What all does a tune up consist of?

I'm a single mother and to save money I do as much as I can on my own vehicle. I know some of you men "may" think its funny, (notice I said some, not all) but I need to know what I can do on my own, to my truck.

I own a 1995 Explorer XLT, 6cyl, 4x4. It has 140,000 miles on it.

I took it into a local garage to have it an extimate on a tune up. They looked it over and told me I "definately" needed the following:

Fuel filter
Air filter
spark plugs
new wires
pcv valve.

The garage kept my truck all day, the mechanic told me he looked it over "real good" and the price would be $390.00! Yeah right.

Did they think I was totally ignorant? One week ago, I had a friend replace my fuel filter along with the fuel line. I also put in a new air filter, which I can and have done on my own since I owned the truck. (Two weeks ago the oil and oil filter were changed.)

So if the mechanic would have actually looked at the truck, as he said he did, he would have seen those items were very recently replaced.

They wanted to charge me 69.95 for a set of wires!
After calling around, the most expensive set I found was at Auto Zone for $24.95. Thats over a 200% mark up on that part alone. Is this standard practice?

Anyway, I bought the plugs and wires. My Aunt changed them for me this weekend. Now I know how to do that.

I finally found the pcv valve, I will replace that tomorrow myself.


Here are my questions.

Is this all a tune up consists of?

Is there anything else I should do besides replacing the parts listed above, taking into consideration the milage of 140.000?

Also:
My O/D light flashes as well. It will flash for a week, shut off then flash for a couple more...and on and on it goes. Of course the truck runs rough when its flashing.
Ive seen a few other people post here about this problem as well.

I'm hesitant to take the truck to a dealer now to see why the light is flashing. Im afraid they will tell me I need hundreds of dollars of work, when in fact I wont.
Is there anything I can replace myself to see if this problem goes away?

And one question about antifreeze. I normally add straight antifreeze to the resivor tank. I dont dilute it 50/50, but I was told I should. Is this true?

I know I've asked a lot of questions. But I need this truck to last me another 100.000+ miles. And I want to take care of it as best I can without having to depend on a mechanic who is going to over charge me.

Maybe the price isnt out of line...but I sure think it is.

Thanks

Vonnie

First thing you should do is go buy a repair manual for your truck. You can buy one at most automotive parts stores. I prefer Haynes. It will tell you how to do all the regular maintenance. If I were you I would not go back to the shop that quoted you $390.00 for a tune up.
As far as antifreeze Yes you should mix it 50/50 with water.
For your O/D light flashing first thing you should try is reseting your computer. To do this all you do is disconect your battery for around 5-10 min.
If that doesn't help come back and ask one of the experts on here.

I would not bother with the Haynes manual, it's very general and vague. You can get a copy of the Ford Factory Service manual on CD off of eBay for less than $10. It's model year specific, and is worth every penny if your into doing your own work. It's the same information Ford dealer techs use to work on your truck.

As for the antifreeze, you should NOT add straight coolant to anything. The spec is 50/50. You can purchase pre-mixed anti-freeze in most parts stores so you don't have to mix it yourself.

As a saftey issue, you might want to check your brakes. Rotors on these trucks warp often. Also, make sure there is enough pad material left. Also, tire pressure. Ford spec is something like 28PSI, but IMO that is too low. I typically run 30 PSI with no trouble. You can change your transfter case fluid also. It only takes 2 quarts of Mercon Transmission fluid, and it's rather easy to change.

Good luck with your X!

i was always told, in mish, ohio and the like to only mix the coolant 50/50 in the summer because it can atill freeze like that in the winter. i just use straigt coolant all the time.

thw wires, that doesnt sound right. i paid 40 bucks for bosch wires at autozone and we have the same engine...then, i went so splitfires which were moe expensive. 24.99 seems like cheapos but as long as they have a lifetime warr, whatever works.

50/50 mix coolant protects down to -36. If you need lower than that, mix to 60/40.

You should NOT use straight antifreeze, that's a good way to destroy your cooling system.

For reference, the freezing point of pure ethylene glycol is -13 C or +9 F. Definitely want to put some water in there to lower the freezing point.

Thank you all very much for your responses.
I was afraid no one would respond.

Today I replaced my own pcv valve, which I'm excited about. Silly huh? It's done and the car starts, so I assume I did it correctly.

Flyin 5.0, I called Car Quest this morning and ordered a manual for my Explorer, it was only $13.99 on sale. I'll get that tomorrow morning.

