Basic Of A Tune-Up

The term “tune-up” dates to the time when Henry Ford was working on his first automobile prototype. In Ford’s simple ignition system, there was one ignition coil for each spark plug. If there were four spark plugs, there were four ignition coils, which needed to be adjusted to offer the same spark intensity for better idle and acceleration. Because they ignition coils worked, they made a buzzing sound, and whenever they were adjusted properly, each will buzzed in “tune”. The expression “tune-up” stuck and became associated with replacing spark plugs and correcting rough idle problems affecting engine performance.

The consumer who has been used to hearing this term around a garage still associated poor running quality with the demand for a “tune-up.”, although once the distributor was developed, the expression “tune-up” had no meaning”.

Today’s automobiles will not require “tune-ups”. The term indicates the need for routine maintenance and should not be associated with poor performance. Automobile manufacturers have developed recommended routine maintenance schedules, which specify intervals for replacing spark plugs, PCV valves, fuel filters, etc. These schedules also specify intervals for checking or adjusting ignition timing, idle speed along with other items related to engine operations, as well as emission control related devices.