If the owner of a new car, from the date of purchase, strictly adhered to the schedule of routine maintenance procedures, performed frequent checks of critical parameters, maintained the required level of lubricating fluids, the engine will very rarely need to perform additional maintenance and refurbishment (beyond the replacement of wear-prone components and consumables).
On the other hand, in the case of a careless attitude to the implementation of regular maintenance procedures and frequent violations of the established deadlines for inspections, the efficiency of the engine's output will inevitably decrease sooner or later. The likelihood of such a situation is especially high in the case of purchasing a used car. In such cases, it becomes necessary to perform a set of settings for the power unit in excess of the amount of work on the current maintenance of the car.
The first step in tuning or troubleshooting an underpowered engine is always to check the compression pressure in the cylinders (see chapter Engine), the analysis of the results of which allows you to assess the general condition of the internal components of the engine and outline a plan for future adjustment and / or restoration work. For example, if a compression test reveals signs of serious internal engine wear, a simple set of adjustments will not be enough to correct the situation, and it will be a waste of time and money. Because of the value of information obtained from a compression test, it should be performed by a suitably experienced and qualified mechanic who has the necessary diagnostic tools.
Below are lists of basic tuning procedures that allow you to restore the recoil efficiency of an engine that is in good mechanical condition.
List of the minimum set of checks and adjustments
- Check the levels of all engine related fluids (see Section Checking fluid levels).
- Clean and check the condition of the battery (see Section Checking, servicing and charging the battery).
- Check the condition and tension of the drive belts, if necessary, make the necessary adjustments (see Section Checking the condition, adjusting the tension and replacing the drive belts).
- Check the condition of all hoses located in the engine compartment (see Section Check of a condition and replacement of the hoses located in an impellent compartment).
- Check the condition and service the cooling system components (see Section Checking the Condition of the Cooling System Components).
- Check the condition of the air cleaner element (see Section Replacing the air cleaner element).
- Check the condition of the BB spark plug wires, cover and distributor slider (see Section Checking the condition and replacing the explosive spark plug wires, cover and distributor slider).
- Check the idle speed setting, make appropriate adjustments if necessary (see Section Replacing air conditioning filters).
List of the full range of checks and adjustments
In addition to the checks listed above:
- Replace spark plugs (see Section Checking the condition and replacing spark plugs).
- Check idle speed adjustment (see Section Checking and adjusting idle speed).
- Replace the air cleaner element (see Section Replacing the air cleaner element).
- Replace distributor cap and slider (see Section Checking the condition and replacing the explosive spark plug wires, cover and distributor slider).
- Replace BB spark plug wires (see Section Checking the condition and replacing the explosive spark plug wires, cover and distributor slider).
- Check the correct functioning and condition of the components of the power system (See Section Checking the level of manual transmission oil).