Hey everyone, I'm new here so forgive me if I am posting incorrectly. I have a 1987 442 and want to do a tune up on it. I have never done this, but am interested in learning about the car. I want to get good products, so I was wondering if anyone had recommendations on spark plugs/distributor or if it matters what kind of wires I get. If there is anything else I should keep in mind, please let me know! Thanks everyone.

 

One thing I've learned is that if your car is running well, don't mess with it unless you have another car to drive. You will find that as a newbie you'll screw things up while trying to learn maintenance (coming from a fellow newbie), and your car may turn into a giant paperweight for a while until you get someone to help you.

That being said a lot of guys around here like NGK spark plugs. I've had good luck with them so far and they seem to last a long time. I usually try to buy low-ohm spark plug wires that offer interference protection (to minimize crosstalk on high-voltage ignition systems (HEI and the like). Make sure your spark plugs are gapped correctly for your application.

Obviously if you still have a points style distributor you might look at getting a new set of points. You can take the distributor cap off of its base and look for corrosion on the terminals and cracks in the plastic, but if there isn't any cracks and the terminals don't look rusty you should be good.

I like to take my air cleaner off and spray a few shots of carb cleaner down primaries and secondaries at least once a month, then I rev the throttle a little bit to flush any residue off. Also replace your air filter if it is dark or dirty looking. You can also replace your PCV valve if you have one and clean your valve cover breather to help your engine stay cleaner on the inside.

Obviously you'll want to check all the fluids you can and top them off, and while you're doing that do a quick inspection underneath your car to see if anything looks damaged/leaking and the like.

If you want to go the extra mile, buy some zerk fittings for your ball joints, a grease gun, and a tube of moly-graph and grease your lower and upper ball joints till you see the seals bulge.

Anyone else want to chime in?

PS: Never buy FRAM anything. If you want to know why go on youtube and look at what's inside their oil filters.

 

Thanks a lot. I just changed the oil and air filter. I actually had to have one of the ball joints replaced this week, so I think they should be good now. I will check the terminals like you said, are the points fairly easy to replace? Also, I am not really sure what a primary or secondary is (in reference to your carb cleaner application). Oh and I do have a backup car! Thanks for the recommendations, I will look at NGK.

 

I think an 87 came with HEI distributor - if so, no points, but if the cap and rotor look worn they can be replaced when you do the wires and plugs. Just be careful not to mix up the wires and firing order.

first pic is HEI - notice the male connections on the cap and larger diameter of the distributor itself
dizzyhei_zps33e04bc8.jpg


next is the older style points distributor and the plug wires go INTO a female socket on the cap
dizzypoints_zps33e04bc8.jpg

 

As mentioned above, take off the wires one at a time and match up per length of wire and re-install. Also the cost of cap and rotor is not that bad, I always replace mine when doing a full tune up.

You can procure your goodies from a good local part store i.e. Napa or Carquest
or if you have time to wait, you can order from Rockauto.com. I believe that if you do a search on this website, (rockauto discount) as a member you can a discount on your parts.

Pat

 

So if I have an old distributor and want to switch to an HEI, I would be replacing the whole distributor, not just the cap, correct? Is that a relatively easy thing to do? Maybe it would take me longer than some of you, but I could probably do it right? Thanks again for all the help here, I have been reading a bit about distributors and realize I know nothing, ha.

 

Don't forget the brakes and tires

 

All GM cars from 1974 onward had HEI, so, if the arithmetic isn't too overwhelming for me, I can calculate that your 1987 did, too.

I'm not sure what you're looking for here, or how or why the subject of switching to HEI even came up, since your question is about a 1987 car, but if you want to do a tune-up, replace the cap, rotor, plugs, and wires, and check that the timing is set right and none of your vacuum hoses are deteriorated or misrouted.

Are you trying to cure a running problem, or are you just trying to do a "tune-up" "for the hell of it"?

- Eric

 

Are you trying to cure a running problem, or are you just trying to do a "tune-up" "for the hell of it"?

- Eric[/QUOTE]

I need to change some wires because they were chewed on by mice. The spark plugs are pretty old and I figure just change it all out. I have had this car for a couple years and have never had any money to put into it. I really love the dang thing though, and want to take good care of it. So I am doing what I can right now. Pretty much everything needs some attention except maybe the actual motor and transmission (so that's good). Also, I just saw the request for the pic of the distributor with the air filter removed. I will try to get one up soon.

 

It doesn't matter. You've got HEI.

Don't overthink this. Change the cap, rotor, plugs, and wires, and check that the timing is set right and none of your vacuum hoses are deteriorated or misrouted, as I said, and be done with it.

- Eric

 

If the car has been sitting, I would drain the tank and clean it thoroughly if the fuel smells like varnish. Put a new fuel filter on it and I would get some wires and resurrect it with the old parts until you get it started and running.

 

Yes, there's one very important thing that you need to keep in mind. Assuming the car is stock, your 87 has the Olds 307 motor with the CCC computer controlled Qjet carb. The proper tuneup and adjustment of this system requires meticulous attention to the procedure detailed in the factory Chassis Service Manual. The CCC system runs great when adjusted properly, but it is VERY easy to screw up if you don't know what you are doing. Simply replacing cap, rotor, wires, and plugs is no big deal, but even setting the timing requires you to ground the test terminal on the ALDL connector so the computer recognizes the new timing. Adjusting the carb requires either a scan tool or a dwell meter connected to a test connector under the hood to allow you to see the duty cycle of the mixture control solenoid in the carb. You also need to check and if necessary adjust the throttle position sensor in the carb. None of these activities is particularly difficult, but they do require the correct test equipment and following the factory procedure.

 

How can I tell if I have the stock carb? It looks to me like it might have been replaced. This is a picture of it.