I just bought a 1990 Loyale 4WD Wagon, it is a manual 5-spd, non-turbo, it has 198,000 miles but runs extremely well, seems to have been taken care of, and has a spotless interior. I was just wondering what anyone might suggest I do to keep this car in as good shape it is in now. Also I was wondering what kind of simple modifications I might be able to do to improve it (i.e. power, gas mileage, ect.) Remember I'm a poor college student, I don't have a lot of money and most of it just went to buy the car ( I payed 1200). Thanks for any input. I appreciate it. I got the car knowing it might run for another 50,000 miles if I take good care of it, I hope I'm that lucky.

Thanks again

1. accel coil 8140

2. NGK plugs gap .045-.05

change oil every 3,000 miles

wash when dirty

3. remove emissions control BS

2" exhaust

Do NOT remove any of the emissions stuff on the motor.. your fuel injection system will be highly displeased if you do.

 

2 best upgrades.. more air in and more air out.

as for maintenance, at 198k miles it could be ready to get its 3rd timing belt set if it hasnt been done yet. It will disable your car when the belt goes so it's better to replace it now. They seem to go with surprising regularity (every 75-125k miles). If it does go it's not going to do any internal damage to the engine, but it'll strand you on the side of the road. Change the oil every 3-5k miles, and don't overheat it. My bet is that It'll give you alot more than 50k. If it runs perfect at 200k I say it'll take you past 300k if you fix whatever minor problems come up in the future like the radiator/overheating problems or the cv joints etc.

Timing was done three months ago, along with the water and oil pumps. One more thing though, the previous owner siad it burns a little oil (1 quart per 1500 miles) what could this entail and is there anything I can do pre-emptively. It doesn't blow smoke at all, you can't smell burning oil either, the engine is spotless. Is this even a problem or just a typical characteristic for an older sube. Thanks for the replies, having a group of people to go to if anything goes wrong is reassuring.

If it really is running fine, I would not modify it at all. If you start down that road, it will probably reduce your MPG. Keep an eye on your plug leads and also the radiator. Dont thrash it, and it will last you another 100,000.

84 wagon 1 qt every 300 miles, then I tightened the oil pan and valve covers

85 wagon 1 qt every 1000 miles

your oil loss in just fine

if you have carb, I have posted many times how and what to remove