My mechanic said my car needs a full, all the way, tune up because it looks like one hasnt been done in a mighty long time (I had him check it over before i recently bought the car). Will this restore a few hp/torque after its all said and done? Logic tells me it will, but Im asking this of those of you who know from experience. Thanks!

distributor cap, rotor button, spark plug wires, spark plugs and maybe a fuel filter and air filter will definitely improve your fuel economy

maybe a valve adjustment, and seafoam..

that should be it.. should run like new.

sounds like your mechanic is telling you the truth. do the tune up

Yeah Im getting the tune up done within a week probably. I might get some seafoam and ask him to do it.. Im afraid that if I did it myself Id just mess something up. Plus I dont feel like smoking the neighborhood up. Haha... And when you say valve adjustment.. what exactly do you mean?

As for a response to your question - Will you notice and HP/Torque gain?
Probably not - but most likely the horse/torque you have will be better displayed =)
My mechanic told me this about tune ups. "Ive done tune ups on cars that hadent been tuned in 100,000 miles - they noticed no difference, Ive done tune ups on an overactive kid who had only driven 20,000 miles, he actually noticed a large difference in both his pickup speed and his throttle response among other items.(this could be all perspective gain as its possible he wanted to feel the difference so much - he did) To me that defy's logic - but if you think your car should get a tune up - go for it, you'll have better assurances of your car working down the road but there is no way to garauntee better operation of your vehicle"

yup.. do it for the longevity of your car if nothing else... it sure isnt goin to take any hp/tq away..

Fo sho shawdy shawdy. Thanks for the input.




Shawdy Shawdy

a tune up isisnt really an option. there are parts of the motor that are considered wear items. things like plugs, cap, rotor, belts, oil, misc fluids, etc. these are the things that make a difference in how long you motor lasts and how well it performs.

dont expect a hp gain, but you can expect for the car to run smoother and more efficient. if you do notice a power gain, then its power you have been missing all this time because something was worn and was not letting the motor run at its fullest potential.

-Hanyo+Apr 25, 2005 - 11:06 PM


BTW... Whats a valve adjustment, and where can i pick up some seafoam?

how much is the price for a full tune up

a valve adjustment is when they take off your valve cover and measure the valve gap. if your valve are out of spec, shims are used to correct the problem.

yeah how much could we expect to pay?