Raychel

shes a 1998. new air filter at 60,000 and im pretty good about the oil...has been a while though. : ( Just hit 100,000. As time and money permit i will do all necessary but lets say the budget is $250 for tune ups. What are the most important things? Aside from a oil and filter change. Air filter? TIming belt? spark plugs? tranny oil? Im new to this....what should i tune up?? I love my car and dont want her to meet an untimely death. ANY help is appreciated.

xmonk

change the spark plugs. buy it & have your hub or bf plug it in . It only cost around $12bucks.

mvmechanic

Replace the timing belt, adjust the valves, replace the water pump, idlers, cam seal and crank seal -- if you plan on keeping the car for a long time. If you're on a strict budget, just replace the timing belt and change the auto trans fluid (change it every 15,000 miles and you'll never have a trans problem). Honda's have "interference" engines that are expensive to repair if the timing belt breaks. The reason I suggest replacing those other parts is that there is minimal labor cost involved when changing all of those parts at once; you're only paying for the cost of the parts. Make sure to use only Honda factory OEM parts; they're better quality and worth the difference in price. As far as the valve adjustment is concerned: Honda's valve clearances tend to get "tight" as the miles rack up; a "tight" valve will cause cylinder head damage or a "burnt" valve--another expensive repair. I set my valves "loose" on my own cars: the "noise" doesn't bother me and I know I won't "burn" a valve. When properly cared for, a Honda engine will easily go 300,000 miles with minimal problems. Their parts are getting expensive but it's far cheaper to keep an old car running well than to trade it in on a new one. I still drive a 1991 Honda Accord with 250,000 miles that still idles so smooth you can't feel it running when at a stop light; it has the original paint and everything, including the ice-cold AC, works!