I check/regap plugs every 3000 mile oil change and replace at every third oil change regardless of plug state.
That’s overkill. I leave my plugs in and never touch them for 45k miles…Mileage and performance doesn’t change during that period.
A sticker somewhere under or on the hood may have the exact one listed.
When I replaced the OEM plugs on my 4-runner the drivers side used NGK…the passanger side Denso. And after talking to other 4runner owners…they found the same thing. I replaced them all with NGK.
Might not be overkill with Champion plugs. From my experience calling them “champion” is like nick-naming John Goodman “tiny”.
Might not be overkill with Champion plugs. From my experience calling them “champion” is like nick-naming John Goodman “tiny”.
That could be true…I stopped using those junk plugs years ago. I have heard they’ve improved a lot since then…but since NGK are EXCELLENT plugs and NEVER EVER had a problem…why change.
NGK or Denso are both high quality plugs. If you decide to try Bosch, look at the box and see what country they were made in before buying them. They come from different places and there are reports of dissatisfaction with third-world plugs.
You are correct to question the wisdom of putting high mileage plugs in an aluminum head that goes only 5k miles a year. It is a good idea to remove plugs every 3-4 years, before they get to ‘cozy’ with the aluminum head. The independent tests I have seen showed little difference between plugs, and overall, zero performance improvement for the more expensive hight mileage plugs during the first 30k miles. Manufacturer’s claims of performance differences for plugs are similar to manufacturer’s claims for performance differences with different air filters - BOGUS.
If you don’t have an air compressor, spraying water with a garden hose works well too. Doesn’t take long to dry out.
I’d look in the owners manual . . . find the correct plug, buy a set of plugs . . . and a gap tool. The I’d take a piece of garden hose or something like that and blow the grit away from the plug base (like blowing a trumpet) and remove each plug, set the gap on the new plug, smear a little dab of anti-seize on the threads . . . and re-install each plug. Take a look at the wires while you’re doing this. I usually bend the wire to 90 degrees to see if it’s brittle or cracking. This is FUN! Make it so . . . you’ve done this in the past, get your hands dirty! Rocketman
Bosch Platinum + 2. Best I’ve found so far. Less than $3 at the WalMart and Bosch is offering $2 rebate on 2. Best throttle response on these plugs 0n 3.4l eng. Have been in use for over 1 year and they are still performing like new.
Those are the plugs I mentioned below. You might be having luck with them, but other have told me stories of quickly fouled plugs and general short plug life span. I personally don’t trust these “no gap needed” plugs.
Edit: spelling
Went to buy the plugs today. Two stores were out of NGK BKR6EYA and both of their warehouses were also out, CarQuest and Advanced Auto. Rather than spend the rest of the day visiting every parts store in the area (there are a bunch) I ordered the other OME plug in the manual the DENSO K20R-U. Same price as NKG’s, $1.99.
Both stores had other brands that their computer’s said match the vehicle. When questioned they said the heat range may not be exactly the same a OEM, so I passed on those.
Lot’s of choices but the one’s you want aren’t always readily available.
go with the oem plugs and put some anti - seize on the threads.
Right about Bosch plugs. Today’s Bosch are not the Bosch of old. Either NGK or Denso are better plugs for you.
Here’s something else you should do when installing new plugs. Use a short length (8" or so) of stiff vacuum line to start the plugs in the threads.
The inside diameter of the hose should fit tightly on the end of the spark plug.
Installing plugs this way will prevent the possibility of getting off on the wrong foot as far as the thread condition is concerned.
Many spark plug hole threads have been ruined by forcibly starting the plug crooked with the use of a socket/extension. Easy to do with aluminum.
Update: I replaced the plugs today and tried to follow all the useful advice. OEM plugs, used anti-seize gunk, and dialectic grease on the boots.
The old plugs were a revelation. I expected them to be pretty good, since the car was running fine. NOT, two showed evidence of blow by (darkness at the base of the ceramic), and all were very worn (0.8mm gap new, worn to 1.8mm). A couple of boots were stuck and difficult to remove, and all the plugs had rusty stuff in the threads. They were not in that tight, but they were “stiff” and required slow use of the wrench as they came out. My guess is they have been in the car way more than 30K miles, at least 60K. They were OEM Denso plugs (same as I installed) so perhaps they have never been changed. I took a test drive and all is smoooooooth. Probably my imagination but it feels like a lighter foot on the gas gets more response than before.
I used the $80 saved to buy a repair manual specific for the Sequoia and I consulted it before the job.
The book recommended getting a piece of rubber tubing (about 6" long) and putting one end over the top end of the new plug. Then when you put the new plug down into the deep hole you can start threading it in by hand using the other end of the tubing. If you get it cross threaded the plug will slip inside the rubber tube and that way you are not likely to ruin the threads in the head.
I used this technique and I found it to be easy and gave me confidence that I was not cross threading anything. To get the anti-seize spread around the threads I turned the plug in a out a few turns to make it turn more freely on the way in. Then with the ratchet only a little turning needed to snug them up.
Thanks all for the advice. This was just as much fun as the old days when you had to replace plugs, and the rotor, points, condenser, set with dwell and check the timing with zenon timing light that I still have and haven’t used in 20 years.
I’m sorry. BUT, as I said, been working great for my American car. Why would the plugs be fouling, though? Wouldn’t something be causing them to foul? I checked out the front three Bosch’s after the first year (last May 1st) and they looked good. Even though my friend, who is a real car nut and ‘knows everything’ about anything in the world, said not to use them, I went ahead and did, anyway. I knew I could bring them back to the WalMart if I didn’t like them. I’m glad I didn’t listen to my friend. Besides, Bosch got the first ever patent on spark plugs and that seems pretty good to me.
You did well. ND=Denso, ND is Nippon Denso. They are near twins to the NGK ones. I grew suspicious of the other brands when they weren’t as easy to install as the recommended ones. I began to suspect that the thread pitch was slightly off or they were made with worn out dies. I used to think that it was the mechanic’s fault that heads were stripped out.