Nissan Sentra 1992I’ve got the car barely a week and I’ve already a lot of dough just to get the car in tip-top shape mechanically. So last time (actually just three days ago), I replaced a lot of hardware from the clutch to restoring the original ride height via stock-length springs. Yesterday, I paid my mechanic one more visit to execute my first “routine” maintenance with the car – a tune up.

Now the bloke from whom I bought the car swore that he changed the oil once every 3000 miles, pretty much standard for most cars. But somehow, I am beginning to doubt that. A simple look at the oil on the dipstick showed that it is due an oil change. And judging by the viscosity of the oil, I could tell that the former owner used non-synthetic engine oil. I’ve been a staunch advocate of synthetic oils since with my previous cars all used synthetic and engine remained in pristine condition after years of use. So it’s about time that the car gets a taste of some good lube.

Also, if the previous owner really changed oil regularly, I was quite surprised at the condition of the spark plugs. I did have my previous cars tuned up every two oil changes just to make sure that every thing’s in order and the guy obviously didn’t give the spark plugs any attention. While the reddish hue of the tips indicated that the engine was burning fuel quite well, judging by the burn marks around the plugs, it had been a long time since they’ve been replaced.

The air filter’s still okay since it’s a race-type filter. Just a few blasts of compressed air and it’s good to go again at least for another few thousand miles.

So here’s a list of the parts that I got from the friendly neighborhood auto supply shop.

  • 4 liters of synthetic motor oil
  • Oil filter
  • 4 spark plugs

So the car was lifted and the old oil was drained. The old oil filter’s swapped with the new and pristine new oil was poured into the car’s engine. All the spark plugs were replaced and voila, routine maintenance done. While I could actually do these myself, I usually let my mechanic do it so that they can also give the car a good inspection for any other repairs to be done. Besides, I also have to bring the oil to be recycled anyway.

The result? The car’s running a lot more smoothly this time. I sometimes used to get some drag when accelerating possibly due to failing spark plugs. The response is a lot faster and the car now feels zippy like it should. I do believe that the ignition timing still needs to be tweaked but I guess I’d have to test the car on the road first before I decide on the best settings.