First time here, I think I need a tune up

[shamuu]

Hey everyone, I purchased an 04 PT last year with 46k miles on it. I now have 71k miles and was wondering how soon/how much a tune up would cost. I'm not very car savy but i am always willing to learn! Any advice or information is appreciated

[Hooligan]

Plugs & Performance Wires. Champion 7570 gapped 0.40. Crane or MOPAR wires. Cranes can be purchased from www.raceandstreet.com. MOPAR from Dealer.

[lakersfan1]

MSD wires from Autozone - $45 and I've got Bosch Platinum +4 in mine. Plugs and plug wires are mostly a personal choice. As long as they're quality, you're probably good. Iridium plugs are a waste if you don't have the turbo though. Either copper or platinum plugs.

You'll probably also want a new air filter with that much milage. Any brand will do if it's just a 'tune up' and you don't care about performance.

[shamuu]

I care about performance alot, but my car is pretty much stock. I don't want to keep it that way, but for now I have to And im guessing changing the plugs and wires is not a difficult task to do?

[bobs turbo pt]

welcome to the board!! its not to hard to do , let us know how you make out

[AlexJB]

if you've had it from 41K and your now at 70k, have you had a major service by a mechanic/dealer?
Is'nt 60K where the cam belt is suposed to be done?

(anyone feel free to jump in and slap me if I'm full of it)

[ucantcme]

Originally Posted by AlexJB

if you've had it from 41K and your now at 70k, have you had a major service by a mechanic/dealer?
Is'nt 60K where the cam belt is suposed to be done?

(anyone feel free to jump in and slap me if I'm full of it)

Im at 76k, never heard of anything about a cam belt >_>

[CREWZIN]

The CAM belt, otherwise or more commonly known as the Timing belt can go to 120K but most people agree that the 100K mark is about as far as you want to go.

60K used to be the recommended time but materials have changed and last longer these days.

shamuu, Sorry to say but you don't sound as if the PT would be a good time to learn how to change the plugs and wires. Most cars, yes, it's pretty easy but the non-turbo 2.4litre has to have the upper manifold taken off throttle body bolts taken out and particular torque measurements used when doing the re-assembly. If the Imagestation do-it-yourself guide was still around then you might follow the step by step guide. There still is a cheap pay site that you can join and receive step by step instructions plus it has thousands of questions from owners and and all the answers from Master Techs plus loads of Do-It-Yourself guides with pictures. Here's the link...
PTDoItYourself.net Chrysler PT Cruiser, PTDIY.net, Do It Yourself maintenance, modification, repair, fix, FAQ, gallery, and tips

[lakersfan1]

I just checked the manual online at Chrysler, and they say 102K for my 07. I've got no problem going 100K on a timing belt. I think it's pretty standard now to require 100K out of a belt because of emissions standards.

And seriously, how bad can it be to do a timing belt on the PT? My last car was a 93 MX3, which is a Ford Escort chassis car with a V6 crammed into it. My hands still have scars on them 5 years after I did the first timing belt on her from working in the tight space, not to mention trying to align quad cams with the pressure of 24 valve springs fighting you all the way, and a hydraulic tensioner that's so tight, that if you pull the pin while the timing is off, you need to take it to a machine shop to get the pin reset in a hydraulic press and try again. Is it worse than that?

[CREWZIN]

Is it worse that that? Maybe, maybe not. But the poster was talking about a tune-up, not timing belt. Others that answered started talking about the timing belt.

If you do a search on timing belts, even the experienced techs say that the PT is a royal PITA to do. Apparently part of the engine on one side has to be lifted to gain access to a part of it.

We're talking about someone who just purchased his first PT and admitted "he's not very car savy" so it's a good bet he'd run into problems with plugs and wires let alone tackling the timing belt.