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Re: Taking precaution to avoid a break down
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Posted by Ari [Email] (#2847) [Profile/Gallery] (more from Ari) on Sat, 17 May 2008 17:17:46 Share Post by Email
In Reply to: Taking precaution to avoid a break down, Robert, Sat, 17 May 2008 10:16:13
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According to the '97 manual, there is a 115K and 125K checkup. Both consist of oil changes (every 5K miles per manual). The 115K is mostly checking of things - It's the same as the 15K checkup. The 125K checkup is the same as the major 65K checkup - Oil change, coolant change/flush, replace serpentine belt and spark plugs. Change fuel filter and air filter, auto tranny fluid (if automatic), flush and replace brake fluid.

I'd ask the mechanic for a list.

That said, this is what I do-
Change and flush coolant every 3 years. Replace thermostat at the same time.
Flush brake fluid every two years, three tops.
I replace the serpentine belt every 30K miles. That's excessive, but it's what I do. Every second time I replace the belt (every 60K), I replace the idler and tensioner pulleys. They should be good for about 75K, but I'm not comfortable going to 90K, so 60K it is.
Fuel filter every 60K, air filter every 30K.

If you don't know the last time any of this was done, assume it's overdue. The ones that will most likely leave you stranded with no warning is the belt and pulleys.

That's the scheduled replacements. Next is inspections. Open the hood once a week, every two weeks, tops. Check the oil. Look for coolant level dropping. Look for things falling off, leaking, etc. Get used to what it should be doing, and look for changes. Start the car and let it idle. Does the belt track true? Do you hear air noises where you shouldn't?

About every 6 months, check the harmonic balancer - that's the main pulley. It's a sandwich of two pulleys with a rubber piece in the middle. The rubber can die over time. I take one of those cheap 'mirrors on a telescoping wand' you can buy for a couple of bucks at a dollar store and look at the pulley hub. If the rubber looks like it's coming out, replace the pulley. I like drawing a line across the pulley face with a piece of chalk. If the rubber starts to degrade, the pieces will slip, and the line won't line up. Another sign of a bad pulley is the serpentine belt doesn't track properly - it should fit on the tensioner pulley - if it's near an edge, or part of the belt is off the tensioner pulley, that's a trouble sign.

Look at the ground before you pull into a parking space, and look for drips that weren't there when you pulled in.

Look under the car. Crank the wheels hard left and look at the CV joint boots. Do the same hard right. Look for cracks in the boots; a bad sign is a pile of dirty grease under the joint. You can go a surprisingly long way with a bad CV joint boot, but all things will come to an end.

Pull the spark plugs every 3-6 months. They should look a nice light grey. If they start looking black (rich) or harsh white, look closer at other things. Make sure the plugs are gapped to just under 1mm. Plug gap increases with age; too big a gap can damage the DI.

Next is the battery. Start distrusting it after 3 years. Is it starting to crank slower? Don't ignore that. When you start the car, see what the starting voltage is - it'll hold the voltage until you drive off. 9 or 10 volts is normal. The absolute number isn't too critical - watching it change is. If you start seeing the starting voltage dropping over a few weeks, start to suspect the battery. When the engine is running, peek at the voltage on the EDU. The 'right' number is hard to say, but above 2000 rpm, expect to see 13.3 volts at least, 13.5 or more is good. If you regularly see voltages near 13, or below 13 except at idle, think about replacing the voltage regulator.

The last is to get to know the car. Listen and look around. Look for things that are changing. Yes, stuff can happen suddenly. But most things give warning if you're sensitive to it. And part of that is getting to know the car when it's working right, so you notice the change when it isn't.

posted by 76.219.8...
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