Tech Corner: Engine Maintenance – You CAN Do It Yourself

While all DIY car maintenance projects make you feel good, there’s nothing more satisfying than freshening up the engine—your beloved ride’s heart. In previous posts, we’ve visited some of the overall basic and slightly more in-depth repairs that you can do in your own driveway. Today, however, we’re going to take things a little further and unpack some simple engine maintenance.

A few disclaimers: The focus here will be on gasoline engines, not diesel. Don’t worry though, as much of what we discuss will carry over. Plus, we plan to visit DIY maintenance of the diesel platform soon. (So be sure to check back!) Second, while we’ll be moving beyond the intro course to your vehicle’s inner workings, we are still keeping this discussion at a novice level. Therefore, we won’t be advising you on what it takes to dive into the engine and perform complex repairs, but we do hope we can address some general engine maintenance tasks that you might otherwise be hesitant to try solo.

Spark plugs

Let’s start easy. Spark plugs are a very important part of an engine’s performance—and it’s important to remember that they have a lifespan. When a spark plug begins singing its swan song, performance, fuel economy, and throttle response will all begin to suffer. In the worst-case scenario, a misfire can develop, which can be very alarming. Fear not, though, as replacing spark plugs is something you can do in the comfort of your own driveway.

The Research: Choose Your Plugs

Like any other repair, good engine maintenance requires some informed research. So, let’s quickly talk about the types of spark plugs and their lifespan. Copper plugs are the cheapest available and will usually need replacing every 20,000 miles. Platinum plugs are a step up, offering a much longer lifespan of up to 100,000 miles, but are topped by high-end iridium plugs in both terms of price and lifespan, which will run for around 125,000 miles.

If you’re at the store and want to set yourself up with the best plugs possible for your engine, you don’t want to fall solely on the life of the element, though. (This is particularly important for you performance fans out there.) Yes, copper plugs have the shortest lifespan, but their tendency to burn cooler makes them the best choice for boosted and high compression engines. This is because they are less likely to cause detonation.

Similarly, if you’re looking to save money on parts for a daily driver, don’t be so quick to buy the cheapest plug that will fit in your engine. Sure, the initial cost of a platinum or iridium plug may be more. But if the vehicle is kept up with properly, those plugs may very well be the last ones you put in your engine.

Consult your vehicle’s service manual for the recommended spark plugs and be sure to pick the brain of the parts store employee, as they can provide more useful insight than Google.

The Process: Change Your Plugs

The easiest plugs to change are on older engines, as everything is wide open. In essence, all you have to do is pull the plug wire, remove the plug from the head, and then replace the plug. Engines with coil packs will often require the removal of covers and other components, but once they are out of the way, it’s as simple as removing the coil pack and plug.

Before popping in that new plug, though, make sure it is properly gapped according to the manufacturer’s spec. This will ensure a proper burn, which is critical to the lifespan and performance of the engine. (Don’t worry—you can grab gapping tools for pennies on the dollar at any parts store.)

Oil Changes

Let’s move to something a little more familiar for those people who are just now dipping their toes into engine maintenance: oil condition. Actually, checking spark plugs is a great first step to take during oil changes. If you notice the plugs are fowling up or showing a lean or rich burn, chances are the engine is seeing some internal issues.

The Research: Diagnosing Oil Condition

If you’re on time with your oil changes, but you’re noticing a lack of oil draining from the engine, you are likely dealing with a leak, which you will want to address as soon as possible. If you notice your oil has a burnt odor and smoke is coming from the exhaust, you’re likely dealing with blowby. (Admittedly, when this occurs with a beater car—it’s not the end of the world. But if it’s happening on a vehicle you care about, don’t dilly dally on addressing it.)

The most common and annoying oil issue is a milky color. This means water is getting into the oil source somehow. Many times, the cause is a leaking head gasket. But some drivers are unlucky enough to have a cracked block, which contributes to the issue. A good indication that it’s the head gasket is finding a spark plug that is completely clean. This happens because the coolant is leaking into the cylinder, washing the plug, and then dripping down into the oil pan.

The Process: Changing Oil

Routine oil changes aren’t complicated, but there are some things to keep in mind. First, check your vehicle’s owner manual for the correct type of oil for your ride. If you head to the parts store and pluck the cheapest thing off the shelf, with no regard for proper viscosity, you can do some serious damage to the engine. Additionally, don’t skimp on the filter—especially if your car calls for expensive oil or you have a habit of losing track between oil changes.

Since we find visual guides to be the most useful, check out this helpful How-To Video from ChrisFix:

Throttle Body Cleaning

A dirty throttle body is something that can seriously hinder performance but is easy enough to address with nothing more than a few basic hand tools, some rags, and dedicated cleaners. Throttle bodies accumulate a lot of build-up dirt, gunk, varnish, and carbon over time. This reduces the ability of air to flow to the engine and can cause run-quality, performance, and even economy issues. Indeed, if you notice rough idling, a lack of power when accelerating, or even stalling, it could be due to a dirty throttle body, so you see why keeping it clean is just good engine maintenance.

The Research: How Often?

While no specific mileage standard has been set, many sources suggest the throttle body only needs to be cleaned every 100,000 miles, while others say it’s best to do so every 30,000 miles. Personally, we side with doing it every 30,000 miles. Besides the old “Rather safe than sorry,” we feel vehicle maintenance is the most satisfying when it’s done to prevent issues—instead of to repair them.

Overall, however, throttle bodies tend to get dirtier at higher mileages, particularly in vehicles that experience a lot of stop-and-go driving or irregular oil changes.

The Process: Cleaning the Throttle Body

To clean a throttle body, you need to remove the air filter, air filter housing, and intake tube first. Once you have access to the throttle body, you’ll need to undo the fasteners that anchor it to the intake manifold. Cleaning it should be done with dedicated throttle body cleaner and disposable rags, which you can use to carefully wipe away heavy deposits. And while you’re in there, you might as well take the time to clean the mass air flow sensor. A dedicated cleaner is used for this process, so you should remove it from the position in the intake and give it a good spray cleaning.

Like any other form of engine maintenance, be sure to take a peek at that service manual to ensure your vehicle’s manufacturer doesn’t require an extra step or special procedure.

Engine maintenance doesn’t have to be scary. With a little research, thoughtful approach, and old-fashioned elbow grease, you’d be surprised what you can accomplish on your own.