Do I Need a Tune-up?
The engine tune-up is fast becoming a thing of the past. Many customers still go to their repair shop with a problem and say - "Maybe I just need a good tune-up." Back in the day a tune-up consisted of changing the spark plugs and plug wires, replacing the distributor cap and rotor, points and condenser and setting the ignition timing.
The tune-up was a very vital maintenance item that was needed often to keep the engine running properly. Today’s engines do not use most of the parts that use to be replaced in the basic tune-up. Spark plugs have become well advanced and usually almost 100,000 miles. The distributor has been replaced by a non-distributor ignition system that eliminates the distributor totally. This means that the cap and rotor, points and condenser have also been eliminated.
Ignition timing is no longer adjustable manually. The vehicle’s computer keeps the ignition timing adjusted properly at all times for proper engine operation and performance.
So back to the question - "Do I need a tune-up?"
Spark plugs do need to be replaced periodically and spark plugs do go bad sometimes and cause engine misfires and do need to be replaced when this happens.
All of the spark plugs need to be replaced at the same time, so if one goes bad then replace them all. It is also best to replace the plug wires when the plugs are replaced for maximum performance.
