Tune up time... well about time

Sentrixx · Mar 12th, 2005, 01:51 PM

Well here is the dilly yo. My car is working on 98k miles and i have yet to do a tune up on it. I see it this way, If it;s not broken don't fix it. But right now I am only getting 230 miles max out of a tank and the gas is going up again. So I was talking to some peeps at work and they said now would be a good time. But this is going to be the first time. Abbout 1 year ago I did the fuel filter and didn't see any difference. So my question is what kinda of plugs and wires I should use. Alot of people say the OEM but I don't know that much about that. I always think after market is better. DEPENDEING. Also... I thought my car had computer controlled timeing?!?! Correct me if I'm wronge. And if so do have have to change the cap and rotor? Plus plugs... Don't know many differences in them. So I would appreciate any help you guys can offer.
Thanx.

Nostrodomas · Mar 12th, 2005, 05:32 PM

Stick with the ngk plugs and wires. Aftermarket will hurt you more than help. This has been dyno proven.
Im not sure about the sr20, if you could show me a pic of your engine bay I could tell you.
I would also change out your o2 sensors. That would probably be the cause of your bad gas mailage.

Sentrixx · Mar 12th, 2005, 05:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nostrodomas

Stick with the ngk plugs and wires. Aftermarket will hurt you more than help. This has been dyno proven.
Im not sure about the sr20, if you could show me a pic of your engine bay I could tell you.
I would also change out your o2 sensors. That would probably be the cause of your bad gas mailage.

Well when i had the car towed to nissan about a year or so ago I had them replaced so they should still be good to go. Some reason they went bad and the car didn't start. Something of that sort. Now are ngk stock?!?!?1 I'm confused. Well I don't have any pics but i'm sure there around here somewhere.

Nostrodomas · Mar 12th, 2005, 05:44 PM

The o2 sensors?
Yes the NKG's are stock. Also if you want colored plug wires they also come in blue.
Ill look for some pics in a few and see.

Sentrixx · Mar 12th, 2005, 06:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nostrodomas

The o2 sensors?
Yes the NKG's are stock. Also if you want colored plug wires they also come in blue.
Ill look for some pics in a few and see.

Yup! There were replaced and it has run fine since then. No worries. Thanx.

matcapir · Mar 13th, 2005, 12:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nostrodomas

Stick with the ngk plugs and wires. Aftermarket will hurt you more than help. This has been dyno proven.
Im not sure about the sr20, if you could show me a pic of your engine bay I could tell you.
I would also change out your o2 sensors. That would probably be the cause of your bad gas mailage.

Ok, Nos, I've seen so many threads stating that you should change the o2 sensors and stuff. My question is, how do you know if they are bad. I've got about 93K on my 96 200 and since I've owned it (since about 50k miles) I've not had a good tune up. I don't want to replace the 02 sensors if there is no need, but so many posts have said to just replace them for the hell of it. I average about 23 MPG, FYI. Just wanted to get some more info. Thanks, and please don't flame,

Sentrixx · Mar 13th, 2005, 12:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by matcapir

Ok, Nos, I've seen so many threads stating that you should change the o2 sensors and stuff. My question is, how do you know if they are bad. I've got about 93K on my 96 200 and since I've owned it (since about 50k miles) I've not had a good tune up. I don't want to replace the 02 sensors if there is no need, but so many posts have said to just replace them for the hell of it. I average about 23 MPG, FYI. Just wanted to get some more info. Thanks, and please don't flame,

LOL... no flame here. 23mpg.. So your getting about what I am out of a 10 gallon tank right?

matcapir · Mar 13th, 2005, 12:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sentrixx

LOL... no flame here. 23mpg.. So your getting about what I am out of a 10 gallon tank right?

Filled it up today after the red fuel warning light went on. Took about 11.5 gallons. Went 248 miles on that amount... about 22mpg....and that was driving like a grandma with no A/C. Figured I would try to drive "nice" and see how many MPG it would save me, but it really didn't help me much.

Sentrixx · Mar 13th, 2005, 12:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by matcapir

Filled it up today after the red fuel warning light went on. Took about 11.5 gallons. Went 248 miles on that amount... about 22mpg....and that was driving like a grandma with no A/C. Figured I would try to drive "nice" and see how many MPG it would save me, but it really didn't help me much.

