3RZFE engine Spark Plugs & Coil Wires (question about which specs are important)

3RZ-FE engine Spark Plugs & Coil Wires (question about which specs are important)

Just curious if it even matters which NGK spark plug to use out of the replacement list?

I think the original plugs for the 3RZ-FE are Nippon Denso ND K16R-U, gapped at 0.031" (sometimes listed as 0.032") at 14ftlbs (dry, at no anti-seize) torque.

The NGK web site lists suitable replacements as
1. Standard NGK BKR5ES
2. OE NGK BKR5EYA
3. GPower NGK BKR5EGP
4. Iridium NGK BKR5EIX
5 Ruthenium NGK FR5BHX

Pricewise, they are roughly equivalent given there are only 4 of them and they're pretty inexpensive so the question isn't at all about price.

Which works "right"?

Presumably, all the marketing aside, I can't go wrong with OE.
But does anyone have good or bad experiences with the other variants?

(And, yes, I will avoid Bosch at all costs.)

Same question about marketing with the sparkplug wiring loom.

3RZFE wiring loom Toyota Part Number 90919-22387
1. Local Toyota Dealership $150 (out of stock, 1 day away)
2. Camelback Toyota Dealership $83 (in stock, days away)
3. Local Parts Store $42 (in stock)

If I buy it at a parts store, what brand (NGK?) do you generally recommend?
The original owner said the current four wires were put on about a dozen years ago and that they're from a parts store in another state.

The labeling says "Belden Premium 5mm cable SAE Class F-KI".
Does the width or SAE class of coil wires even matter?

 

it is my understanding that the plugs with the rare earth metal tips, iridium, platinum etc, are there for extended service interval. The heat range is what is important. I live in CA and we put some differernt stuff in our gas than the other lower 48 states. As for gasoline and the deposits left on plugs... you usually get what you pay for. Tier 1 fuel for me. As for cables, nothing fits and looks like factory. I personally dont like the "look" of an otherwise stock engine compartment with a set of neon blue plug wires. just my 2 cents worth.

 

I bought

$58 Standard Motor Products 55901 8mm/7mm Silicone Spark Plug Wire Set

these for my 2RZ. Fit is pretty darn close to OEM. Wires are labelled with which cylinder they belong to, comes with the little plastic wire holder thingies and even have reddish orange tips like my factory ones did (because looking OEM is important too). For less than $40, I feel like they were totally worth it. I agree with the previous comment too about having a stock engine compartment and bright blue plug wires. Not the look I like but different strokes for different folks!

 

Use what the owners manual states.

 

Strange, so your manual shows a gap of 0.043 for all 3 engines? Mine (99) shows 2 different gaps, one for the 4 cyl and one for the 6 cyl.

 

Ive used both the Denso and NGK part numbers, both were gapped at .043 out of the box. 10 thousandths of an inch wont matter much in the grand scheme of things.

 

My NGKs were at .043 too. I ran them that way for several months before I saw the other gap spec so I re-gapped to .031. Of course, there's no difference and it still runs exactly the same!

 

I picked up four spark plug sockets (5/8ths, 18mm, 3./4, & 13/16ths) and 4 plugs and 4 wires.

No matter how gentle I tried to pry up on the spark plug boot, EVERY plug wire broke off at the top of the sparkplug.

That little tiny broken off metal tip (yellow arrow) was what had prevented the 5/8ths inch spark plug socket from fitting on the plug hex.

In the photo below the red arrow points to the plastic wiring loom holder that was so brittle it broke.

Are they easy to replace?

 

Here is a closer look (red arrow) at the other wiring loom clip that was so brittle it broke off at the valve cover.
Do I replace it by removing the valve cover or can it be replaced without removing the valve cover?

 

I had on clip break, I drilled it out and used needle nose pliers to fish it out. I think the hole was threaded however it's only so that the base of the clip has something to grab onto when it's pushed into the hold. I had a second valve cover that I got so I could paint it so mine was off the car but I don't see why you couldn't do this without removing the cover. Or just leave it as is, the clip still holds the wires together just fine.

And judging by how brittle the wires were, it sounds like it was definitely time to replace them!

 

I believe the gap changed when the 3RZ went to coil on plug in 01.

Mine did the exact same thing and I just left it for years. Recently I used a hook/pick and was able to pull most of it out of the hole.

 

My paper factory shop manuals (RM509U) specific for the 3RZ-FE (and 5VZ-RE), "Diagnostics" page DI-55, specifies 0.8mm (0.31").
The copyright page says they're printed by Toyota, and dated "Seventh Printing, June 4, 2001, 07-010604-0202".

Sometimes the manuals are wrong though.

 

My Factory Service Manual for the 1999 Tacoma (downloaded from Toyotas TIS system) states a gap of .8mm or .031"


I also have a FSM for a 2003 Tacoma that states a gap of 1.1mm or .043", also note the different spark plug number


I still believe this is because of the switch from plug wires to coil on plug.
The confusion also comes from the fact that people will not notice the difference in the part numbers.
Denso
K16R-U = .8mm gapped

$3 K16R-U11 Denso 3120 Spark Plug

K16R-U11 = 1.1mm gapped

When looking up the NGK parts, I only find BKR5EYA with or without the -11, not -U. This may be a typo in the FSM. Either way, this is similar to the Denso plugs
NGK
BKR5EYA = .8mm gapped
BKR5EYA-11 = 1.1mm gapped

Both the .8mm and 1.1mm plugs are exactly the same, they just come gapped differently.
I believe people just order these based on the part number, not paying attention to the numbers after the dash.
Now does this truly makes a difference on either engine? I have no idea, it doesn't seem so based on users experience.


I hope this sheds some light on the subject.

 

Thanks for that extra information about the numbers after the dash on the NGK plugs being the initial gap.
These plugs when I removed them were pretty well worn. It was amazing they were still firing.

 

You are correct. Thank you for clearing this confusion and bad info.
I don't like when I state misinformation and appreciate when my misinformation is cleared up.
You should absolutely use the proper spec on your spark plugs. I would not leave a plug gapped 0.010 over or under. No reason to not gap it correctly. Other than not knowing about the correct gap.

 

The shop manuals are often wrong, which is why it's nice to check with others.
I gently checked the spark plug gap with a 0.030 to 0.035 wire gauge and with the slider type gapping tool and it was fine for all four plugs.
Unfortunately, I didn't have time to check around given I had no vehicle to travel with so I had to get the crappier plugs NGK BKR5ES which were in stock.
Do you think there will be any negative effects from not having been able to find the OE NGK BKR5EYA plugs (which I preferred)?

 

Great pic. Plugs look healthy, generally a good sign for your engine's health

 

Oh for sure, on the gapping the plugs. Wasn't stating particularly for you, just in general.
I doubt those plugs will have adverse effects. Do you know what the physical difference is between those two part numbers? If it's a temperature difference then yeah it can affect things.

 

Thanks for letting me know as the engine is over two decades old and has over 200K miles on it, but it's seemingly running fine even though the timing chain and valves have never been checked. I don't know what indications to look for other than to tear it open, which is a lot of work I don't want to do if I don't have any reason to do it.

I did check the compression on all four cylinders when the four plugs were out and it seemed within spec at about 165psi to 175 psi for the set.

 

That's a good question. I had to ride a bicycle to get the plugs so I had no choice of what was in stock.
I will have to look up the differences between the OE NGK BKR5EYA and the standard NGK BKR5ES spark plugs.

The first hit is this NGK web site "part finder" but it doesn't really explain anything.