Spark Plug Replacement Question

[aznlunatic206]

Hey guys, i have a 05 camry le with 2.4lt i4 engine. As the last thread got closed from discussing bad gas mileage for the range i drove, i wont go to that. But to keep it simple, i bought a bottle of lucas fuel injector cleaner and upper cylinder head lubricator, currently in my gas tank now. Seems to run smoother, but that could be just me. I have not checked the spark plug or changed it since we bought the car. for the first 2 years, car was driven on and off occasionally but car would sit for a week at a time and we warmed it up every weekend or driven. manual says to change spark plugs at 30k miles or 36 months. car currently has close to 16k miles, but it has been 5 years. do you guys think it needs to be replaced? and to throw in another question, i drive locally probably no more than 10 miles a day. car gets an oil change twice a year at max, i believe its just normal castrol oil. is it ok for the car to run this oil for that long of a time or it goes bad after a certain amount of time? because it takes me like a few months to rank up 3k. sorry for the long question and story, i just want to avoid paying $107 for basic diagnosis on the car. What brand of oil do you guys suggest? next oil change i plan to go full synthetic.

[LoudCamry]

I change my oil every 5k or 3-4 month, oil mobile 1 extended pro full synthetic.

also changing the spark plug won't hurt, only cost about 40 buck at toyota dealer.

[aznlunatic206]

ohh, so its a bad idea to keep using the oil after a few months even before it hits 3k?

[johnfrisco]

Are you sure you saw in the manual to change plugs at 30K Miles? The manual I have doesn't say anything about spark plugs and I believe they are good for 100K miles.

http://smg.toyotapartsandservice.com/

[humanoid]

Oil will collect moisture over time when not in use and that's bad. I would change it out every 3 months or so regardless of your mileage.

[carlo$]

3 mos max for oil, plugs 100k .

[AlmightyCamry777]

Originally Posted by carlo$

3 mos max for oil, plugs 100k .

I'm with Carlos, if you are using dino (non-synthetic) oil, 3 months is probably ideal if you intend to keep the car a long time. Not only does moisture collect inside the engine when it is idle. the oil begins to oxidize the moment you pour it out of the bottle which means the additives get weaker over time just from being exposed to the air.
If it doesn't get 3,000 miles i wouldn't change the filter every time but every other time. the small amount of oil left in the filter would just be mixed with the new stuff and nothing to worry about.

you ask do we think you should get rid of it, so i have to ask, why get rid of a good running car? You didn't mention any problems so my answer would be no!