Warning light.. Hell I have never seen that and I have been pretty low. I don't even know if I have one. So then you tank is 12 gallons? I always thought mine was a 10gal?!?!?! Here I go again... Me and this damn SEARCH button are starting to date we use each other so much

Nostrodomas · Mar 13th, 2005, 12:59 AM

As an O2 sensor ages, it doesn’t react as quickly as it once did. The increased lag time makes the sensor sluggish and prevents the engine from keeping the air/fuel mixture in close balance. If the engine burns oil or develops an internal coolant leak, the sensor element may become contaminated causing the sensor to fail. Back when leaded gasoline was still available, a single tankful of leaded fuel would kill most O2 sensors in a few hundred miles. (That’s a main reason why the government finally eliminated leaded fuel.)

Because the sensor reacts to oxygen in the exhaust and not fuel, any engine problem that allows unburned air to pass through the cylinders will also trick an O2 sensor into reading lean. A misfiring spark plug or a leaky exhaust valve - even a leak in the exhaust manifold gasket - may allow enough air into the exhaust to screw up the sensor readings. It won’t damage the sensor, but it will create a rich running condition that hurts emissions and fuel economy.

O2 sensors can be diagnosed a variety of ways, most of which require special equipment. A scan tool or code reader is required to pull O2 codes from most newer vehicles, though manual "flash codes" are available on older vehicles. If an O2 sensor problem is suspected, the sensor’s response and voltage output can be monitored with a scan tool, a voltmeter or digital oscilloscope. If the tests confirm the O2 sensor is dead or sluggish, replacement is the only repair option. There is no way to "clean" or "rejuvenate" a bad O2 sensor.

When To Replace
To maintain peak engine performance, there’s no need to wait until the sensor fails to replace it. Some experts now recommend replacing O2 sensors at specific mileage intervals for preventive maintenance. The recommended interval for unheated one- or two-wire O2 sensors on 1976 through early 1990s applications is every 30,000 to 50,000 miles. Heated three- and four-wire O2 sensors on mid-1980s through mid-1990s applications can be changed every 60,000 miles. And on 1996 and newer OBD II vehicles, the recommended replacement interval is 100,000 miles.

matcapir · Mar 13th, 2005, 01:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sentrixx

Warning light.. Hell I have never seen that and I have been pretty low. I don't even know if I have one. So then you tank is 12 gallons? I always thought mine was a 10gal?!?!?! Here I go again... Me and this damn SEARCH button are starting to date we use each other so much

Ya, I wanted to try to figure out my gas mileage on a full tank. I'm figuring it's about 12 gallon tank too. I've seen the light a few times, just a nice little orange light in the gas guage that tells you to get your ass to the gas station, ha....

Search button, ya, I know her well too!!! Unfortunately, seems like I can never search well enough to answer my questions without reading through 8 pages of threads....

matcapir · Mar 13th, 2005, 01:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nostrodomas

And on 1996 and newer OBD II vehicles, the recommended replacement interval is 100,000 miles.

Thanks Nos, I think I'll grab both tomorrow and try to replace them myself. I'll have to check my Haynes manual (I'm very new to all this) and see the difficulty in replacing them. Can't hurt, ya know. Thanks for the info though man, much appreciated....

Nostrodomas · Mar 13th, 2005, 01:12 AM

The sensor will run you around $80 a piece. If you cant afford bolth, I would suggest replacing the front one first. Since the second sensor is basically there to let you know if the under car cat is functioning.
Now that I think about it, I think you car only has one 02 sensor. Unless it is a california version. In that case, you should only have one under the car, I think. I get confused between the two versions anymore. I had the cali version, and thats what I know most about.....lol

matcapir · Mar 13th, 2005, 01:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nostrodomas

The sensor will run you around $80 a piece. If you cant afford bolth, I would suggest replacing the front one first. Since the second sensor is basically there to let you know if the under car cat is functioning.
Now that I think about it, I think you car only has one 02 sensor. Unless it is a california version. In that case, you should only have one under the car, I think. I get confused between the two versions anymore. I had the cali version, and thats what I know most about.....lol

I think mine was manufactured in texas. I thought there were two 02 sensors, but I'll check it out tomorrow. If there are two, I'll get the front one, how hard is the install?? Anything to it??

matcapir · Mar 13th, 2005, 01:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by matcapir

I think mine was manufactured in texas. I thought there were two 02 sensors, but I'll check it out tomorrow. If there are two, I'll get the front one, how hard is the install?? Anything to it??

Haynes says there are two....
one is located upstream of the cat convereter in the exhaust manifold and the other downstream...