BradE and MrShorty, It never made sense to me to add water to my antifreeze. I thought the water would freeze in the winter. (thank God I found this board) Im going to get someone to show me how to flush everything out completely and replace it with a 50/50 mix. It can't be that hard to do myself.

BradE,Im also going to do some shopping on Ebay tonight and look for that CD.

Udmsvt, almost $70.00 for wires is a sin!
I think the people, in the garage I took my Explorer to, need to have their heads examined!
But if they thought they could get away with charging that, then they've done it before.
I dont know what kind of wires I bought, but I purchased them from Car Quest for just $24.95.
As time goes on, plus with the help of all you here, Im sure I will learn which brands are better than others.

A few months ago when my O/D light was flashing, I did disconnect my battery. The light did go off, but I learned the hard way that I had to drive my car at 55 miles an hour for it to reset the computer. (or at least that's what I was told)

After I disconnected the battery, my truck would start, then stall after I let off on the gas. I called a GoodYear tire center in town and they told me to go run the car 55 mph for a period of time, after that the truck ran fine. But the O/D light still flashes every now and then. Im crossing my fingers that it wont happen again, but with my luck it will.

I guess I should also change my transfer case fluid as suggested by BradE. Hope that's in the book or on the CD. I did have the brakes changed about a month ago. The rotors were fine, but I imagine I will need to get them changed next time the brakes are done. My tires have a PSI of of 35. I check the air quite often. The set of tires I had on before these had a PSI of 50!

I'd like to thank everyone again for being so helpful. It's appreciated more than any of you could know!

Vonnie

Vonnie,

Do a search on eBay for "1995 Ford Truck CD", that will show you the auctions for the Ford manual for your X.

Originally posted by BradE.
50/50 mix coolant protects down to -36. If you need lower than that, mix to 60/40.

You should NOT use straight antifreeze, that's a good way to destroy your cooling system.

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AGREED!

Udmsvt, almost $70.00 for wires is a sin!

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splitfire. i didnt pay 70 per se, i got wires and a KKM for a package price.

You didn't tell us how many miles you had on your Ex. I'd want to know that and how you use it before I start making recommendations on transfer case fluids etc. I can offer a couple of observations. Many users have reported troubles using other than Motorcraft spark plugs. Same with wire sets. Somehow, it seems to make sense with these babies to stay with factory wiring and plugs. Slightly more expensive but appraently worth it. Warped rotors can be a problem, but you'll know... as you stop there will be a surging feeling. Especially as you near zero speed. Not there ? No prob. Don't go looking for trouble, it will find you.

Folks can go a little overboard when they get the "tune up" bug on newer cars with electronic ignition. Watch the fluid change intervals, keep your filters clean, watch tire inflation, and fix any little thing before it gets out of hand. Your OD light needs to be looked into. Can a code show up kind of "out of the blue" and then forever disappear if you disconnect the battery and reset the computer? Sure. One in a thousand chance, meanwhile you just erased your long term memory and have to retrain the computer - hence the issue of a "drive cycle" the 55 mph and around town thing. People do that WAY too often, unnecessarily. If the OD light comes back on, get it checked out. with what you've done, and stay at 3,000 miles on oil changes and filter, and you should be good. HEED the lights. It'll save you in the long run.

Hope this helps.

Happy Exploring

Chris

ps. 200K on a 92 and still going strong, ALL original.

First Post... Second Paragraph...
"I have a 95 Explorer with 140k miles.."

--Bryan

There isn't any "options" for transfer case fluid either. Ford T-Cases use Mercon ATF ONLY.

synthetic, blend or dino....

main thing is just stay on top of it, $10 here, $50 there is easier to swallow than waiting and forking out $500 when you can least afford it, and sometimes you end up doing so anyway when you have unplanned accidents.

I have 142,143 miles on my Explorer. I drive it to work daily, about 30 miles round trip. I change the oil every 3000 miles (give or take a hundred miles) And once a year I change the air filter. I have them use Castrol Synthetic Blend in it. I take it to Wal Mart. They also check all the fluids and give me a print out on what they did. I bought my tires there and get free rotation and balance. I also have that done every 3000 miles.

Two weeks ago I took a trip out to Nebraska.
Its about 950 miles. On my way back home to Ohio the tensioner broke on me and the idler pully flew off. I had car towed to Tires Plus (only place open in Indiana on Sunday) and they replaced the tensioner, idler pully and belt. Cost me about 250.00, but there was nothing else I could do, I was in a bind. But I heard if a person has the right tool, that the belt is easy to replace.

