Pre-College Tune Up

[WFJacoby]

I have a 2001 Grand Prix GT, and I should be driving it to college this fall.
Since I won't have much time to work on my car in college, and my LIM gaskets are starting to go bad, I have decided to give my whole engine a good tune up. I am focusing mainly on reliability. This car has to last me 4 years, then I can store it until I save up enough money to do something awesome with it.

Here is what I plan to do:
-LIM Gaskets
-New Dorman Upper Intake manifold
-Aluminum Coolant Elbows
-Water Pump (since it's only $20)
-Plugs & Wires??
-Valve cover gaskets
-Coolant Flush (Dexcool or something else??)
-Transmission Flush
-Clean MAF
-And of course, an Oil change.

Also sometime in the near future:
-U-Bend Delete
-Make a heat shield for my cone filter, or do a fenderwell intake.

Let me know what you guys think, and if I'm missing anything I should do while I'm at it.

Thanks,
Jacob

[Fivefingerdeathpunch]

-Transmission Flush

Change that to a Trans pan drop w/new filter and throw in a Transgo shift kit.

[nos4blood70]

You can use Dex, but most would suggest running the green stuff.

Where from IL are you?

[hockeybawler]

I am doing the same thing on my 04 next week but while I am changing my gaskets I am throwing on a supercharger haha, I am wondering where in illinois you are too

[WFJacoby]

I will definitely get a new trans filter just forgot to write that down haha. And I am up in northern Illinois, kinda by Rockford.

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[camopaint0707]

If you are doing all the labor yourself go for it all. Maybe fuel filter too

[WFJacoby]

Yes I plan on doing all of this myself. Fuel filter is a good idea. And is a shift kit a performance mod or a reliability mod? Does it accelerate or decelerate wear on the trans?

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[WFJacoby]

http://www.grandprixforums.net/showthread.php?t=46931 might as well do this too while I have it all apart.

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[dsmuts]

Shift kit will make your trans last longer

[FordMan77]

Don't forget to add the valve cover bolt grommets or the new gaskets will leak again. Also some black or grey RTV to seal up the 4 corners where the LIM gaskets and LIM meet.

[camopaint0707]

DO you have any modifications done?

[WFJacoby]

Don't forget to add the valve cover bolt grommets or the new gaskets will leak again. Also some black or grey RTV to seal up the 4 corners where the LIM gaskets and LIM meet.

I do have the grommets for the valve covers and the LIM Gaskets came with a little tube of black RTV.

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[WFJacoby]

DO you have any modifications done?

Just a cone filter. Nothing fancy haha.

[WFJacoby]

Any recommendations for plugs and wires? I was just going to go with AC Delco iridium.

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[dsmuts]

Those plugs are good and just get cheap wires

[WFJacoby]

Got everything done on the engine Friday.

LIM gaskets
New UIM
Valve cover gaskets & grommets
Aluminum coolant elbows
Coolant flush
New plugs & wires
New water pump

And Alot of cleaning, especially the throttle body.

I drove around for a few hours last night and everything is working perfectly. Now I just need to do my trans flush + new filter and a shift kit.

Will I need a new gasket for the accumulator if I install a shift kit? Ive heard some people say it is reusable...

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[Fivefingerdeathpunch]

Hopefully you did 2 oil changes after the LIM gaskets.

And the gasket you are talking about for the transmission is metal, so re-useble.

[WFJacoby]

Hopefully you did 2 oil changes after the LIM gaskets.

And the gasket you are talking about for the transmission is metal, so re-useble.

2 oil changes? I was just going to change it once

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[Fivefingerdeathpunch]

You are suppose to drain the oil once you finish the job, then add in new oil to rinse out the motor incase any coolant got inside the engine. Run that oil for a few miles and drop it again and put new oil and filter on. Its the best thing to do so you don't spin a bearing.

[Madness]

Job well done. If you did all of that in one day, everything must have went pretty good.