tune up, what to get?

[crawlin91]

1991 2.9l 5spd 130,000
I wanna do a tune up on the ranger, maybe change flush the fluids too.
What do you recommend replacing/checking out?
What parts/brands would you recommend(plugs, wires etc.)

 

[Psychopete]

1991 2.9l 5spd 130,000
I wanna do a tune up on the ranger, maybe change flush the fluids too.
What do you recommend replacing/checking out?
What parts/brands would you recommend(plugs, wires etc.)

Autolight or motorcraft plugs work the best in mine. Might be worth while to change the fuel filter while you're at it, too. Just make sure you depressurize the system first (I usually use a rag and tire looking valve on the fuel rail to do so).

Pete

 

[KELLY88]

1991 2.9l 5spd 130,000
I wanna do a tune up on the ranger, maybe change flush the fluids too.
What do you recommend replacing/checking out?
What parts/brands would you recommend(plugs, wires etc.)

Typical tune up is replacing the spark plugs, wires, coil pack/distributor cap, fuel filter, air filter, pcv valve and sometimes an oil change. Changing out other fluids doesn't hurt either. Gear oil drain and refill, radiator drain flush and refill, transfer case drain and refill, transmission if you want to. Do all that and your truck should be running like a charm.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Just let it sit for a while before you change the fuel filter.

I let my F-150 sit for about half an hour and when I took the filter off gas came out just like I was changing the inline filter on my dirtbike.

They lose pressure as they sit, note if you just turn the key on you can hear the fuel pump rebuilding pressure in the system.

 

[94STXRanger]

whoever changes there coil pack/ dist on a tune up must have some money.
If you have coils there should be no need to just change them unless they are malfunctioning, same with a distributor. Now if you have a dist. it might be a good time to change the cap and rotor, but not the whole darn thing.

 

[97ranger4x4]

also it might not help to rotate the tires and check air pressure. but that should be done on a regular basis. I rotate every other oil change and check pressure once a month.

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

like has been said before, autolite plugs, good quality wires, change fuel filter, air filter, check tire pressure, check PCV valve, change cap and rotor, check battery connections for corrosion and maybe run some injector cleaner through the fuel rail if you can get ahold of the cleaner set up. other than the engine tune up take a chance to inspect your suspension bushings tire wear pattern and drive line fluids. hope this helps.

 

[Bunnell1988]

Do depressurize the fuel filter. I changed a leaking filter on My Talon on my few months ago no problem. Last week I changed the fuel filter on my Ranger (90' 2.9l) and got an eyefull of gas... I felt like an idiot, and it wasnt until after the fact that my dad told me to depressurize. So dont do what I did.

On a random note, are Bosch Platinum plugs any good? I got a set, just havent put them in yet.

 

[Psychopete]

On a random note, are Bosch Platinum plugs any good? I got a set, just havent put them in yet.

I've heard of some reports of those plugs fouling out prematurely, but I never tried them, so I can't vouch for it. They're free, might be worth trying if your due for a plug replacement. Otherwise, I would never pay money for them personally. I've never had a problem with just the standard copper autolight or motocraft plug in the 2.9L.

Pete

 

[Will]

I happen to have the maintenance schedule for a '91 (all in miles):

-Oil and filter 6-months or 7,500
-Plugs changed every 30,000
-Check cooolant and hoses annually--replace coolant every 3 years
-Clean throttle body every 60,000
-Replace ignition wires every 60,00-Replace PCV every 60,000
-Replace air filter every 60,000

That's all that is listed for the engine. There is another page for non-emission drivetrain things. The tune-up of old is dead.

Here's what you had to do an a 1954 Studebaker:
-With engine dead cold, set valve lash to .024" int and ex.
-Set plug gaps to .035
-Set point gap to .013 with the dwell angle reading between 28-34 degrees
-With a hand vacuum pump, verify 16* advance at the crank with 11" of vaccum on the canister--the advance should start at 5".
-Set idle to 550rpm (if there are other complaints the carb could need other work/adjustment)
-Set ignition timing to 4*BTDC
-Change oil in air cleaner.

Then, you gotta fool with the charging system--this baby isn't solid state, and it has a generator. You have to re-polarize the generator by taking the field wire off the regulator and touching it to the battery terminal on the regulator. There are two sets of points in the regulator to check--the voltage gap .032 and the current gap is .050.

That's a tune up. EFI, electronic ignition and solid-state regulated alternators have taken all the fun out of tune-ups.

 

[97ranger4x4]

That's a tune up. EFI, electronic ignition and solid-state regulated alternators have taken all the fun out of tune-ups.

54 was a little bit before my time...

 

[crawlin91]

like has been said before, autolite plugs, good quality wires, change fuel filter, air filter, check tire pressure, check PCV valve, change cap and rotor, check battery connections for corrosion and maybe run some injector cleaner through the fuel rail if you can get ahold of the cleaner set up. other than the engine tune up take a chance to inspect your suspension bushings tire wear pattern and drive line fluids. hope this helps.

Nice diff cover.
I got (everything but the beer)new plugs, wires, cap, pcv, rotor, battery connections and cleaner, fuel filter, air filter, and will look into a complete fluid flush/change this weekend.

 

[Will]

54 was a little bit before my time...

Mine too. But I know a member of the Studebaker family--her maiden name was Studebaker. She assured me the money is long gone.

I wanted to point out that the phrase tune-up is archaic. Dead in a ditch. The computer tunes the engine every thump of a piston. There's just a minor maintenance schedule to follow now.

 

[chittybangbang]

Will
They just don't build them like they used too. I say thank GOD. 2 minutes to find the problem and 2 hours to fix now its the 2 hours to find and 2 minutes to fix.

 

[Will]

The really old and the really new ones are pretty easy. The ones in the middle are the stinkers. Starting in the 60s I guess. When emissions controls started taking their toll on our brains. For instance, we understood the centrifugal advance. The engine is spinning faster, we need to start the combustion sooner. Then add in the vacuum advance on top of the centrifugal one--okay, there are times you have a light load and can use lots of advance for better economy without risk of detonation. Now, add another vacuum cannister to it and common sense doesn't work anymore. Nobody instinctually knows that you can reduce NoX by retarding the ignition during idling and cruising. Nobody complains when it's working right, but sometimes it's something not needed to make it work right that is causing it to run poorly and that makes instinctive troubleshooting a bastard. I think a lor of cars from the late 60's through the late 80s went to the junkyard because of the 2 dozen componenets and 200 vacuum lines that made troubleshooting them a labyrinth too far.

All that garbage came off with the computer taking over for the myriad of magic tricks and my 1991 engine has nothing at all on it except a PCV and a catalytic converter. No car since 1967 has been so simple for a mechanic.