I'm new and want to do things to my truck, without breaking it.

I tend to break things as I go, hoping to change that habit with advice from Tacoma World. I just did a synthetic oil change and oil filter. Wasn't easy but I did it. I want to change spark plugs and wires never did it before and truck has 200,000 miles on it. So far I learned stick to what is already working so I need to buy either Denso or NGK iridium spark plugs and now my question is what kind of wires do I buy for these spark plugs? Best guess is to buy the same brand as the plugs. Okay so what specifically do I buy, I want to get this right on my first try. The truck is a 2012 Tacoma Access cab 2.7 liter 4 cylinder engine with @ 200,000 miles on it. and so far it runs good or should say great for how hard I drive it. Give me the exact plugs and wires I need. I'll shop where I need to but Amazon loves me, I give them all my money, I keep them in business.

 

Welcome to TW forums.

There's at least 15 years worth and probably hundreds of thousands of posts here. At least 1 thread in 20 has some useful info in it. 1 thread in 100 has priceless info you probably won't find anywhere else.

All you need to do to "get this right on your first try" is NOT seek out busy, live people to try to hand-hold you through every step your own personal learning process. Probably 99% of what you're seeking is already here in the accumulated archives of TW forums. But many people will be glad to point you in the right direction.

What you need to do is spend at least 3 to 5 hours reading & searching on any given specific topic (e.g., say, spark plugs -- which ones to use, how to pull them, how to assess their condition, how to put new ones in, without fucking up your engine.)

Browse hard and search harder. Do not listen to people who have a lot of experience and make everything sound quick, simple, and easy.

A lot of stuff IS quick, simple, and easy for them -- but it will only start to become so for after you understand thoroughly what you're doing and what some of the "gotchas" might be in any given process.

 

Welcome!

This is the one I followed, both the writeup and the embedded video. Made the job a snap.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/2-7-spark-plug-locations.600826/

 

Your truck doesn’t have conventional wires.
It’s a coil-on-plug design.
I recommend not changing the coils unless you have a reason to change them.
12 years (age) is not a reason. I’ve seen them last 20+ years.

You might consider doing the coil seals and boots. But most people don’t.

$12 NGK (59009) CPB-T007 Coil on Plug Boot

https://www.amazon.com/NGK-CPB-T007-Cop-Boot-59009/dp/B01GQZ0S0O

I prefer Denso plugs myself.

Here is a good DIY video
https://youtu.be/3px2ohAkNPQ?si=W_b-X2GyF-4Y4TDp

 

Truth re coils, I'm at 140K and almost 15 yrs on my truck with the original coils.

 

If you found an oil change to be difficult, you should probably leave the spark plug change to the professionals, or have a friend show you how to do this job. Was it Harry Callahan who said, “A man has got to know his limitations.”?

 

This is also a fair take on this thread.
Automobile maint & repair, in general, often isn't given the amount of respect it deserves, as a practice.

Dealing with a ~$5K to >$50K or more asset which has multiple life-safety critical systems on it & which can in certain cases be disastrously damaged by a failure of knowledge or the slightest momentary lapse of attention -- it's not something everyone has the aptitude & personal bandwidth for. (Not to mention the garage/shop space, even for a decent set of DIY home-mechanic tools.)

Absentmindedly cross-threading an oil drain plug or not noticing stray screw or washer falling into an open sparkplug hole could mean dead truck + very high repair costs.

 

The oil seals and boots probably isnt a bad idea @ your mileage. Of course you know your mechanical boundaries, not us.

Buying from the dealer is always the best bet. Price doesn't always let one do that though. But I'm also sometimes really surprised how the price is cheaper than the local parts house. My Toyota dealer sells o.e.m. oil filters and spark plugs cheaper than the flaps. The local Auto Zone also can employ some real ding bat bimbos that don't know the differance between pink blinker fluid and a muffler bearing or the common senseto look it up properly. So knowing who to buy from is half of a successful repair.

 

Buy somebody a six pack to show you how to change the plugs. It's not rocket science. Buy the tools you need; socket, extension, ratchet, torque wrench and gap gauge. Harbor Freight is fine, you're not in the pits at Le Mans. Use anti seize with Denso plugs.
Search "fumoto valve" for easier oil changes.

 

Don't buy car parts on Amazon. Especially sparkplugs.

 

I just use RockAuto for parts and try to stick to OEM manufacturers (Denso, Aisin, ?). For OEM filters, I have used eBay but only buy from Toyota dealerships that sell on eBay. Now Walmart carries OEM filters in-store, so I just get them there. Too many fakes on eBay and Amazon. Plugs on a 4 cylinder shouldn't be hard, just be careful to not break them and torque them properly.

 

Plugs on a 4-cyl should be easier than the V6. With 200,000 miles I would bet that there's some carbon buildup. When taking the plugs out if you feel any resistance, stop, turn the plug back in, spray some type of penetrating oil like Blaster or WD40 onto the plug, and let it work itself down. Try moving the plug back and forth until it loosens up. If not repeat the process until you can freely get the plug out. This method has never failed me, knock-on-wood.
Start the new plugs by hand. Be sure you understand how to tighten, (toque), them down. The box NGK plugs come in has a diagram on how to do it or the other method is with a torque wrench and torque spec which I don't know off-hand.

 

Sorry to off-topic but its really weird to hear someone worshipping Amazon .com.... Go buy parts from a real parts house

 

Agree, I wouldn't but any parts off Amazon.

 

this lol

aesthetic, sure. don't buy mechanical parts that your vehicle will depend on from there.