Spark Plugs?!?!!

[t_tran87]

I drive a 97 Toyo Camry V6. I have 4 Questions:

1. How many Spark Plugs are there?

2. What type/kind of Spark Plugs do I purchase?

3. How do find where they are at?

And...

4. How do I change them?

Thank you ahead of time...

[ASG14]

I'll tell you right off the bat, go have a mechanic do it as your not goign to be able to. I don;t mean that bad, but it;s not easy.

1: V6. 6 cylinders = 6 plugs

2: Look in owners manual

3: There is 3 under the front coil packs, and 3 under the rear wires

4: Have a mechanic change them.

[PRINCESS PEACH]

sadly, a mechanic charges WAY too much.

if u REALLY want to do it urself. ull need the right tools. you'll need the tools long enough to reach your spark plugs.. torque it to the factory settings... its fairly simple if you had the right tools actually.

iridium gold or platinum works great. don't know if they make em for the Gen6... they should though...

[ASG14]

Originally Posted by PrincessPeach

sadly, a mechanic charges WAY too much.

if u REALLY want to do it urself. ull need the right tools. you'll need the tools long enough to reach your spark plugs.. torque it to the factory settings... its fairly simple if you had the right tools actually.

iridium gold or platinum works great. don't know if they make em for the Gen6... they should though...

It's FAR from simple on the 1MZ V6 engine. What's the Gen 6 have to do with this?

[PRINCESS PEACH]

[llcoolpass]

get the NGK iridium plugs [spark plug is known by the parts place]

you can try to remove them with extensions and u joints , but it's easier if you remove the intake manifold. this is why it might not be a good beginner's project, especially if you can't afford to make a mistake and so on.

here's one guide:
http://www.autozone.com/shopping/rep...00c15280092339

but seriously, this is a good guide for the I4 engine , not the V6

BKR6EIX-11 @ 0.044" is the iridium, but to gap them, you have to be super careful of the electrode because it snaps off if you accidentally push on it with the gaper. copper / resistor plugs not as big of a deal in that regard, but they should be changed every 30K, compare that to the iridium being 100K+.
NGK says the iridium needs to be gaped just like all plugs, but most people will tell you it's not worth it since the performance is so good the little difference they come as from the way they are supposed to be is not going to be a big deal.

IT's actually easier to remove more stuff [i.e. the upper intake manifold] to get at the plugs than it is to try and wiggle around to get at those rear plugs. and it's totally unacceptable to onyl replace the easy plugs and leave the hard ones in there.

[Dawgz]

Originally Posted by PrincessPeach

sadly, a mechanic charges WAY too much.

if u REALLY want to do it urself. ull need the right tools. you'll need the tools long enough to reach your spark plugs.. torque it to the factory settings... its fairly simple if you had the right tools actually.

iridium gold or platinum works great. don't know if they make em for the Gen6... they should though...

This guy barely knows how many Spark plugs he has, and u expect him to do it himself.....

[ckyle29]

Originally Posted by Dawgz

This guy barely knows how many Spark plugs he has, and u expect him to do it himself.....

That's what I was thinking. Just being honest here, but if you don't even know where they are located, you really should have a mechanic do it, as the back three are tough to get to and practically entail disassembly of the entire top of the engine compartment to get to them. Strip the aluminum threads out and you've really porked the pooch.

While they are that far along, I'd also recommend you change the valve cover gaskets. If the rear starts to leak, you have to disassemble the entire thing all over again. May as well do it once, especially if you're paying someone else.

[new echo owner]

Very interesting!

N.E.O.

[t_tran87]

Oh I'm not doing it myself, I just want some info. Im gonna buy the Spark Plugs ahead of time and just want some insight before I take it to my friends dad, who is a mechanic. Trying to have some knowledge ahead of time and save some $ on getting my own Spark Plugs...

[chullen]

Originally Posted by t_tran87

I drive a 97 Toyo Camry V6. I have 4 Questions:

1. How many Spark Plugs are there?

2. What type/kind of Spark Plugs do I purchase?

3. How do find where they are at?

And...

4. How do I change them?

Thank you ahead of time...

1. 6 spark plugs

2. The factory uses platinum plugs, but I would pay the money for iridium plugs. The factory uses Denso. But NGK will work also

3. You can get them at Autozone or Pep Boys or any auto parts shop

4. For the front just remove the 10mm bolt and pull the coil out and change the front spark plugs. Make sure to put a bit of oil on the threads to prevent seizing. For the rear, go to this post for directions Plenum removal intake manifold
I list how to do this I am contemplating making a DIY next week to show how to do the rear plugs. So keep an eye out.

[touringcamry]

I'm fairly certain that year 1MZ-FE uses waste spark ignition. In these engines, it would be wise to stick with the OEM style plugs with dual ground electrodes with platinum on both the center and side electrodes to prolong the service life.

The stock plugs are Denso PK20TR11 or NGK BKR6EKPB-11 and you may find you have 3 of each. The NGKs cost more, about 1.5 times more, because NGK uses a platinum ring on the center where as Denso only places platinum chips on the firing portion of the center electrode.

If you go iridium, you may want to find ones that have a platinum chip on the side electrode also. Many iridium plugs only have iridium chip on the center but nothing on the side electrode. The NGK Iridium IX and Denso IK20 series cost about the same as the Denso PK20TR11 but the IX and IK lack a platinum chip on the side electrode. If you go NGK, the ones you want are the Laser Iridium, not the IX. Denso's equivalent is Denso Iridium Long Life. However, the NGK Laser Iridiums nor the Denso Iridium Long Life plugs are made for your fitment so I would suggest you stick with the OEM style plugs.

Waste spark ignition is a system to simplify the ignition system. What happens is that each spark plug fires twice per 4 stroke cycle, so basically the plugs are working double duty and effectively halves the life of the plugs. The use of twin side electrodes will prolong the life of the plug when used in this type ignition system.

[llcoolpass]

I would pretty much agree with touringcamry's points, I still think that the
NGK Iridium [BKR6EIX-11 @ 0.044"] would be better because they have iridium. Good info.

[new echo owner]

In a waste spark ignition system, doesn't one plug fires from positive to negative and the other one fires from negative to positive? In other words, one plug will have more wear on the center electrode, while the other plug will wear more on the ground electrodes.

N.E.O.

[touringcamry]

Originally Posted by new echo owner

In a waste spark ignition system, doesn't one plug fires from positive to negative and the other one fires from negative to positive? In other words, one plug will have more wear on the center electrode, while the other plug will wear more on the ground electrodes.

N.E.O.

I'm not entirely certain how it works other than that it fires twice per cycle thus doubling the wear on the plugs. The OEM plugs have platinum on the center and the side so it is possible that it fires from the side to the center also or it might alternate center to side and then side to center.