Hey Guys,

I plan on doing a tune up on my 5.9L 2002 SLT with 115k miles, and I just want to make sure I'm not screwing anything up by buying bad parts! For the plugs I planned on doing Champion Iridium's, which actually have a mail in rebate right now so I can get them for $2.50 off. I read the link in the DIY forums about plugs and I think I like the longer life on them over the coppers if no one still hasn't had a problem with them. For the wires I have no idea! Should I get performance and does that really make a difference for the price increase? I know you guys also say go with OEM, but where do I get that from, the dealer? For the distributor cap and rotor I thought I would get this combo pack. Is there anything else that I should get? I'm thinking about adding a fuel injector cleaner is that a good idea? I have been looking parts up on RockAuto, but I don't have to get stuff there I can run up to the local stores and use other sites too. Also I need to buy by the 30th if I want the rebate so I'm going to rush on that.

here are my direct links if you want to see the URL.
plugs http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/moreinfo.php?pk=960067
rebate if you want in http://www.fmsmartchoice.com/_champion/steps_Auto.html
dist. http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/moreinfo.php?pk=2067198
http://www.rockauto.com/

Thanks,

Chris

I think the rebate is for $2.50 off each plug not $2.50 a pop.

 

I have the same year and set up as you. I use Champion copper plugs. They work great, not sure if iridium will benefit you much (definitely no platinums though).
Wires... 8mm MSD if you can afford th $90+ price tag. If not, go with an oem set from the dealer.
Cap and rotors... You should be fine with a set from a local parts store. Make sure you get brass contacts though.
Fuel system cleaner... Find a reputable shop that does a legit cleaning of the injectors. You could use Sea Foam if you live in a remote area (we have several write ups about it). Don't add anything to your fuel tank other than Sea Foam though. Most additives are questionable at best.
Change your PCV valve.
Check your air filter.
Change your oil and filter. I use Mobile-1 FS 10W-30 with a mobile1 filter.
Check your coolant level.

 

You might clean your throttle body and IAC as well. There are several write ups about that too. Enjoy!

 

Well the members that have tried the Champion Iridium plugs in the 5.9L say they like them and they are still going strong.

As for a distributor cap and rotor you can get a set at Auto Zone (up graded with brass contacts) or even NAPA has a "Echlin" product line as well that is good as well.

As for wires I would go 8.5mm MSD Red wires, OEM wires, or Mopar Performance wires.

 

i work for a luxury car dealership and we only use BG products. if you can get your hands on some, get the 44K fuel treatment. it works great. but like samnbensdad said sea foam works great. a good and trusted brand.

 

OK going with the brass upgrade, but I was planning on doing it from advanced auto because its cheaper and closer http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/web..._667480841____ does anyone see a problem with that brand? Also Ive never heard of the pcv valve, what's up with that? Finally on the wires, this car is our secondary car is there reason I should do the msd ones? I know everyone recommends them but I never see any reasons why. I already got the seafoam and plan on adding it to the fuel tank, but I was wondering what you guys thought about adding it to the oil. I plan on running mobile 1 10w-30 high mileage with a mobile filter. Will any air filter do or any recommendations on that?

Just an update - I've been running high mileage oil for a while now but not sure what brand or quality. that's why I want to seafoam because I plan on doing my own oil changes now. Also should I use mobile 1s high mileage, full synthetic, or extended life? This is a low use vehicle that almost never hits 3k by 3 months and. harsh hot city driving too.
Also I called the stealer and they want $66 for the wires. Unless anyone can recommend some quality wires for around $30 ill probably go with the mopars unless I can be convinced otherwise.

 

Sea Foam can be used directly through a vacuum line if you really want to scrub your intake. Do a YouTube search.
You'll be fine with that cap and rotors. Just make sure you get the brass upgrade. You'll pay a little more, but you'll get a better spark and it will last longer. As for the wireset, the MSDs are going to give you less interference and better spark. However, it's not necessary if you just want to keep your truck on the road. Honestly, you would be fine with Bosch or any other name brand. But if you go to the dealer, you'll get an exact fit. Fighting with generic wires can be a pain due to various lengths of the wires.
The pvc (positive crankcase ventilation) is a small plastic device attached to a hose coming out of your drivers side valve cover. It just pops out. It is literally about $5.

