Whats up AZine.

I'm planning on going on a road trip from Bay Area California to Vancouver Canada next month. Its about a 1900 miles round trip and was wondering what kind of maintenance/tune-ups/inspection i should complete to get my car ready?

My car has 31k miles and I just had an oil change at 29k. MID shows 80% oil life left. Just had new tires put on at 28k. I do a lot of city driving and Im getting about 19mpg. Tires are inflated at 35psi and I'm using 245/45/17s summer tires if that matters. Anyways...

I was thinking:
-Refill air in tires, rotate and balance
-Inspect suspension and motor mounts
-Replace wiper blades
-Spark Plugs?
-Tranny flush?
-Brakes? Replace pads, flush lines?
-Anything else that I might of forgotten that is necessary? What are your opinions and expertise guys?

For Spark plugs, Tranny flush and brakes I'm not sure if its needed.

I also found a great deal for a carbra for 50 bucks that i will put on when I'm making the road trip.

 

I try and not have major service/repairs done to a vehicle just before a trip, unless it's an absolute necessity.

You needed take or make any additional services as long as the oil/filter has just been changed along with the other items recommended by the MID. That 1900 miles trip will be just a light workout for the TL. If no noticeable vibration, I would not get the tires rotated and balanced as you may experience some harshness after, due to slight irregularities in tread wear and moving the tires to a different location. Plugs, tranny flush etc are due at a later time.

Just get in the car and drive. Have a safe trip.

 

Just check your fluids and tire pressure. Should be good to go. Take an extra quart of oil just in case you get low along the way, a few basic tools, first aid kit. Make sure your spare tire is inflated as well. Most people tend to forget it's there. Have a great trip!

 

a can of Seafoam in 1/2 tank of gas now, it will clean the injectors and pistons- makes for improved mileage- especially on trips,,,it pays you back immedialty
Most parts stores for 7-9 dollars a 16 oz can

look at the max cold pressure on the tires- determine fully loaded car weight and percentage used of tires allowable max (hint most cars 80% with driver only)
use that percentage for pressure adjustment- 90 percent weight= 90 percent cold pressure is what you set them at
On trips it helps the tires to go a few psi above your normal setting

refillng tires? with what- new air?
Some use Nitrogen which would require removing all the air, vac pressure applied to tire, then installing the N, but even that doesnt get changed every x miles

 

No. Don't do this right before a trip. It's not necessary.

Check tires, check fluids, go have fun.

 

anyone who has used seafoam or redline or bg fuel cleaners will tell you how well they work
Modern gas with 10% ethanol added is leaving behind way more unburnt and combustion byproducts than gas from the days of old

Now it does make sense to do an induction system and fuel system cleaning every year starting at 15k miles, In my Opinion as a retired tech and TL owner,
Dealers and shops charge $150 for the same thing we can do for under $20

for a low miles car- a can in 1/2 tank of gas is going to remove the small amount of buildup so far, and return it to like new condition including injector spray pattern of fuel

For higher milage cars-60+ it may take twice to get everything but it will do an awesome job
See youtube vids with boroscope camera showing inside-valve and piston cleaning- thats the induction cleaning

Also carb spray the TB plate to remove crud the PCV system pumps up there
check the seafoam diy for instruction on that
Prevention goes a long way and pays you back

 

I was ASE certified. You don't need to tell me how or why it works.

He can do it when he gets back. It's not necessary to do it before.

As stated: check tires, check fluids, go have fun.

 

So, you know cars too,, Why not restore clean new performance-- before a trip- to get max mileage on the trip?
when he gets back- whats that going to do?

Adding a can of cleaner to the gas tank is pretty basic- if you can add gas you can DIY this! It wont hurt anything,, and will help to some extent

I run higher tire pressures on trips as well

 

holy fuk make sure u go north or east from vancouver as well...bc and alberta's sightseeing will make your head explode from all the crazy fucking scenery.

but ya make sure your car is tuned up cuz u dont want the car to get stuck and have a grizzly bear visit u. lol jk

 

If his car is running fine, then there's no point in potentially changing that. Not before a 1900 mile trip.

He can do it when he gets back, if he believes in doing something like that.

 

there is no danger in using a proper product at the correct doseage to clean the engine internals- Redline Seafoam BG are all excellent products

Plus the OP is going in a month- so a week of cleaner running in the gas now will be gone before the trip

All suggestions are just that- each driver is free to run 32psi in the tires, off brand gas etc if they choose
The point of all this info is for anyone prepping for a trip- not just the OP

 

Seafoaming is not necessary, but is good to do.

Main thing to do is change your oil and check the pressure of all your tires (including spare), inflate them to 37-40 PSI.

01tl4tl, what they are trying to say is basically that once he comes back from a 1900 mile ride his engine internals would be dirty from use from the long trip. So doing the Seafoam treatment before the trip would be utterly useless and may save you 1 MPG (MAYBE), but chances are not if his car is semi-new. (only 31k miles...)

And to OP, if you're going to drive speed limit or little higher post your MPG when you get back so we can see how it fairs for a 2000 mile trip! have fun

 

Thanks for all the input. For the seafoam ive read a few threads about how to put it in. So all i do is put in full can to 1/2 tank of gas? Seems simple enough that I'm willing to try this.

When I meant refilling air, i just meant adding air to the tires so they all match. I have them at 34psi and it goes up at about 36psi when i start driving. I have XL load tires they can actually go up to 52psi i think, but that seems a bit ridiculous.

The reason im getting it balanced because my steering wheel vibrates at around 75-80mph. It would be an annoying drive for 14 hours with a slight vibration in the steering wheel.

Last time when i drove from Phoenix, AZ to Oakland, CA, I got 31mpg.

 

Ive decided to get my brake fluid changed. Brake feel is feeling a lil bit soft and I hope that changing the fluid will fix that problem. When I take it to the dealer, will that also include bleeding the lines?

I will also change my air cabin filter myself.

Do a Seafoam into the gas tank b4 I leave and again when I come back.

Also will get a tire rotation and check all 4 tires + spare.

When I get back I will get my tranny fluid done. a 3x3 that I will attempt myself.

 

Sounds good. Regarding the brake fluid, it's a good idea to get the lines bled. Make sure that the dealer does it, if that's where you're going. The only way you're going to know is if you ask...and maybe even watch them.

 

That's fine. But you should never NEVER EVER do anything new like that before you go outside your comfort area. It's just common sense.

On 31K, it's probably not a big deal. I've seen too many older cars where the owner tried something like this and ended up with a blocked passage, fuel line...just do it when you get back, if you feel the need to. But personally, Seafoam is 'ehh' to me.