[97purple_trep]

Ok, I just got my car back from the dealer for the head gasket and pcm replacement after overheating [see other posts] and my tech told me it needed some things:

- replace external belts [pretty sure just the ones on the front, behind radiator]

- replace upper and lower radiator hoses [anyone know if I need to get my coolant system flushed after this?]

- "major tune up" :
I asked him what this meant and he said spark plugs&wires, distributor cap&rotors, throttle body service, and fuel injector service.

Ok what exactly does he mean by TB service and Injector service? is it something I can do? Also, I was gonna do the plugs and wires myself, what about cap & rotors? I Can probably do these myself too, and I thougt I saw performance versions of these In my JC Whitney catalog.... ?

OK any info is helpful, Of course when I do all this Im gonna do an oil change, run fuel injector cleaner, and Clean Tech in case of sticky lifters and such.

thanx in advance

 

[Wildcat]

Well considering the 3.5 doesnt have a distribtor thats can be a hard one to replace the cap on

The Coil packs are sealed, and from what i can tell not a maintance item.

Plugs and wires shuold have been changed a while ago, plugs are very easy to do as everything is right on top. Wires arent too bad either but I found it eaiser to get to the coil pack from under the car.

Both belts are very easy to change too, just loosen the bolts for both tensioners, and again the lower is a lot eaiser to get to from underneath.

Ive never actually looked at replacing the radator hoses before, as im kind of a "Wait until they leak" type of guy But yes, it would require draining the coolant out..

There are quite a few DIY fuel injector kits out there, I used one (I can't remember the brand) that you actually discconnected the fuel line, hooked the can up and ran the engine of the can until it emptied it.. Made a big difference with the hesitation the car beforehand..

 

[97purple_trep]

kool, thanx... Any more info on that DIY fuel injector deal would be cool...

also what did he mean by TB service, is it jus taking the intake off and cleaning out the throttle bodies?

and I thought I saw some High Performance coils in JC Whitney... Is that what we use?
Or is that for a distributor system.

Also what kind of wires shoudl I use? I was thinking of going with Jacobs, but not sure, also what price am i looking at? $60-$80 would be a cool target? am I too low? High? never shopped for wires...

 

[Mopar4U]

What kind of dodge dealer would tell you to change distributor and rotor when these cars don't have one? jeeezz

I was just at my dealer asking about throttle body cleaning. They said they have this 3 step deal that does require special tools that cleans everything involved with fuel. They told me that when they do this the white smoke just starts pouring out of the exhaust, but when they are done your car will just purr. Of course the service only costs around $100.

I did get jacobs 8.5mm wires for my 3.5, If I remember they were around $150. Lifetime wires.

Like said before belts are easy to do. I've never heard of anyone getting a leak in there radiator hose but it's probably not a bad idea. I would also go through your suspension and lube everything up really good. Don't forget to change the fuel filter.

 

[TehKing]

Well now you've heard it.

A couple months back I had a leak in my upper radiator hose. It leaked out so much fluid that all I had to do was spend 5 minutes changing the hose and another 10-15 filling and bleeding the system.

 

[Aggressor]

Are you getting any codes from the CPU? If not..

The belts are easy to change.

The hoses are easy to change, just use a regular hose clamp instead of those friggin crimp clamps they come with..

Plugs, and wires are very easy to, just do one at a time, and replace them..

Throttle body. If you are getting a code, one of the sensors could be shot. You could take the intake off very easily.

I am doing this from memory right now, so if I miss a step don't shoot me.

Disconnect the air intake system to the intake.

Remove the cables going to the throttle body. You need to turn it full throttle by hand, and then slip both cables out.

Remove the three bolts that hold the intake on.

The intake manifold should come right off.

Get yourself a new gasket set, and some carb. cleaner. (Couple cans). Clean that until all the carbon is remvoed. (Black gook).

Replace in reverse order using new gaskets, all should be good.

Like I said I am doing this from memeory, but when I did that, the car ran much better.

If you are getting any codes, you may have a bad throttle sensor.

It is definately worth taking the intake off, and cleaning it though.
]

 

[97purple_trep]

Mopar4u - I just changed my shocks and struts, so I think I'm fine in the suspension department. The dealer seemed really busy, and the guy that was taking care of me was young, didnt seem like he had dealt with all kinds of dodge's... but I kinda trusted him, I can tell when someones trying to jerk me around. And are those wires worth it?? I dont have that kind of money right now [expired registration is a *****]


Agressor - No codes, geez there better not be, I just got it back from the dealer after they replaced the PCM ! Actually I lied, I have one code that reappeared that ive had for like a month [counting the 10 or so days it was in the dealer] about the "purge flow evap solenoid", but im taking care of that.
And thanx for the advice on the TB's/Intake.

Anyone know about this DIY fuel injector service?