 

Sounds like you're trying to stick to a budget. I would just go with the cheap champion spark plugs and spend the difference on the better wires.
I use the high mileage formula mobile 1
I would just get any paper filter unless you are willing to drop $45 on a k&n reusable air filter.

 

The PCV valve is "Positive Crankcase Ventilation" and basically let's the crankcase breath by using the intake vacuum pressure and the crankcase vapors get sucked into the intake manifold. It is a very simply change and cost a whopping $3.00 at the most from Advance. I put a link below to a Fram PCV valve, which is what I would recommend because Fram PCV valve is what I have in my Durango personally and I'm really happy with it.

Basically a PCV valve wears down over time and can cause sluggish accelerating and possible lack in performance so it's typically suggested to replace the PCV valve whenever you are doing a tune up.

PCV Valve:
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/FRM-FV395/

MSD stands for "Multi Spark Discharge" and their products are proven to work time after time and have the best conductivity after age. Most people don't like spending money on wires, so if you want to (not suggested but if you want) you can go extended intervals with the MSD wires. Also, they are larger diameter than most with 8.5mm so this means the best conductivity money can buy.

Really any filter will do but for the best of the best you would want a Royal Purple, and the high performance Mobil 1 filters will do just fine. Try and stay away from the nuclear orange Fram filters as these are extremely famous for failing and causing catastrophic problems in the engine. I put a link to the Royal Purple oil filter below and like I said it has been proven numerous time to be the best of the best time and time again.

Royal Purple Oil Filter:
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/CHC-20-253/

Also, here is a link that describes why Royal Purple oil filters are better than the rest. If you have time check it out but if not, don't worry about it. It's a very informative website also so it's a fun place to read about their products.

Royal Purple Filter Website:
http://www.royalpurple.com/rp-oil-filter.html

Mobil 1 High Mileage is a FULL SYNTHETIC and if your vehicle has high miles on it (120k+) I'd recommend using this. Basically the difference of good old fashion Mobil 1 and High Mileage is the High Mileage has stronger detergents in it that don't break down as fast and it isn't known to cause leaks in engines like swapping to a straight full synthetic is.

I posted a link below that leads you to the Mobil 1 website and you can read more on what the difference is on their High Mileage FS oil versus the Mobil 1 FS oil. This is a very informative website so hopefully you can learn a little something if you want by reading some.

http://www.mobiloil.com/USA-English/...ge_10W-30.aspx

Never get plug wires from the dealership because they're going to give you OEM wires which is what you don't want because you'll be right back in the same boat you're in a year from now. As far as that cap goes, it looks cheap and is cheap and does not include a rotor so you would need to purchase an extra rotor to go with it. As far as that goes, spend an extra $10 to get a known quality Summit Racing cap and distributor (all with brass contacts) and you'll be happy with it. I put a link below to the cap and rotor!

The best plug wires you can get for $30 are going to be Summit Racing brand as listed below because they are 8mm and I have personally used them before and they are known to be very similar in quality to the MSD wires.

Distributor Cap and Rotor:
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SUM-G5233/

Plug Wires:
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SUM-867815/

Also, I can vouch for what hydra said about having the Iridium plugs in it and although they are technically a colder firing plug, I've had no problems with them in the 3 years I've been using them. Champion Copper is what you want if you're sticking to a budget with a stock engine because unless you have some mods there, you're not going to see much of a difference.

Really any air filter will work, but the best bang for your buck, get a K&N red rechargeable filter. They run about $50 but you'll never have to buy another filter. If you choose not to go this route, get a Fram Tough Guard pre-oiled air filter from Wal-Mart and be done with it. You'll have to change it out once it gets dirty and it's a bit more pain to deal with than the K&N but it's indeed cheaper. The Fram Tough Guard is the yellow filter made by Fram and is easy to find it the parts section of Wally World.

Hope that helped!

 

Thanks for all of the info guys! I'm slightly on a budget :-) Im not really interested in paying for HP performance gains, but I am willing to pay more for items that increase MPG, have a longer life themselves (iridiums) , and also parts that increase the overall life of the durango. Still not positive on the cap and rotors but I'm going with brass for sure. For the wires I'm leaning more towards the $30 end but still very open there. The iridiums don't have to be changed as often right?