It's time for your Spring Tuneup!

Spring has finally come and with warmer weather on the schedule, it's time to get under the hood and do that Spring Tuneup! If it's been a while since you did that last tuneup... then it's rather urgent that you get busy with your vehicle's maintenance. This weekend, you'll probably need to take inventory of what you need and then go shopping for your supplies.

From the previous articles, you know WHY you need a GREAT Air and Oil Filter on your car or truck. And now, you know where to get them! So that's two things to have on your list. Personally, I buy these items in bulk so I ALWAYS have backups... Same for the Oil that I use... Can YOU afford to run out of oil? I can't!

Spring is, for me, the time of the year when I rip off those old spark plug wires and come out with some new ones... after I clean up my engine and get all that gunk off of it that has collected over the span of winter. I'm just NOT inspired in the least... to go outside, in sub-zero weather, to clean off my engine! Are you?

So, add new Plug Wires to your list... and a set of new spark plugs too! I personally have had the very best results and mileage with the Bosch Platinum Plus plugs. You may disagree... but for me, they're "top drawer" stuff! While we're on this subject... Get Top Of The Line plug wires. Cheap wires don't last and you can have cross-fire and loss of spark to the plugs which results in loss of performance and mileage. With the price of gas going up as it is... get all the mileage you can!

I drive an older car (personal choice) and the distributor cap and rotor are always something that needs looking at! Actually, If I could afford it, I'd replace them both on a quarterly or semi-annual basis. Why? Take a close look inside your distributor cap, on a regular basis, and you're liable to find a layer of metallic powder layered inside of it. Where did that come from? It came from the rotor spinning around and connecting with the tabs in the top of that distributor cap!

What kind of distributor cap do you use? And, do you have a choice? When I upgraded my ignition system some years ago, the vendor of the spark box that I added suggested that I would burn up the standard cap and rotor in just a few days with this hot spark I had added... so he suggested I go to my local NAPA dealer and get their Echlin line of products... the ones with the Brass contacts instead of aluminum. That was a GREAT HINT!



Now, these are the major tune-up items on my list but... there is another REALLY important item that you MUST not overlook! Your Cooling System!

It needs tuned up too! Carefully inspect ALL your hoses for cracks, dry rot, leaks, etc... If it's been a while, you might consider replacing ALL of them? And, if it's been a while, you should BackFlush your cooling system and re-fill it with new coolant! Make sure you add the correct amount of Anti-Freeze. Sure, summer and warm weather is coming. You MUST know that Anti-Freeze not only keeps your engine's water from freezing but it also raises the boiling point so that your HOT engine will not Boil Off all your coolant and FRY your engine.

You should check your oil and coolant as often as often as you fill up your car. Many of us do NOT do that but we should! At least once a week... "take five" and check your fluid levels... Oil, Water, Power Steering and Brake fluids and also that Windshield Washer fluid container too... When you NEED it is no time to find out that you're out or low! Put it on your calendar and Just Do It!

One last tip... Check your Brakes or have your Mechanic do it for you... Winter road salt is often really rough on your brakes and almost ANY reputable brake shop will check your brakes and give you a report for NO charge. If yours won't, maybe it's time for a new shop?

Have a Great Spring and drive safely.

Dave