Tune Up Parts Numbers

We have oil filters, caps, rotors, plug wires, plugs, PCV valves, and O2 sensors. What else would be done at tune-up/oil change time?

Check all fluid levels--but discussion of which oil to use, which brake fluid is best, "DeathCool" antifreeze, etc. will take up a huge amount of bandwidth with no resolution or consensus in sight.

I pour a bottle of Chevron Techron into the gas tank at every oil change. I suppose other brands of fuel system cleaner are acceptable, but I believe Techron is the best. Chevron used to--and perhaps still does--supply fuel system cleaner in AC-Delco bottles. I notice that Delco now has several fuel system cleaner products. I'm thinking that the Techron was sold as AC-Delco "X-66" or some similar variation of that number. The product was supposed to be an effective cleaner for injectors, intake valves, etc., but also removed sulfur deposits on the fuel-level sending unit.

Fuel filters? My '88 K1500 5.7L takes NAPA FIL-3481 ($17) or the cheapie SFI-23481 ($6)

How about a filter for the charcoal canister? NOBODY ever looks at them. [Later Edit] Not all vehicles have a replaceable filter on the canister[/Later Edit]

Some vehicles have a PCV filter. I don't know about the range of engines available in GM 400s.

I've been known to spray the outside of my Throttle Body (or carburetor, depending on vehicle) with aerosol carb cleaner, now and then, but I buy whatever is on sale at the time--Cyclo, Gunk, Mac's, CRC...I'm not brand-loyal 'cause it's pretty-much all the same chemicals in different aerosol cans.

Distributor "hard-parts" such as pickup coils, modules, and ignition coils aren't really "tune-up" items.

Accessory drive belt(s) and radiator caps aren't really tune-up items either, but checking them at tune-up time is a good idea.

Schurkey said:

How about a filter for the charcoal canister? NOBODY ever looks at them.

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I didn’t even know the charcoal canister had a filter in it. As a matter of fact, I forgot that damn thing even exists to be honest. What’s the benefits of replacing the filter on it? I’m really in the dark on what it actually does tbh

Thermostats don’t hurt to be changed out seldomly. Every time I get a new (to me) vehicle in my collection, I shoot for a big tune up including ignition, water pump, thermostat, any hoses that show wear, belts and usually check all my bulbs around the inside and outside of the truck as well.

Fuel filters also make a night and day difference in performance in some cases. I bought my ‘93 Silverado from a fella who said it cuts out really bad at anything further than 1/4 throttle. Took it home, replaced the fuel filter and it drove like a new truck! (Save for the 4LslipE living up to its name).

NightRunner said:

I didn’t even know the charcoal canister had a filter in it. As a matter of fact, I forgot that damn thing even exists to be honest. What’s the benefits of replacing the filter on it? I’m really in the dark on what it actually does tbh

Click to expand...

The charcoal canister collects fumes from the fuel tank, and in the old days, from the float bowl of the carburetor. When the engine is running, manifold vacuum pulls fresh air through the charcoal to remove the fuel fumes. The air and fuel fumes go into the intake manifold to be burned.

The filter on the canister removes dust from the air before it's drawn into and around the charcoal. That way the dirt doesn't enter the intake manifold.

If the filter were to plug--and this would be pretty rare--air wouldn't flow through the charcoal, the charcoal would become saturated with gasoline. The same thing happens if the "purge" valve fails.

Once the charcoal gets saturated, it can disintegrate, flecks and granules of charcoal move up the vacuum hose into the throttle body vacuum passages.

The "filter" is not much more than a fiber pad that fits into the bottom of the canister. $3 at NAPA, for the "Fuel Vapor Canister Filter" that fits my '88 K1500. NAPA # CRB-210150

https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/CRB210150

[Later Edit] Yeah, that's the number www.napaonline.com provided for my vehicle. I took a look in my service manual (early edition for '88, full of errors) and discovered that my canister does not use a filter. Some canisters do, some don't. Varies by year and by application. [/Later Edit]

I put new wires and AC plugs in 2006 and they are still working ok.

I've still got the 4.3L V6 in my truck, and I've been using the AC Delco PF52 oil filter up until now. Has anyone else noticed that it barely fits though? I mean, maybe it's just my engine or something, but I can only get the filter on maybe two full turns! And I'm not talking about two full turns from when the gasket makes contact with the block, I mean two full turns from when the threads start to engage to when that filter is already super tight! It seems like the threaded part of the oil filter is deeper inside the filter or something. It should spin on a few times before the gasket even makes contact with the block! I'm not sure if AC Delco changed the filters at some point, but I'm going to go with something else in the future.

Just wondering if anyone else noticed that?

Be sure you have the old filter's gasket removed from the block mounting surface. It's a square cut O ring, and they do come out of the filter sometimes.
No personal experience with the V6 but it's happened a few times on my 350s.

Check the threads on that filter. Many years ago I got a defective filter from a name brand company. When I took it back for exchange they handed me another with boogered up threads as well.