Average Tune up cost?

[EliteConcept]

hey guys,
well i have been puting this off for a while now, but all my spark plugs need changed bad......i think thats what is causing me to
1. start up hard.
2. Idel funny some times.
3. doesn't acclerate like it used to......kinda choppy if you will.

so i was wondering what the average cost of a tune up is...
i know i know to go in my area and get prices but i was wondering what you guys have paid....

i figiure if i'm gonna pay 60-80 to have my spark plugs changed if i can get other things done (I.E. tranny fluid and filter,) i might as well get a tune up if it will save me a bit of money in the long run.


thanks guys
ryan

 

[jimbo74]

plugs $20
wires $30
Oil & Filter $10-40
fuel filter $10
air filter $10

how much of a service are you looking for? at my work we charge an average of $250 for a tuneup--major service we do all the above and coolant flush and run a fuel system cleaner, and indution cleaner, and a oil stabilizer around here, we charge $85 an hour for labor

 

[EliteConcept]

is that 20 for x number of plugs or $20 per plug?

well there are soem things i don't need
like air filter, i got a cone air filter.
also my oil is fine i change that on my own.
my fuel filter was just changed less than 4 months ago.

so i'm mainly looking for
plugs
distributor cap
tranny fluid
maybe ERG valve, not sure if my 92 has it.
a coolant flush would be good
fuel system cleaner, and indution cleaner would also work

i found a local shops in my town's website, they meet or beat any prices .....but so does midas muffler repair...they also do tune ups.......could i go back and forth with written estimates till i got them where i wanted them in price...ehehehehhehee

 

[jimbo74]

dont think you have an egr.... plugs for platinum are like $3-5 bucks each......and i dont think you have a distributor cap.... i believe the explorers used a distributorless ignition system (FORD DIS)

 

[EliteConcept]

so should i get a list of what they include a common tune up and get a price estimate....then figure out what i don't need like ERG, cuz i dont' have it......or what i dont' need changed
then go back and ask them for a new estimate on tune up.

yea i think my ruff idel and poor aceleration is cause my plugs on the passenger side have been in there since i bought my truck with 90,000 miles on it...it currently as 120,000 miles on it, and i have since changed the plugs on the driver side, but would like to have them all replaced at the same time for consistancy

 

[jimbo74]

yeah... its probably the plugs.... change them all with new wires.....

 

[EliteConcept]

the wires are new , i think last spring i replaced the wires....boy that was a knuckle buster...


so you think 6 new plugs would solve the problems i decribed?

i mean it makes sense to me, well logically thinking
3 cylinders are getting good spark, so it starts hard, idels off cuz they 3 cylinders aren't firing right and takes off poorly...makes sense to me..

thanks jim i appericate it buddy!

 

[jimbo74]

well, ford trucks have a wierd idle to begin with... and the being sluggish off the line.... it is a 4.0 ohv... they never had any power to begin with but, the plugs are probably doing wierd things..... your vacuum system may have some buildup in it, you may want to run fuel injector cleaner to try and get some carbon off.....

 

[JDraper]

Well, if you take it somewhere and ask them for a tune up, you're probably gonna pay more than you should. On newer vehicles like the X, there's not a whole lot they can do that you can't do in the driveway. Plugs, wires, fluids, fliters, and cleaning the MAF and injectors is about it. As Jim said, you don't have a distributor, so you don't have a cap and rotor. They can't set the timing, and the fuel system can't be tuned because it's computer controlled. The only one that I would take it to a shop for is a good cleaning of the injectors. The bottles of stuff you buy from the store don't clean the system nearly as thoroughly as the professional systems do. The rest of the things are pretty easy to do at home. Do a search here on amsoil foam for intake cleaner, several people swear by it for cleaning out the maf and intake.

 

[Explorer94GV]

Hey jim you said that the 4.0 run funny and hard to begin with? I ask cause my X runs well when i let it warm up before I drive, but when i dont it runs really bad. I've done all this and this thing still runs fairly bad even when warmed up. Rebuilt tranny and engine, new plug wires, plugs, ben99 intake kit, new egr valve, new temp. sen., new cam. sensor, oil filter, oil change 500 miles ago, tranny flush, cleaned maf, cleaned IAC, B&M supercooler, and new batt. I mean i have run out of things to do really. I still get a check engine light and the only thing i have left is purge canister and both right and left are running lean. Could this cause it to run that bad. I mean when i accelerate it hesitates and you can feel the X just jolt back and forth. Also my altenator is really weak due to my system now could that be it also? The guys at autozone and Ford told me they think it is the computer module. I'm out of ideas plz. help.

 

[jimbo74]

have you replaced your 02 sensors? they will cuase a multitude of problems....

i meant that the explorer has a wierd idle type of thing... that sounds great with an aftermarket exhuast....

they werent a fast engine to begin with... they were ideally suited to move a big ole truck....

also, would that professional induction cleaner be like what we use at work? we have a 20 oz. bottle of stuff that we plumb into your engine vacuum at the manifold and let your car idle at about 1200-1500 rpm for half an hour.....

 

[Explorer94GV]

where are these located on my 94X and how can i tell if they are bad?

 

[jimbo74]

the 02 sensors are located before your cat in the exhuast tract.. there should be 2 of them, one on each header..... you have a lot of miles and you said that your cel triggers sometimes...those are common sysmptoms of bad 02 sensors... an o2 sensor should be replaced every 60k-80k miles......

 

[JDraper]

Originally posted by jimabena74
.........would that professional induction cleaner be like what we use at work? we have a 20 oz. bottle of stuff that we plumb into your engine vacuum at the manifold and let your car idle at about 1200-1500 rpm for half an hour.....

It's similar, but the fuel injector cleaner systems plug right into the fuel rail on top of the intake. You shut down your fuel pump and the vehicle runs off of the injector cleaner system.