Besides changing spark plugs and wires, what else is recommended to change for a tune up??

Thanks in advance..
96 accord lx

 

What kind of tune-up?
How many miles on the car?
A traditional "tune-up" has become a kind of myth. You have all kinds of maintenance jobs at different intervals.

Check your owner's manual for all the different milage/time intervals for each of these things.
New spark plugs
Air filter?
Transmission oil change?
Adjust valve lash?
Fresh brake fluid?
Fresh anti-freeze?

My experience is factory distributor cap, rotor, plug wires will last a REALLY long time if you clean them occassionally. Start the engine cold in complete darkness & look for arcing at the cap & wires. Replace anything that shows a dull blue glow.

 

I would start with Plugs, all Filters and all Fluids.

 

my car is approaching 260,000 miles. I have had the brake fluid, tranny fluid and the anti freeze replaced. The last time I can recall the spark plugs and wires being changed was about 2 years ago.

Whats a valve lash??

 

Valve lash is also called adjusting the valves.
Cliff notes = you take off the valve cover & adjust each valve so it's got the proper amount of clearance when closed (clearance = "lash").

I suspect that's called for every 100k miles or so. Or earlier if the valves make clicking noise. Problem with that is it'll make clicking noise if they're loose. NOT if they're too tight.

 

thanks! so here is the deal when it comes to my spark plugs. when i pulled the wires..there is oil sitting where the spark plugs are. it doesnt affect the car's performance. however, i am concerned (because clearly oil isnt supposed to be there) i have changed gaskets..same problem.

i was told that the head may need to be worked on. my question is, is it worth it to work on...or should get one thats remanufactured

 

The head is not the problem. The oil is getting in the spark plug tubes from above the head gasket. If you look down the spark plug tubes there are two seams, which the oil could be coming from. One is the valve cover gasket donuts, and the other is o-rings located under the rocker-arm assembly. The valve cover seals are easy, the o-rings not so much. I would try to wipe the oil off in the tubes affected, then do a couple short drives to try and determine which ones (valve cover, rocker arm) seams is leaking.

 

i think they maybe the o-rings. after changing the doughnuts twice, and it still leaked, i couldnt think of what else it could be. i wonder if replacing the o rings involves a true techinical hand ( a REAL mechanic..lol). what do you think??

 

The process is rather involved, you have to remove all the valvegear. Not terribly difficult, but a careful job. There's a specific sequence & tightening torque for putting the camshaft bearing caps back on.

What's the most complicated repair you've ever done?

Go to the DIY section & look for a sticky thread about on-line manuals. Get the one for your car & read through the section about dismantling the head. This can be done without removing the head from the engine because you don't need to remove the valve springs.

 

I changed them on my 92 Accord. The hardest part for me was re-setting the valves afterwards. Someone told me you could do it without loosening the valves, but you have to be very careful to line everything up perfectly, which is tougher with tension on some of the valve springs. If you do this, do not remove the bolts from the rocker arm assembly, just leave them hanging in the assembly and remove the whole thing together. Remove the bolts, and everything falls apart. If you really can do this, without backing off all the valves, and having to re-set them, it would be easy, imo.