[Allen1322]

I'm due for some basic maintenance that I have been putting off untill I moved into my new house w/ a driveway (working on the street sucks). What I had in mind was:

-Dist cap and rotor

-plugs and wires

-fuel filter

-wash K&N filter

-Oil change

-Check brakes



Can you all think of anything else I'm forgeting?



Oh, my Power steering has been acting wierd too. I have had a couple of times where it kind of studders, making the wheel jerk while parking in the rain. It has also just not worked when I first start the car up in the morning untill I give it some revs and get moving. Would that be the pump going bad? It seems like the pump would either work or not, not cut in and out.



Thanks,

A

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[flash]

carefully inspect ALL belts and hoses for any signs of cracking, wear, or loss of shape - they are only good for about 5 years, so keep that in mind



take a good look at the underside of the car, looking for leaks - if you find any, look at the bushings for signs of contamination



a standard every other year thing would be a hydraulic flush and bleed (brakes and clutch)



a standard annual thing would be a coolant system flush and bleed, an alignment, and a tire balance

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[Allen1322]

Good point about the belts.

I forgot to ask about greasing suspension parts. I haven't spent much time under the car yet, so I didn't check to see if joints/bushings needed to be greased.



I probably do need to bleed brakes/clutch. I'll check the previous owners reciepts and see when that was last done...maybe never.



I'm getting new tires soon, so balance/alignment will be done soon.



What about the power steering? I can tell that it leaked w/ a previous owner, but it was not leaking last time I checked, and I haven't seen any new drips in my parking spots.

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[flash]

no worries - most of the bushings and such are rubber, so just look at them to make sure they aren't contaminated with fluids, worn, etc - this is a common problem, especially with a power steering leak



even the manual says to flush the hydraulic system every 2 years, and it makes a difference, so don't delay on that - a motive power bleeder will make that job very easy



as for the power steering, obviously check the fluid - also check the hoses for kinks, wear etc - after that, you'll probably need to get it to a mechanic to further diagnose what's going on there

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[rustech]

Sounds like air in the power steering system. There is a bleeding procedure I believe in the repair manual. A loose cold belt would also effect power steering at start up. Common leak locations for the power steering are the hoses on the bottom of the reservoir as well as the center gasket of the pump. Tightening the four bolts of the pump often stops any leaks if that's where they are. Good luck.

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