How do you tune up a 1995 Mazda 626?

Answer 1

Back in the old days, a tune-up meant adjusting the distributor, setting the dwell angle of the contact points and the spark timing in reference to piston top dead center. Spark plugs needed replacement every 12,000 miles or so. Now, replacing spark plugs are about the only thing left to do, and with advances in their construction, they typically last twice as long, four or five times as long with platinum tips. So check the plugs' gap, regap them, or replace them if the electrodes are worn or damaged or any of the insulators is cracked, which will show up as a black line. Examine the insides of the spark plug wire boots for carbon tracks or damage. If you've got an ohmmeter, check to see that the wires measure about 2,000 to 5,000 ohms per foot of length for RF resistant wires. Some fancy types have less resistance. The main thing is just to to make sure it's not excessive or infinite. If you're feeling particularly ambitious, take off the air filter and squirt some throttle body cleaner into the throttle body. Or if you're really committed, remove the throttle body and clean it more thoroughly. If you're looking to improve gas mileage, probably the best thing you can do is make sure your tires are properly inflated. The specs are probably on a sticker on the driver's door inner edge.