Dodge Stratus Tune Up???

[vali31]

Hi! I have a 97 dodge stratus es " 2.5L V6". A year and a half ago I had a full tune-up. At the time of my full tune-up my miles were 148,836 and now my odometer reads 188,214. Do I need another full tune-up or just a minor/semi tune-up?

-----------------------------------------------------------
-These parts were replaced when I had a FULL tune-up:

Dist. cap
Dist. rotor
Fuel filter
PCV Valve
6 Spark plugs
1 set of plugs

-----------ohh by the way the full tune-up cost me $463.71

[rhandwor]

At those prices you should start doing some work yourself. The distributor cap and rotor should be fine. Plugs,pcv valve and fuel filter should be changed. The plug wires should be fine. This assumes the engine is running fine with no trouble codes.

[bluevp00]

Wow that cost you a bundle just for a few little things.

OEM Chrysler plugs are made to last 60K miles, so wait another 10-15K miles to change them, but check the condition of them now. Fuel filter should be changed, check the PCV valve, if it's still good then keep it on.

Also don't forget about any fluid changes that you're due for - oil, transmission, coolant - check the condition of all 3.

[vali31]

Originally Posted by bluevp00

Wow that cost you a bundle just for a few little things.

OEM Chrysler plugs are made to last 60K miles, so wait another 10-15K miles to change them, but check the condition of them now. Fuel filter should be changed, check the PCV valve, if it's still good then keep it on.

Also don't forget about any fluid changes that you're due for - oil, transmission, coolant - check the condition of all 3.

"rhandwor and bluevp00" thank you for your responses..

I took my car to a QUALITY Tune-UP shop, in Concord,CA. Explained my condition and history of the car. The mechanic said that it would take about 3-4 hours to do any type of tune up on the car because the car has 6 PLUGS and 3 of them are visible, the other 3 are behind the BLOCK. The mechanic then told me that the "design" of the engine was bad, COST OF LABOR-wise.

So what I had done on my car:

Fuel Injection Service $40
Oil Change "high mileage oil" $21
Engine Flush $45

..............He advised me to have a tune-up in 15,000 miles like you said. I need to replace my spark plugs and do a transmission service.

----------Is there a guide on how to do the work myself?

[bluevp00]

Originally Posted by vali31

----------Is there a guide on how to do the work myself?

You can buy a service manual to get the job done. Helms manuals are the best, but cost the most. If you just want to know how to do spark plugs & fuid changes then look for a Haynes or Chiltons manual, they usually cost around $15-20 at Auto Zone, Pep Boys, etc.

[rhandwor]

If you want to do your own work go to ebay and buy a used factory manual it may take a couple of weeks looking before you find it.
Also consider tools buying a few at a time.

[ricebike]

about the spark plug change, especially on a transverse mounted v-6... they're PITA but can be done w/ patience & small thin arms :P

pcv... since it was fairly done, you can just remove, blast the inside of it w/ some carb cleaner, shake it up, repeat... & it should be good to go!

fuel filter easy enough to DIY (well for me @ least... depressurizing fuel pressure or just leaving vehicle to sit overnight before doin this )

autozone has a free haynes/chiltons type repair manual online...

hope this link works:if not, enter your vehicle year/make/model/engine... then click on repair info-> repair guide

http://www.autozone.com/servlet/UiBr...ginRepairGuide

to prove it's there & free:



geez, how can someone get to the back 3 plugs w/ it soo close to the firewall? A: w/ alot of cursing!

[neon_rt]

The 2.4l is much easier to change plugs, 4 plugs on the front side and you are all done. :=)