When did it get so difficult to change plugs?

Bob999 · May 14, 2003

Bird,

As suggested in the previous post look at the maintenance specified in your owners manual and stick to that unless you have a specific problem. I have never seen a requirement for fuel injector cleaning--if you use a good grade of gasoline that should not be necessary. Also I doubt that cleaned throttle body and decarbonized engine is a suggested service but many dealers routinely include it. My personal experience is that unless I have a specific problem I do not do the "extras" suggested by the dealer--and I have not found that I need the "extras". Bob

jrlichina · May 14, 2003

I have never seen where a car needed a trans and power steering flush at 30k even in a truck 

Then you never changed fluids when they needed to be changed. Non synthetic tranmission fluid should be changed at 25-30K depending on use. Exessive heat reduces the usefull life of the fluid even more. Heavy towing or plowing you could be at 10K. Now synthetics which are now used in almost all new vehicles has a life expectancy of 100K, but again that depends on use. Towing/hauling/plowing increases heat and reduces the life. This also doesn't take into consideration that the fliter needs replacement more oftern than the fluid change in the 100K instance. Now as for power steering fluid that's another one. Larger trucks that have hydro-boost to power assist the brakes is a critical system. Heat again redues the life of the fuild and it can cause the hydro-boost sytem to fail. You better have some **** strong legs to press hard enough on the pedal if it fails and your GCVW is at 25K! In my mind there is no substitue for preventative maintenance if you plan on keeping your vehicle several years past warentee. Sure lots of people do nothing and sometimes they get lucky. I do all my servicing myself so the cost is significantly less, but then I preffer to keep what I have in excellant running order. Also Blackstone-labs provides an inexpensive service to test your oils to see what condition it is in, as well as, what condition you engine or trans may be in too.

mikim · May 14, 2003

Mine cost a little more on my 2000 F150 -- but I was having problems. The engine light came on and it was running rough - they replaced 3 coils, 8 plugs, transmission oil, cleaned injectors & throttle body, I forget what else - but it was almost $1000 -- I do the simple stuff myself - tire rotation, oil changes etc - but a tune-up .... ya gotta have all the high dollar machines to get it right . I always try to mark stuff to make sure they do what they say they did. ie: put some grease across the bolts that they should have to take off - or scratch a hash mark on 'em ... stuff like that - then check it after.

BB_TX · May 14, 2003

Bird-I have a 97 F-150 with 124,000 miles and have not yet changed the plugs and have not noticed any decline in performance or gas mileage. Have had no problems. I had an 87 Bronco before this one. Traded it off at 10 years and 208,000 miles and only changed plugs and wires twice if I remember correctly and I did that myself. I have always changed my own oil. I did have the transmission fluid changed in the F150 at about 60,000, but I never did change it in the Bronco at all. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif On the Bronco, I replaced 1 Ujoint, 1 power steering pump, 1 injector, and 1 water pump. Finally lost a timing chain at 207,000 (about $450) and decided to trade it off. Hoping the F150 does as well. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
Have never taken any vehicle that wasn't under warranty back to the dealer. Seems they are just way too overpriced for what they do. /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif

Alan L. · May 14, 2003

( Alan, I have another question about servicing Fords. I've been accustomed to doing most of the routine maintenance myself, but the newer ones get more complicated all the time, and now I'm at least temporarily living in an apartment . . ., so . . . I took the '01 Windstar to a Ford dealer for the routine recommended 30,000 mile service ($586.39) /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif Is anyone actually doing all that service? According to the receipts, they changed engine oil & filter, flushed the cooling system, flushed and changed transmission fluid, changed the micron cabin filter, changed air filter, fuel filter, rotated tires, flushed fuel injectors (T/B & Decarb Kit), AIS air induction service, cleaned throttle body and decarbonized engine, and checked brake and tire condition and wear. And even though I'd never seen any leak or a drop of oil under the van, they said the power steering pump was leaking and they replaced it under warranty, so that wasn't included in my cost.

Now the '99 F150 is due for the 60,000 mile service and they tell me it will also be about $600 (about the same service, but also change the spark plugs). /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

Is this about normal now-a-days? )

Unfortunately I'm afraid it is normal. You'd think they could design them with such maintenance in mind, but it might be deliberate to give the dealers some more revenue.

The 50 hour service on my Kawasaki mule was $250. Ridiculous.

Bird · May 14, 2003

( The 50 hour service on my Kawasaki mule was $250. Ridiculous. )

Alan, that's the difference in having a shop building and place to work, I guess. I did ALL the recommended 50 hour service on my brother's Mule myself and of course the total cash outlay was well under $50.

And of course, I'd do everything recommended for the 60,000 mile service on the pickup myself, except the transmission, if I had a place to do it. And the manual does NOT call for spark plugs at 60,000, nor does it call for flushing the cooling system, servicing injectors, etc. I DO believe in preventive maintenance, especially in the heat and traffic around Dallas, but I haven't decided yet whether to go all the way with this dealer. I'll have to say one good thing for them; they seem like nice folks, do the work when they say they will, and even if you just go in for minor stuff, like a state inspection sticker they check all the fluids, tire pressures, etc., and a few days later someone calls to ask whether everything was done to your satisfaction.

tc35dforme · May 14, 2003

I can't even find the spark plugs in my TC !!! /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

JohnS · May 14, 2003

I think that was the V8 350 Monza. Very good power to weight ratio /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif I drooled over them as well. I think the fix was just as your challenger had, take a hole saw to the inner fender.

Anonymous Poster · May 14, 2003

( I think that was the V8 350 Monza. )

Yes, and as I recall, you couldn't fit them with chains either--not enough clearance in the wheel well. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

I lived in Sacramento at the time, and the local dealer down the street was supplying a set of snow tires "free of charge" with every one he sold. The story made the local news, and the dealer was quoted saying some rather nasty things about GM management and where they kept their heads.

Of course today, if you need to change the fuel pump . . . . . . .

SnowRidge

markie61 · May 14, 2003

( I can't even find the spark plugs in my TC )

Just follow the spark plug wires from the distributer cap... /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

Mark