What does a major tune up for 1997 Honda Civic consist of?
There really is no such thing as a major tune up – every shop means something different when they say it. There are manufacturer recommended maintenance intervals that can be found in your owner’s manual and you can look up by miles or time on a normal or severe duty schedule to find out what is due. One notable exception is that if your vehicle has over 100K and has never had an automatic transmission flush you should never get one done unless you get a new transmission (or want to). Instead make sure the shop drops the pan, replaces the gasket and the filter. The pressure flush can remove too much clutch material from the valve body and your seals will bypass internally and then your vehicle will no longer shift. Sometimes with an old automatic the gunk is all that holds it together. If you are having an engine problem, you should not throw darts at it by having a tune up. Have an engine diagnostic done and find out what is wrong, then fix the problem.
