Question about tune up...3 years, 15k miles, need to be done?
Hey everyone!
I recently purchased a 1995 200sx SER.
I had a quick question.
The car has been only driven about 15,000 miles in the last 3 years. Normally, the mileage wouldn't warrant a tune up, but since it has been rarely driven for the last 3 years, I was wondering if you all would recommend I tune it up??
I am not having any problems with the car. It was hesitating for a little bit when I was first driving it(like the first 30 minutes), but it is no longer doing that. It got about 30 mpg on the 300 mile drive back down to where I live.
95 SE-R with only 15,000 miles? Wow that's a nice find!
So here is the deal... in my experience people who drive their car only 5000 miles per year are, for lack of a better word, misinformed. See what they tend to not understand is the fact that regardless of the low number of miles driven per year the car still needs to be serviced at regular intervals. Most folks forget this fact and simply base their cars maintenance on number of miles driven, like change the oil every 3,000 miles. Unfortunately if that was assumed then you're looking at an oil change say every 8 months (if you're lucky) to a year or more... and basically that is where the problems can occur.
(Worst-case scenario) Say a car was only driven short trips to the supermarket about once a week for a year. The short trips do not allow the engine to reach its full operational temperature and that combined with low-speed stop-and-go traffic makes for added wear and tear and way more carbon buildup than should be. Combine that with an owner who neglects to change the oil at regular intervals and it could lead to major problems with the engine, like shortened life span of oil seals resulting in oil leaks or carbon buildup in the valvetrain resulting in poor compression combustion... the problems only get worse from there.
So the question you asked is if I think a tune-up is in order… Pretty much, yes!
I mean check things out first and see what kind of shape they are in (things like the air filter and fuel filter if they look good keep em), but pretty much I'd just replace everything else and pay extra close attention to the motor oil and sparkplugs. Look for sings of overused or extra dark oil and discoloration and buildup on the spark plugs. Also I would suggest looking under the valve cover for signs of buildup. If any black buildup is found remove the valve cover and clean out the oil squirter tubes, they lube the cam lobes and valves. They get clogged very very easily and should be cleaned to prevent any future problems or damage to the valvetrain.
With any luck your engine may be running synthetic oil in which case you won’t need to worry about any of the above problems I just mentioned. Regular maintenance is all the SR20DE requires… and you might try some RedLine MT-90 in the gear box for added shifting enjoyment.
Congrats on the new SE-R!!!
Last edited by Sethticlees : Sep 18th, 2006 at 06:38 AM.
95 SE-R with only 15,000 miles? Wow that's a nice find!
So here is the deal... in my experience people who drive their car only 5000 miles per year are, for lack of a better word, misinformed. See what they tend to not understand is the fact that regardless of the low number of miles driven per year the car still needs to be serviced at regular intervals. Most folks forget this fact and simply base their cars maintenance on number of miles driven, like change the oil every 3,000 miles. Unfortunately if that was assumed then you're looking at an oil change say every 8 months (if you're lucky) to a year or more... and basically that is where the problems can occur.
(Worst-case scenario) Say a car was only driven short trips to the supermarket about once a week for a year. The short trips do not allow the engine to reach its full operational temperature and that combined with low-speed stop-and-go traffic makes for added wear and tear and way more carbon buildup than should be. Combine that with an owner who neglects to change the oil at regular intervals and it could lead to major problems with the engine, like shortened life span of oil seals resulting in oil leaks or carbon buildup in the valvetrain resulting in poor compression combustion... the problems only get worse from there.
So the question you asked is if I think a tune-up is in order… Pretty much, yes!
I mean check things out first and see what kind of shape they are in (things like the air filter and fuel filter if they look good keep em), but pretty much I'd just replace everything else and pay extra close attention to the motor oil and sparkplugs. Look for sings of overused or extra dark oil and discoloration and buildup on the spark plugs. Also I would suggest looking under the valve cover for signs of buildup. If any black buildup is found remove the valve cover and clean out the oil squirter tubes, they lube the cam lobes and valves. They get clogged very very easily and should be cleaned to prevent any future problems or damage to the valvetrain.
With any luck your engine may be running synthetic oil in which case you won’t need to worry about any of the above problems I just mentioned. Regular maintenance is all the SR20DE requires… and you might try some RedLine MT-90 in the gear box for added shifting enjoyment.
Congrats on the new SE-R!!!
Thanks for the advice.
I went ahead and ordered spark plugs, plug wires, air filter, fuel filter, rotor,distributer cap.
hehe, the car actually has 134,000 miles on it in total
How noticeable is redline MT-90 over a non-synthetic?
-2s
Last edited by 200sx sEEarrh : Sep 18th, 2006 at 01:57 PM.
I went ahead and ordered spark plugs, plug wires, air filter, fuel filter, rotor,distributer cap.
Good man! Better to be safe than sorry.
Quote:
hehe, the car actually has 134,000 miles on it in total
Then I'd say for sure remove the valve cover and clean out the oil squirter lines. It's the 2 small tubes hovering over the cams. Remove them and clean them any way you can. See they have tiny tiny holes that squirt oil and they get pluged up real real easy. Clean them out, I used a needle and soaked them in brake-clean. Really they should be cleaned with an ultrasonic parts washer, but who has access to one of them?
Quote:
How noticeable is redline MT-90 over a non-synthetic?
It's worth the few extra bux IMHO, especially since you're car is running in the higher mileage 100k+. It just makes everything feel nice.
Go here Welcome to MyOilShop.com to get a killer deal on RedLine products. Cheapest place I've found ever.
Then I'd say for sure remove the valve cover and clean out the oil squirter lines. It's the 2 small tubes hovering over the cams. Remove them and clean them any way you can. See they have tiny tiny holes that squirt oil and they get pluged up real real easy. Clean them out, I used a needle and soaked them in brake-clean. Really they should be cleaned with an ultrasonic parts washer, but who has access to one of them?
It's worth the few extra bux IMHO, especially since you're car is running in the higher mileage 100k+. It just makes everything feel nice.
Go here Welcome to MyOilShop.com to get a killer deal on RedLine products. Cheapest place I've found ever.
Is "75W90" the correct one??
Also, can I get Nissan OEM oil filters from a dealership or somewhere in town?? How much would that cost? I want to change the oil tomorrow and don't want to wait for something to ship. Supposedly Mobil 1 oil filters are comparable but I noticed they are about $10 each which is way too expensive for me.
Thanks for all the advice!
-2S
Last edited by 200sx sEEarrh : Sep 18th, 2006 at 08:11 PM.
I've had no problems running fram oil filters. Everyone says they're junk, but I haven't had a single leak, clog, etc. But then, most of the driving I do is pretty tame, around-town stuff.
__________________
Get plastic surgery, there ain't no maybe. Your ugly face still ends up on your baby.
Also, can I get Nissan OEM oil filters from a dealership or somewhere in town?? How much would that cost? I want to change the oil tomorrow and don't want to wait for something to ship. Supposedly Mobil 1 oil filters are comparable but I noticed they are about $10 each which is way too expensive for me.
Thanks for all the advice!
-2S
MT-90 is 75W90 but w/additive for the LSD. Get MT-90 it's the same price.
Pretty much any oil filter will do for now. Later you can order up some OEM off the internet if that is what you want. Hell, I'd probably run some cheap oil and filter throught the engine for the next 500 miles then swap all that and switch over to synthetic Mobile 1 and any filter of choice. The quick oil change will help clean out your engine! It's a small investment for a car you're gunna own and love for some time.
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