I am glad I found this forum. I tried looking on the FAQs for service requirements and intervals. My 2004 X-Type Sport (latter model) showed me a number of OBD-II codes P171,174, 300,302, 304, and 306 were read as a result of my CEL coming on.

I am wondering if there is a link or list of periodic maintenance I need to be doing on my car. I had the extended warranty & a month before it expired, the Nav system had to be replaced along with a DSC computer or module. Those two items cost double what I paid for the warranty.

Anyhow, I am wanting to take care of periodic maintenance like I've done on all my other cars. I had my 1984 Volvo for 24 years and had over 300,000 miles on my 1993 Honda Civic. I changed the timing belt on the Honda every 100,000 miles & anything else to all our cars- my daughter's Mazdas and my wife's Toyota Matrix.

I'd appreciate a link to see what all needs to be done and take care of minor or time-change items before they become issues that leave me stuck somewhere.

Thanks!

Tony

 

backhertz, what you will find is some of the systems on your car (specifically the tranny, transfer case, and rear differential) are labeled as "sealed for life" and therefore will not have any service recommendations for them. So, you will find that amongst the members, there is a difference of opinion of how often these fluids should be changed. Use your own judgement. I will give you my recommendations and justification of why I pick these times.

At 60,000 miles here is a list of stuff that I would do to the car to make sure of its longevity:

-new air cleaner
-replace fuel filter
-inspection of suspension, looking for worn shock/strut, ball joints, in general, still in good condition
-inspection of the brake system, checking for worn pads, rotor thickness.
-feed and bleed of the brake system to replace the old fluid and get new fluid in.
-drain (and flush if you deem it necessary) and refill of engine coolant
-inspect vacuum hoses (specifically the PCV hose and the brake booster line hose) for cracks and degradation.
-clean Mass Air Flow Sensor and throttlebody.
-replace tranny fluid (look on this site, there are a few ways to do this)
-replace transfer case fluid (again, look on this site for a "how to", the fill plug can not be reached, so, you have to fill through the drain plug, not as difficult as you think)
-replace rear differential fluid (no fill and drain plug, just a fill plug, so, you have to suck the fluid out and refill)
-check battery cables for signs of heat damage and places where it makes a rapid bend (indicating the cable is breaking under the insulation), replace as necessary
-rotate tires

Now, I would also say to stop and get a bottle of fuel injector cleaner. What I will tell you is to get a brand different than what your normal gas station is. This is the basis behind this thought process: all fuels these days have detergents in them and they all essentially clean out deposits with every manufacturer using different detergents. But, there are tons of things that cause deposits and some are only cleaned out via specific things, by switching brands, you will find that a few more of the deposits will get removed by the switch and therefore leave the system cleaner overall.

When it comes to tranny service, most seem to agree on about a 60,000 mile change (fits in line with older vehicles and their service routines). As for the transfer case, the middle of the road around here is about 30,000 miles between fluid changes. The basis for this is that you only have about 600 ml of fluid in the transfer case. For the work it does, that is not a lot of fluid. Not to mention if you get any sort of leak, a small amount of fluid loss can add up to a significant percentage of fluid loss. Also, do not be shocked when you pull the drain plug and you get no fluid out. This has happened to about half of the members and those that get fluid out get less than 500 ml of fluid out.

As for the timing belt, do not worry about it. Our motors have a timing chain and therefore unless the timing is becoming erratic, replacement of the timing chain is not required.

That should about do it. Most of this you may have already done, but things like the tranny, transfer case and rear diff probably have not been done. if you have any questions, just ask.

 

Thermo, outstanding as always. What about replacing the spark plugs? Odo is at 72k miles on original plugs. Also, any additional advice on a 5 speed 2.5? Happy new year.

 

Xerxes, the plugs should be good out to 100K miles. Can you replace them earlier,by all means. Wouldn't hurt if you are in there anyways. But, probably won't notice much change to the car.

As for the tranny, if you have the manual, then changing out the lube in the gear box is always a good idea if it has been 30K+ miles.

 

Hi,
I´ve been gathering all the information I can, because I am getting ready to do a rear diff and transfer case oil change, and also a (manual) transmission oil change also.
I can say that (as usual ) Thermo is right. when I replaced my spark plugs (at 130000 Km) they looked like new.
I can add that you should also begin to consider changing the primary and secondary accessory belts.
BTW can someone please provide me with a picture of the rear differential fill plug (seems like all the pictures were taken down).
Also.... is there some thing that I should worry about when changing the transmission oil because it is manual??? (all the procedures I read where for AUTO).

Thanks

 

I just called the a dealership. For my 2004.5 (last six of VIN is E102XX) the part number is C2S 40669005. The o-rings go for $4.05 or $3.42 a piece with an Internet discount. I found them on Ebay for $14.99 on Ebay for a set of two plus $9.99 shipping…oucch.