Motor Tune Up Thread

[SupaSwope]

My engine has got about 212,000 miles on it. Runs great. (Most days)

If I was wanting to do a tune up on the ol gal, I was wondering your opinion on this list.

Fuel Pump Assembly
Fuel Filter
Coil Packs
Plug Wires
Plugs
IAC
MAF
PCV
Upper and Lower Intake Gaskets
Fuel Injectors


Anything else you could think of that could be replaced should?

Edit: I hate that I named the thread "motor" tune up. should be engine

 

[drdoom]

1. 
   
   
   • Fuel Pump Assembly TEST
     Fuel Filter YES
     Coil Packs TEST
     Plug Wires TEST
     Plugs YES
     IAC CLEAN
     MAF CLEAN
     PCV YES
     Upper and Lower Intake Gaskets YES
     Fuel Injectors NO
   • Air filter YES
   • Coolant YES
   • Transfer Case Fluid YES

 

[lobo411]

Agreed, except I wouldn't bother testing the plug wires. I got a set of open box Motorcrafts on Amazon for $20 (looked brand new), so at that price I'd just replace. Amazon sells their open box stuff as "Amazon Warehouse Deals," and it comes with the same 30 day no questions asked refund policy.

 

[1998Exp]

Agreed, except I wouldn't bother testing the plug wires. I got a set of open box Motorcrafts on Amazon for $20 (looked brand new), so at that price I'd just replace. Amazon sells their open box stuff as "Amazon Warehouse Deals," and it comes with the same 30 day no questions asked refund policy.

+1. There is no simple way to test plug wires. The continuity (resistance) test is practically meaningless, as the vast majority of plug wire failures is not conductor breakage but deterioration of the insulation, causing sparking to nearby metal. You may watch for those in the dark or attempt to discover them by spraying water (which presumably aggravates the condition), but I wouldn't bother. The $20 price is great, but I wouldn't hesitate paying full price for a new set if your wires have not been replaced in the last 5years/75,000 miles or so.

 

[SupaSwope]

Fluids are a givin. All fluids in that truck will be drained and refilled.

Im planning a 7000 mile trip across the country. You sure it would not hurt to replace some of those things rather then to just test them? Id rather it not go out while on the road. Trucks 17+ years old with no maintenance history of my own other then small parts here and there.

Im just trying not to get stuck on the side of the road here or run into problems I don't have the tools to do halfway across the country.

 

[chefduane]

I would definitely do whatever work you are going to do PRIOR to heading out on the road. Dunno what your plans were but its always safe practice to complete any work sufficiently ahead to let things 'burn in' and shake down a little bit. You probably already have that planned in, tho.
Did you plan on doing all the work at the same time? Maybe consider doing only a few things then let them settle in. Then a few more, etc...
I mean, if you do FP, filter, plugs/pack/wires all on a weekend then start experiencing a miss, what is it? Faulty CP's or wires, fuel issue? Then you start backtracking down the troubleshooting trail, all the while your leave date on the trip is rapidly approaching. I'm probably telling you things you already know and are planning for.

PS: Motor/Engine. My dad always said "motors are electric, engines are internal combustion." And he hated the term "strong motor." What the heck does strength have to do with an electric device??

 

[scrivyscriv]

I can't recall where I read it, but I read an article that talked about preventative maintenance(PM) during WW2 on aircraft. There was a significantly greater failure rate of aircraft that had just been PM'd compared to those that weren't... over 50% if I remember correctly. While there are numerous reasons WHY that happened, what's important is to recognize that replacing a good part with an unknown part adds an 'unknown' factor. Not to mention technician error, like forgetting to plug something back in, or installing something incorrectly.

It is usually better to test and inspect parts rather than replace them due to assumed age or mileage. There are a few specific exceptions, such as spark plugs and spark plug wires, you simply can't check those well.
You would be better off saving your pennies and buying a decent scanner.. I have, and recommend, and Autel AL519... and learn how to use it.

Now that being said, it wouldn't be a bad idea at all to have spare parts stored aside. Some troubleshooting can be accomplished better or faster if you have another good part to swap in to test a particular part, like an EDIS module or an IAC.

 

[UtahX]

Just did plugs and wires yesterday at 200,000.

 

[Dave98XLT]

I am not sure about the 5.0 and 4.0OHV but the SOHC factory spark plugs and wires last about 100k. Replace them all as a set and you should be good for another 100k. And definitely do the fluid, filters and PCV and you are good for another 100k. One other wear out item is the front O2 sensors that will throw a code.

Plugs need to be double platinum to last 100k.

 

[SupaSwope]

Well the engine died on me the other day driving down the highway. Gave me MAF & O2 Sensor codes. Replaced them and still wouldn't start. Replaced the fuel pump assembly and fuel filter. So that's 3-4 things off the list now haha

 

[96eb96]

I had a big crack in my coil pack plastic base, but there were no real misfires. I was on a trip and stopped at two random Ford dealerships and asked their opinion. Both said to replace ASAP, ordered it online for 40 or so bucks for the Ford part. One tech said eventually moisture will get in and short out the coil, causing slight misfires and cat damage, if it isn't doing it already. He said if it was his truck he would swap it the minute he saw it, symptoms or not. If the coil packs pass visual inspection they are ok without other symptoms. Wires should have dielectric grease in the boots to prevent insulation breakdown.

Also, get a scan tool (i like forscan, free and powerful) and check out your long term fuel trims that they are below 10%. I found my egr valve was leaking air thru the pintle due to wear and keeping the trims at around 13, wasting fuel at idle. Running propane under the valve would make it stumble.