Service and Tune EA SII - Ford Forums - Mustang Forum, Ford Trucks, Ford Focus and Ford Cars

FordFan86 · 06-08-2004, 18:49

Well as the title suggests i want to service and tune my mums EA SII for her, as it wil save $$$ for labour... I'm still learning all about cars but i got the basics down...
Firstly what is involved in servicing and tuning? can i do it all at home in the garage or are there some things that a professional must handle?
can someone also give me step by step instructions on what to do and how to do it.
i would also like to know wher i can locate the fuel filter, how i can take this out and just have a look at it.
a couple weeks ago a seal blew on the power steering reservoir..... it was fixed costing 3 bucks for a seal and 27 bucks labour lol... they filled it up with some nice red fluid as when it blew i wasn't sure wether i was looing at oil or not lmao..... anyway i've just checked it again and it seems as though the nice red fluid is already brown again...... can power steering systenms be flushed somehow to clean them out or does the fluid naturally change colour?

FordFan86 · 06-09-2004, 04:46

*BumP*
comeon guys even a website on how to tune and service would keep me happy...
dad knows his way around cars but hasn't got much spare time. so i wanna give this a shot and if i get in trouble he can fix it

psycho chicken · 06-09-2004, 05:27

Depends what you're doing really.

A basic service (oil/filter change, fluid check/top up, brake/tyre check) can be done at home easy as.

Brakes can be changed at home without much effort, spark plugs are easy, coolant flushes aren't TOO tricky at home (though you need more pressure than the garden hose to do it properly)

Power steering flush can be done. Personally, I'd just jack the car up, disconnect the lines from the rack, drain the lot and refill.

What exactly do you plan to do?

The fuel filter on the EA is on the firewall I believe. Shouldn't be too hard to remove, but before you do bleed the pressure from the fuel system. Under the boot carpet is a cover with 6 screws on it. Take the cover off, unplug the fuel plug and crank the car for 10 seconds after it stalls.

eskyboi · 06-09-2004, 07:48

phycho that covers most :)

The fuel filter is easier gotten at with a set of car ramps and crawling under as its on the passenger side side rail under the car on the diagonal towards the engine bay. And yes it contains alot of pressure!

A good thing to do during servicing is to replace the dizzy cap and rotor button as well. Or just clean the deposits off the posts on the inside of the dizzy for a cheap fix.

Disconnect the battery as well so the comp can relearn and adapt to the motor from scratch, which sometimes increases fuel economy.

Also, check all the coolant pipes and replace any that look very sus as the last thing you want is a water leak!

FordFan86 · 06-09-2004, 15:49

i can do most of the basic stuff , oil filter change etc..... what i'm not sure about is can i do the timing myself and the harder bits of it?
whats the dizzy cap and rotor button?

FordFan86 · 06-09-2004, 15:52

i plan do get it running as good as i can..... it's been ohhh i'd say coming up to 100k since it was last serviceed or tuned! i kid you not it has been about that long..... and its has held out all right.. only done a water pump power steering seal an alternator a battery, had the dash rewired caus the battery warning light wasn't coming on.... and it was leaking oil at one stage but some wynns tune up seemed to fix that

eskyboi · 06-09-2004, 18:39

Distributor Cap, and the rotor button is the bit inside that spins around and lines up with each spark plug to distribute the spark to the appropriate cylinder. Replaceable items.

ArT1sT · 06-10-2004, 06:09

shouldnt need to touch the dizzy cap and rotor unless u want new leads then u just gotta plug the leads to the dizzy cap, In order, or u arent getting a spark across the dizzy