoot monkey, is it time for a tune-up?” run through this checklist;
Have your spark plugs been replaced in the last 90-100k miles?
Has your air filter been checked/replaced in the last 15k miles?
Have you had an induction clean performed in the last 30k miles?
Has your transmission been flushed in the last 30k miles?
Is your coolant older than 5 years or 100k miles?
Change brake fluid according to the owner’s manual.
Add a fuel additive about twice as often as recommended in the owner’s manual or every 10k miles.
Get tires balanced every 15k miles or once a year
Get your alignment checked at least once a year (and check out my article here to better understand alignments)
If you have completed this checklist, you are maintaining your vehicle better than 95% of the population.
I look forward to seeing all your vehicles running way past their expected lifetime.
As always, feel free to comment, DM or Tweet me @BowTiedGreaseMonkey with any questions or comments.