Tips to keep older cars running smoothly...

[Obvious]

1. Change the oil & oil filter every 5000 miles. Cost £30 0.5 hour job.

2. Change the air & pollen filters every year. Cost £15 15 min job

3. Change the spark plugs every 4 years. Cost £15 15 min job.

4. Change the HT leads (they connect distributor cap ends & coil to spark plugs) every 6 years. Cost £15-£50 15 min job (at most).

5. Change distributor cap & rotor arm (unless electronic ignition) every 6 years. Cost £10-£20 15 min job.

6. Change the battery every 5 years. Cost £50 15 min job.

7. Change fuel filter every 8 years. Cost £5, (depending on location 1 hour job - security clips)

Works for me.

When you buy an older car, as you don't really *know* the service history, change the oil & filter, air filter, spark plugs, distributor cap, rotor arm & ht leads. It'll run like a dream.

Feel free to add other tips

[a guest's guest]

you really need to replace old hose and belts, if the car is old enough to be called an 'old' car

[xXx.Lesley.xXx]

£50 for a car battery I'm sure I only paid £24 for mine when I needed a new one.

[Obvious]

My battery has a 5 year guarantee. But yeah, the prices above are all averages. Like what you could expect to pay roughly.

[Pia]

Great tips guys

[Raymond-Bergman]

Great tips guys

Great ideas guys


** feels more manly now

[abkrw]

my battrie just cost £63
but my car is a shogun so everything ir dearer

[Harriet_uk]

That advice doesn't sound right!

Spark plugs every 4 years? I find that I have to clean every 6 months and change them every year....

HT leads don't last much longer

Dizzy cap and rotor arm.....again, every year

Fuel filter would start to break down WELL before the 8 year mark


The most important thing about looking after oldere cars is the OIL and oil filter. you need th change them more frequently, depending on the age. in my '73, I find I need to change them every 6 months, but I feel better about it if I change them more often (since it's a ten minute job if you're careful)

Even the newest cars would need all these things before those kind of intervals! And the older ones...even if you don't drive them things still degrade alot faster than that!!

[Obvious]

That advice doesn't sound right!

Spark plugs every 4 years? I find that I have to clean every 6 months and change them every year....

HT leads don't last much longer

Dizzy cap and rotor arm.....again, every year

Fuel filter would start to break down WELL before the 8 year mark


The most important thing about looking after oldere cars is the OIL and oil filter. you need th change them more frequently, depending on the age. in my '73, I find I need to change them every 6 months, but I feel better about it if I change them more often (since it's a ten minute job if you're careful)

Even the newest cars would need all these things before those kind of intervals! And the older ones...even if you don't drive them things still degrade alot faster than that!!

Firstly they are tips not rules & secondly ...

The reason you have to clean your sparks every 6 months is becase the fuel / air mixture is too rich / lean, or due to oil fouling. Try fixing the root cause.

The ability of any component to last (such as HT leads) depends on how much mileage you do. A friend of mine races cars - his HT leads last for a couple of meetings, no more. HT leads are fine for 18-20k miles, and will gradually degrade over the following 2 years, leading to replacement after 4 (although with my own car they lasted for 8 years).

Dizzy cap & rotor arm - once again mine lasted for 8 years before needing to be replaced. Although they should have been replaced after four 'cos of corrosinn. The best method is to inspect your car at least once a month - that way you can keep on top of the situation.

The fuel filter will collect debris from the fuel & the tank (rust) from new. If you keep the tank full of fuel as much as possible, the chance of rust developing & debris clogging the filter will be far less - than driving around on a quarter of a tank. 8 years is the absolute maximum that it should be left. If power loss / fuel starvation is detected, then by all means change the filter sooner.

I do agree about your oil point (but then I wrote 5k originally anyway). Frequent oil & filter changes are an absolute must for any car.

[Harret uk]

Firstly, I didn't call them rules, I called them advice.

Secondly, My mixture is just fine, thank you very much. ANY car would be wanting new plugs after about a year, you'll find that in any book you read! Even when the mixtures been set by a machine, plugs will foul up long before 8 years!

My car, at the moment is a weekend/playin out car - Public transport is cheaper for work - My HT leads still need to be changed every other year, tops (Along with the coil, condenser, pionts, rotor arm, dizzy cap...etc - you know.....like a SERVICE) Also, a friend of mine is a drag racer, he manages to get a good bit more than a couple of meetings out of his HT leads

Fuel is drity anyway. Even if you could drive continuously on a full tank, they'd get full of muck. and what do you mean A filter? There should be two in the engine bay and one near the tank.

You really shouldn't leave things until the absolute maximum - Once little things start to break up, they cause bigger problems, and pretty soon, you're pulling the engine when you could have been replacing a few leads!

Obvious, are you a mechanic in wigan? My car never did run quite right after it had been in that particular garage

[irishRem]

and dont forget to change bushings if you hear unwanted noise underneath. they usually worn out when your drivin on rough roads or humps.

[VimFuego]

Obvious, are you a mechanic in wigan?

And what's wrong with mechanics in Wigan?

With the improvements in spark plug technology and the advent on platinum and irridium spark plugs they tend to last around 60,000 miles or even the lifetime of the car.
Platinum spark plugs have been around for about 15 years so yes they are in older cars also.

Also petrol filters cost buttons why not replace them each time you change all the other filters?

Any tips on gearbox oil and brake fluid?
And what about brakes,suspension, tyres and exhausts?

[a guest's guest]

it does kinda matter what kind of car you have too. like if you take the kia for
example.. they start falling apart when you take them off the lot.

[Obvious]

For brake fluid - 'they' recon every couple of years (just did mine last week).

When you bleed your brakes, you should collect the old brake fluid & inspect it for discolouration & specks of black.

If it is dark & has black bits, then your rubber seals on the brakes are probably breaking down (leading to loss of fluid & air entering the system) & need to be replaced.

Although the best 'tip' I can offer is buy a Haynes manual ...

[Obvious]

The brakes, suspension, tyres & exhaust will all wear at different rates (esp tyres & suspension). You should inspect your brake pads once a month & check the discs for cracks & scratches.

The exhaust (esp mid & rear box) tends to rust from the inside out (due to condensation from the exhaust gasses) & depending on the type of driving you do (ie lots of short journeys) the exhaust will rust more quickly.