So to recap, over the past 3 weeks, Ive had the following done or replaced:

The oil and oil filter changed
Air filter (replaced myself)
Tires rotated
new spark plugs (Aunt replaced)
new wires (Aunt Replaced)
pcv valve (replaced myself)
fuel filter
fuel line
New front and back brakes

Knowing nothing about cars or trucks, and never reading my manual. The only thing I have done on a regular basis is replace my air filter, have the oil changed and tires rotated. Two years ago I had the transmission fluid and filter replaced.
And yes, I have been putting straight af in it.
But I will never do that again!

Now Im much more aware of things. I had never had a tune up. And I wasnt about to pay $390.00 for one either. Total out of my pocket, doing everything myself or having help from a friend it cost me 74.00 to replace the spark plugs, wires, air filter, pcv valve and fuel filter. (Big savings huh?)

I did buy a manual this morning and I also won a bid on Ebay last night for the 1995 Ford Truck CD, 5.00 with shipping! Good Deal.

I need to also change the transfer case fluid. I'll find the Mercon ATF.

This is the 2nd time Ive disconnected the battery because of the O/D light problem. Once a few days ago and once last year.

Next time it starts blinking, I'll have to take it to the Dealer I guess...I was told they were the only ones that can check the computer for that type of problem. I should call Auto Zone to see if they can do it.

Udmsvt, I didnt mean you paid 70.00 for wires...sorry. I meant I still cant believe that garage tried to charge me that much for wires.

Im thankful for this forum and every one who responded. Im going to learn a lot here and hopefully my explorer will last me another 100,000+ miles, without having to put thousands of dollars in it. Im also leary of garages and the dealership.

I going to do as much as I can learn to do on my own.

Vonnie

Udmsvt, I didnt mean you paid 70.00 for wires...sorry. I meant I still cant believe that garage tried to charge me that much for wires.

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i think the ones i got normally run like 60, i got them for like 45.

Flashing O/D Light

Hey Vonnie, I just wanted to chime in about the flashing O/D light that you have. I had/have that problem on and off, and did a bunch of research on the problem.

Turns out that there is no recall for it, but Ford has a 'technical bulletin' out saying that a problem is known with the Explorer automatic transmissions. That the hydraulic-electric control for the O/D wears out and causes the O/D light to flash. It's hard to judge how long the transmisison will last before you lose overdrive and your mileage goes into the crapper, but you'll notice when the light is flashing that the engine rpms are slightly higher because the O/D is sliping and won't lock up.

My local garage (who is VERY knowledgeable and trustworthy) told me keep an eye on it, and just drive the transmission into the ground. The kit to fix the O/D setup is almost as much as a completely rebuilt trans, just replace the whole darn thing when it goes.

Do some other searches on Flashing Overdrive O/D to learn more. Hope this helps...

Stomper,

Thanks for the info about the O/D light.

I love my Explorer but the two things I hate about it are the O/D flashing light problem and the fact that every other time I replace my brakes the rotors have to be replaced, it never fails.

Currently, my O/D light is not flashing (knock on wood)

But I have noticed, in the past, when I have to slam my brakes on (we have a lot of pesky deer here where I live) that the O/D light starts flashing instantly afterwards. This has happened to me at least 3 times in the past several years. After a couple of weeks, the light will automatically shut off by itself.


It normally shuts off by iteself. I have disconnected the batter twice because I couldn't stand the flashing any longer. At times its like Chinese Water Torture! And no matter how big the sticker is that I place over it, I can still see it flashing!

It's definately a very frustrating problem for many of us.
Maybe one of these days, Ford will take a closer look at it.

I will keep this truck until it is a pile of rust. The body is still in excellent shape! Until then, I want to do everything possible to keep it in tip top shape without having to have a garage get their sticky little hands on it.

Vonnie

vonnie,
Sounds to me like you are being smart about taking care of your X and doing a good job of it. Just a quick suggestion. When you flush out your cooling system, consider using some jugs of distilled water from Wal Mart instead of straight tap water. The distilled water will be cleaner for your cooling system and help it last longer....assuming it is not all corroded up already.
Anyway, good job. A lot of people around here don't even know how to open their doors with a regular key if their electonic key fob quits working, let alone change a filter out!!!
Ken

Originally posted by Bottomlesspit
Anyway, good job. A lot of people around here don't even know how to open their doors with a regular key if their electonic key fob quits working, let alone change a filter out!!!
Ken

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I second that.....way to get into it! Not only are you maintaining a healthy vehicle, but you're learning a lot and saving labor costs (which usually are the killer anyway). Invaluable bro!