The intake plenum doesn't have to be removed.

You'll need a 3/8" drive socket setup as follows, from the spark plug going up:

Spark plug socket (one with a good rubber "gripper" in it)
6" extension
U-joint
6" extension
Ratchet

It's tight getting the two on the driver's side, especially if you've got big hands. The one on the passenger side is easiest.

 

^+1 I can be done without taking the intake plenum off. Just make sure you have the above described tools, and make sure you let the car cool down well. Your going to have to climb right under the hood and do some serious contortions and reaching. Have fun!:lol:

I should add that I did it myself, before later removing the plenum to replace the rear valve cover gasket.

 

Haha thanks! looks like it'll be a fun job....

 

i just use an extension...

 

does anyone have any pictures of this? I just replaced the front 3 plugs no problem, but I'm not 100% sure what I'm looking for to replace the rear 3.

 

does anyone have any pictures of this? I just replaced the front 3 plugs no problem, but I'm not 100% sure what I'm looking for to replace the rear 3.

The rear bank looks just like the front bank does, once you've pulled the plastic cover off of it. To be clear. the rear bank has no cover over the valve cover. You just have to reach behind it and feel for the tops of the spark plug connecters, or follow the wires to their source. Its pretty tight in there, so yanking the spark plug tubes out can be a son of a.... Then you take your handy, dandy spark plug socket a with rubber gripper, the right size extension, and battle them out a few clicks/degrees at a time with your rachet. It ain't pretty, but its possible.:ugh3:

 

go on a diet and make ur hands skinny as hell

 

How do y'all get the spark plug wires out w/ the intake plenum in place?

 

How do y'all get the spark plugs out w/ the intake plenum in place?

That's where a good spark plug socket is your friend. It needs to have a rubber gripper inside that grips the plug firmly. It'll come up stuck inside the socket.

 

I'm not sure if your motor has the PCV valve on the back cover/passenger side, but if it does, then remove the PCV valve and the hose and that gives you a little bit more room to slide your hand back there.

Another thing is that when you loosen the spark plugs, maybe 3 or 4 turns, remove the spark plug socket and extensions, but leave the spark plugs threaded loosely in the holes. Then blow some compressed air in the tube. Anything crud that came loose when you loosened the spark plugs will be in the bottom of the cavity, and when you remove the spark plug all that crud will fall directly into the combustion chamber. Whatever does fall in the combustion chamber will be blown out the exhaust pronto, but might do some damage before it gets spit out the tailpipe.


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I started doing the front set today, only to find that the plug wires are all original from '92. I get the feeling getting that back set off is going to be a bear.

 

Yeah, it's a bear. But it beats taking off the intake plenum. That's what I did the first time.

That reminds me, when I pulled the boot off the rear middle plug that time, the plug wire broke off, leaving a little pigtail of wire stuck on the plug down there. The gol durn plug socket wouldn't drop down far enough to engage the hex on the plug. And the plug well is so deep, I couldn't get a long needle nose plier down there to pluck it off/out. I think I ended up busting the ceramic top of the plug off with a screwdriver & fishing out the chunks with one of those cable-parts-fisher-outer thingys. Talk about a PITA!!! An extra deep plug socket would've been just the ticket, but at the time I didn't know they existed.

 

I found it pretty easy when I took the rear bank plugs out today. You just need the correct setup of extensions and u-joints.

 

I could get them to unseat, but it didn't seam like there was an angle where I could pull them out of the spark plug tube w/o breaking them.

 

I think this last part is about having an extention on your special spark plug gripper socket that is just the right length. Maybe a short extention on the socket.. Ida know, I managed to pull them out with an extention that was close to the cam cover, but long enough to seat on the plugs properly. its tight!

 

Keep pulling, they are quite a bit tougher than spark plug wires in general. But make sure you pull on the caps, not the wires themselves. Wiggle, twist, wiggle twist. I broke one wire my first time, though I didn't break a spark plug. I bought a really long nose, needle nose set of pliers to grab the left over stuff. Make sure you apply some electrically conductive grease (Diaelectrictric grease?) to each new spark plug connector, when you do replace them for more reliable connection and more ease of change the next time you want to put E-3's in or something.

 

gonna do mine tomorrow. a magnet might help in taking out the plugs as a future suggestion to anyone else not willing to take off the Plenum

 

I just changed all 6 spark plugs yesterday on a 1993 Camry V6 Se 3VZ-FE with A/C in about 25 minutes. I did not need to remove the Upper Air Intake Chamber (UAIC).

Just as a note I put E3 Diamond Fire plugs in just to try them out, I removed a set of Denso platinum plugs with a single ground electrode.

Also Dielectric Grease is non-conductive i.e. it inhibits the flow of electricity, it is an insulator like rubber or ceramic. Dielectric Grease is used to prevent corrosion and shorts, not to help conductivity.

I'll only discuss the rear bank since the front is pretty straight forward

Tools needs:

3/8 ratchet
3/8 6" extension
3/8 Universal
3/8 two 3" extensions (or another 6" extension)
Spark plug socket

Torque:

13 Ft/lbs is the recommended torque for the spark plugs

#1 cylinder

Can be accessed from the passenger side of the engine compartment.

Disconnet the pcv valve hose and the black engine hoist bracket connecting the UAIC to the cylinder head. You should be able to access the spark plug boot and remove it, remember to twist it side to side before trying to pull it out. Twisting helps to free the spark plug boot and potentially keep it from breaking the electrode off. Also note with a flashlight if you shine the light in between the firewall and the UAIC you should be able to see both spark plug boots by looking down the gap in between the UAIC and the valve cover.

Socket+6" extension + ratchet will remove the spark plug without issue

#3 Cylinder

I used both hands to remove the boot i ran my right arm in between the UAIC and the valve cover, and my left came in from the back in between the firewall and UAIC. same procedure twist then pull. I found this to be the hardest of the 3 to remove

First i inserted:

Socket + 6" extension

Then attached a universal joint to the female socket of the 6" extension and then attached a 3" extensions to the universal just to make it easy to operate the ratchet.

After the spark plug has been changed and the boot put back on, reattach the engine hoist bracket to the UAIC and the PCV valve hose.

#5 Cylinder

Now go over to the driver side wheel well. there is another bracket on the UAIC by the firewall with a single bolt (i don't know what it is for) remove the bolt and push the bracket towards the firewall.

I used my right arm in between the UAIC and the firewall to remove the boot, same procedure twist and pull.

As with the previous cylinder insert the socket +6" extension then attach the universal joint to the 6" extension plus the two 3" extensions (a 6" could have been used i just didnt have one in that toolbox). If you shine a light straight down in between the firewall and UAIC about midway maybe a little closer to the driver side you can see the spark plug boot and hole when its removed. I did this so i could insert the spark plug attached to the socket and extension directly in to the spark plug tube without getting the spark plug tip dirty.

After the spark plug is in and the boot is connected reconnect the bracket on the back of the UAIC and you are done.