Do the spark plugs really need to be replaced at 60K miles on Gen 3?

it's worth noting that it's becoming well documented that Amazon and ebay are rife with fake plugs. so get them from a dealer, or local authorized parts house. and never, ever, ever, get the e3 spark plugs.

 

i don't get it. so you went 90k, changed them while they looked normal, and now are going only 30k to change them again?

 

I did mine at like 70K-ish and they were pretty shot. Also, seemed to be loose and pockets covered with oil. Just make sure if you do yourself you don't force and snap. Some of the plugs I could have loosen with fingers and others were ridiculousally tight. I replaced and dabbed anti- seize on threads, so the next guy who changes them is not screwed. Karma a bitch.....

 

i think the difference here is that everyone is discussing going over the mileage indicated in the manual, whereas the oil threads generally indicate to change earlier than the manuals indicated mileage.

overall, i'm one of the guy's that wants to change things before there's a problem. so i run my oil to 3-5k, and i'm also watching other consumables for early replacements. the manuals indicated mileage is there to protect toyota. they're never going to argue about an increased replacement schedule because it still falls under their requirements, it just means i'm paying more per-mile-used for maintenance than someone following the manual. but what i gain is peace of mind that things aren't being run to the very ragged edge of useability, even if it means that toyota already factored in a safe limit, and i'm nowhere near that ragged edge to begin with..

 

Design engineers have never worried about maintenance because overall they don't have to do their own maintenance.

 

Just did my second set after 163k miles. Definitely idles smoother.

 

Why did you quote me?

 

more importantly, they aren't paid for maintenance considerations. they're paid to make things work and be assembled fast.

 

I think I've mentioned that my father owned an auto salvage. I spent a lot of time there from when I was about 8 until the yard closed when I was in my mid 30s. That was when I discovered engineers really didn't care how hard something was to maintain when they were designing parts. Why else would Chrysler products have what we called "hidden bolts" holding the back edges of the front fenders? As I recall, we had to loosen the front door hinges to get to those bolts.

Why else would GM engineers put the heater blower where you had to loosen or removed the right front fender to remove it on the 1973 up mid sized sedans? Makes sense if you only care that the outside look good and the car be easy to assemble.

Why else did my daughter's 2000 4Runner require a special tool to install new rear axle bearings?

 

If you replaced your plugs at 60, as suggested in the attached document,you don't need to replace them until 120. Because 60x2 is 120. The suggested replacement interval is still 60k. What am I missing?

*ah ....FKS

 

I had never done spark plugs on any vehicle before and did it easily with YouTube videos and some patience. If I can do it, anybody can.

This magnetic set helped a LOT.

$61 GEARWRENCH 3 Pc. 3/8" Drive 6 Pt. Magnetic Swivel Spark Plug Set - 41740D

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000NIEECO

 

You got it, 2TR-FE 4 cyl recommended change interval is 120k miles. Weee special.

 

Mostly because I got a set for free from a buddy and if I dont ill misplace them

 

That's reassuring. As somebody who is not a mechanic, I am gonna try and knock them out this summer as I just hit 63k on my truck.

 

Fix'n to do mine, Any thing to look out for on a 4 cyl. 2.7?

 

Quoting myself here for context. Finally got around to changing the plugs today @ 109,462 miles. I have to admit, the truck runs a little smoother. Also, the job was way easier than expected. 20 minutes for the passenger side and 45 minutes for the driver's side. I wouldn't have put it off for so long if I knew how easy it was going to be. I won't let them go so long next time.

 

Just changed plugs for the first time in my 2017 Tacoma at 97k. Honestly I shouldn't have waited so long as the number five plug was significantly worn down at the iridium electrode. I had noticed a significant amount of power loss while driving and figured it was time for a change. For the most part the job took me a couple hours as the driver side is a bit tighter to work around. I had also began putting the coils back on the driver side before I realized I forgot to torque at 13 ft lb and had to go back pull the coils. The passenger side it seemed like I was done in 20 minutes. You don't need to pull the air intake like some tube videos show on the passenger side. I also forgot to reconnect a vacuum hose on the driver side, after starting it up the idle was jumpy but I reconnected it and the truck ran great.

Lastly, my first time posting on TW, but I've been reading for years. Thanks for all the great reads and knowledge.

 

Quick question here (I have not checked youtube yet), what makes this job more difficult than changing plugs on an older American V8? Do components need to be removed for access?

 

Yes. One bank is easy, but the other 3 sit underneath the intake manifold.

 

Is eBay really a no-no when getting plugs? Dealer wants $15/plug and I can get a set of 6 for 60 bucks on eBay via a company called Sixity Auto.