The modern age of car tune-ups

What is involved in a “tune up” has evolved significantly over the past 15+ years. A tune up used to involve replacing spark plugs, points, condenser, rotor, adjusting the air/fuel mixtures on the carburetor, and setting the dwell (gap) and timing on the distributor. Newer vehicles don't have most of those parts.

Today’s vehicles rely on more sophisticated electronic components that either work or don’t work and are not designed to be replaced instead of adjusted when they fail. Except in older vehicles, about the only remaining engine components that are adjustable are the valve train and the spark plugs.

Most everything else that affects how your vehicle runs are replacement components, i.e. oxygen sensors, MAP sensors, cam/crankshaft position sensors, electronic control modules (ECM’s), ignitor coils, coil pacs, fuel injectors, etc. If one of those components falters your “check engine” light will go on or your vehicle will otherwise drive non-efficiently or not at all.

If your car just doesn’t seem to run as well or is getting worse fuel mileage and the “check engine” light is not on, bring it into Back Shop Auto in West Valley City, Utah to have the issue diagnosed. Fixes we'll be looking for include:

• Checking spark plugs and spark plug wires. We'll see if electrodes are worn down or if the plugs show signs of arcing. We'll check for voltage “leakage” through the spark plug harness. We'll let you know if replacement is needed.
• For cars with over 100K miles or eight years old or older, we might suggest an induction clean for the engine to remove gum, varnish, carbon and oil residue build-up from your combustion chambers, intake runners, valve seats, throttle bodies and injectors.
• We may determine valve adjustments are needed to compensate for valve train wear at the cam lobe/lifter interface and valve seats/valve head interface. These adjustments allow your valves to open and close at the heights (lift) and timing (duration) that your engine was designed to perform optimally.
• We'll make sure your car is breathing properly by checking for a dirty air filter.

Listen to what your car is telling you

Your car will tell you when it needs some attention. Here are some some things to listen for when your car is talking to you:

• Decreased gas mileage
• Noticeable loss of power
• Engine running rough, hesitating or stalling
• Engine noise upon acceleration
• Hard starting at any time
• Any engine noise that goes up or down with engine speed
• Indicator warning lights
• Drips or puddles of fluid under your car
• Adding oil between oil changes (leakage or usage)