Engine Maintenance Basics

There are a lot of engine maintenance shops around Jacksonville, FL, and for good reason: regular and major tune-ups can improve your car's performance, prolong its lifespan, and significantly improve fuel efficiency.  With fuel prices not showing any sign of declining in the foreseeable future, keeping up on your engine maintenance is just a wise long-term investment.

Major tune-ups done by your dealer can be pretty pricey; it's generally a better idea to get to know a local mechanic with his own smaller garage -- Jacksonville, FL has them by the hundreds.  Alternately, if you're good with your hands, you can get to know the inside of your car and do basic tune-ups and engine maintenance yourself. 

Here are some basic things you should learn about your car:

Ignition/Electrical

Check your battery every season.  Clean any corrosion off of the cable clamps and terminals (baking soda and a small wire brush work well).  If the levels are low, add some distilled water to top them off.  Both of these steps help to extend your battery life.

Every 35,000 miles -- about every three years for most people -- replace your spark plugs.  (Platinum plugs you can do every five years instead.)  Look them over for corrosion or cracks, and replace them if they get damaged.  If you're doing a major tune-up, get new high-quality cables for your spark plugs as well.
Speaking of spark-plug cables, every major tune-up should also replace your distributor cap and the rotor of your distributor, if it has one.  If your car is more than twenty years old, you'll also need to replace the contact points and the condenser.

Oil and Fuel

Assuming your car has non-hydraulic valves, you'll need to adjust the valve covers and replace the valve cover gaskets.  If you have one, inspect your timing belt and adjust or replace it if need be.  Check the fan belt and all other belts, replacing any that are cracked or frazzled. 

Every three years -- whenever you replace your spark plugs -- you should also replace your fuel filter.  If you have fuel injection, clean your fuel injector at the same time.  Once a year, replace your air filter as well.

Knowing what should be done and when will help keep your car running in tip-top shape for as long as possible, and if you can do it yourself, you can save yourself some money as well.  If you don't feel comfortable doing all of this yourself, there are still hundreds of small shops in the Jacksonville, FL area that will be happy to do all of your engine maintenance for you.