2008 4Runner 4.0L Spark Plug DIY

[TOPSECRETTUNDRA]

Off that bat I know there is some good info already on here about this process. This is more for the members who are not quite the shade tree mechanic. I called the dealer to see what they wanted for the job and they quoted me $260 but like I have always said you don't take your car to a mechanic or dealer because it's a good deal.

I ordered the plugs through sparkplugs dot com and they came in a couple days. I think they were $25 with shipping. I decided to go with the OEM Densos. The whole process is very easy, a swivel socket makes a job a lot easier on the drivers side. I took me about 30 mins to do all six.

Here are the Densos I went with:

I started with the passenger side, unbuckle the two clips for the air intake and tuck the inlet pipe off to the side. No need to remove it any further.

With that out of the way you can see your coils. Use a small flat-head screwdriver to release the clips. Don't go full re**** on them, just gently pry to release the clip.

After that remove the 3 10mm bolts holding on each of the coils revealing your plugs.

When you put the new plugs in, screw them in by hand until they get tight. I did 4 quarter turns past that with the ratchet to make them snug.

Reverse order, bolt the coils back in, re-clip the plugs, then reconnect your air intake.



Now for the drivers side. It's a little more crowded on this side but still pretty easy. I removed a vaccum line from the red circle and tucked it away near the firewall.

Same process as the passenger side. Remove the clips with a small screwdriver to help pop the clip, remove the bolts for the coils, pull out the coils, remove old plugs, install new ones, reinstall coils, bolt in coils, replug coils, reattach vacuum line and thats it.

Here is a picture of the coils out of the truck:

Here is the drivers side all back together.

After it was all done I took it for a spin, 20 mile trip, averaged 40mph and turned this MPG which a little better than what I usually get.

If this helps one member save $235 from the dealer then it was worth the 15 minutes it took me to make this thread.

-Ryan

 

[4RNNR]

excellent

thanks

 

[Lexusbstrdchild]

great write up thanks! the one thing i would suggest that will help people in the long run is putting some anti-seize on the threads for the next time you change the plugs. it will make life easy. its the sort of coppery colored stuff, you can find it at any auto store and it goes on with a brush.

 

[Jeff T]

Nice write up! Being overly anal I do one at a time as to not mix anything up or drop anything down one of those long deep holes!!

 

[blm]

Thanks!

Thanks TOPSECRETTUNDRA for the great, simple write-up with photos. I found the plugs on Amazon for $4.49 (link) and did the change-out in under an hour. Also used anti-seize on plugs and the 10mm bolts holding the coils in. To make it easier to get to the rear two coils on the driver's side, I moved the black support bracket out of the way by removing the top bolt and loosening the bottom bolt. $27 in parts and an hour of labor saved over $200 from the quoted shop price.

 

[YotaDriver]

In addition to using some anti-seize on the threads, it's also a good idea to put some dielectric grease on the contact points between the coil packs and the spark plugs. Good write-up.

 

[riceandpho]

You forgot to add that you must check the gap of the plugs, dont think they are all matching.

 

[Dog5911]

In the third picture down what is that filter called, looks like a post filter. How is it ti be changed? or is it?

 

[Synister]

Just did this today for the second time. The drivers side is a bit of a PITA to get the plugs out but only because you have to move a couple things around, passenger side is a piece of cake. Old plugs were Denso's and looked pretty much perfect, like they could go another 30k. Went with NGK this time only because thats what Oreilys had. All in all I dont mind doing this every 30k, gives you a good reason to keep an eye on the plugs and how each cylinder is behaving. For the price the dealer charges, you could go out and buy a 150 piece tool set and all the parts for the change and still come out ahead. BTW, to the OP, your engine compartment is probably the cleanest Ive ever seen, Bravo!

 

[08T4R]

In the third picture down what is that filter called, looks like a post filter. How is it ti be changed? or is it?

Its a carbon pre filter. Its riveted in there with plastic rivets. Don't think Toyota intended for it to be a serviceable item. Lots of member have removed them by just prying them out of there.

 

[Synister]

Its a carbon pre filter. Its riveted in there with plastic rivets. Don't think Toyota intended for it to be a serviceable item. Lots of member have removed them by just prying them out of there.

Actually I believe its purpose is to capture fuel vapors from escaping the intake track after the vehicle has been shut down... tree huggers and hippies you know? I took mine off as many others have, no real difference noted.

 

[MikeInNH]

After it was all done I took it for a spin, 20 mile trip, averaged 40mph and turned this MPG which a little better than what I usually get.

Don't use the computer to tell what you mpg is...It's notoriously inaccurate. The ONLY way to get an accurate mpg reading is at fill up. Divide the number of miles by how many gallons you put in. And you really need to do this several times and then take an average.

Anti-Seize - If you're using NGK plugs then DON'T use anti-seize. Not sure about other plug manufacturers.

http://www.ngksparkplugs.com/pdf/TB-...1antisieze.pdf

 

[having fun]

Not to bad of a project really. Even though I'm just a back yard mechanic, shade tree one at that, you could get a swivel and assorted size extentions and can get those 2 on the drivers side out without removal of the extra lines and hoses.

Hey we all find a way to get to them easy as possable.

 

[08T4R]

Don't use the computer to tell what you mpg is...It's notoriously inaccurate. The ONLY way to get an accurate mpg reading is at fill up. Divide the number of miles by how many gallons you put in. And you really need to do this several times and then take an average.

Anti-Seize - If you're using NGK plugs then DON'T use anti-seize. Not sure about other plug manufacturers.

http://www.ngksparkplugs.com/pdf/TB-...1antisieze.pdf

Thanks for posting this. Did mine about 10k ago and used anti-seize. Also used ngk's but was cautious of torque using a wrench. I've seen many stripped heads and threads pulled out in the day's I worked in a machine shop. I don't recall seeing this info on the ngk packaging though. They should make this known other than on their web page in a pdf format..

 

[08T4R]

Actually I believe its purpose is to capture fuel vapors from escaping the intake track after the vehicle has been shut down... tree huggers and hippies you know? I took mine off as many others have, no real difference noted.

Makes sense. Guess I'm going to hell since I removed the stocker for an aFe CAI.

 

[Snacksquatch]

Off that bat I know there is some good info already on here about this process. This is more for the members who are not quite the shade tree mechanic. I called the dealer to see what they wanted for the job and they quoted me $260 but like I have always said you don't take your car to a mechanic or dealer because it's a good deal.

I ordered the plugs through sparkplugs dot com and they came in a couple days. I think they were $25 with shipping. I decided to go with the OEM Densos. The whole process is very easy, a swivel socket makes a job a lot easier on the drivers side. I took me about 30 mins to do all six.

Here are the Densos I went with:

I started with the passenger side, unbuckle the two clips for the air intake and tuck the inlet pipe off to the side. No need to remove it any further.

With that out of the way you can see your coils. Use a small flat-head screwdriver to release the clips. Don't go full re**** on them, just gently pry to release the clip.

After that remove the 3 10mm bolts holding on each of the coils revealing your plugs.

When you put the new plugs in, screw them in by hand until they get tight. I did 4 quarter turns past that with the ratchet to make them snug.

Reverse order, bolt the coils back in, re-clip the plugs, then reconnect your air intake.



Now for the drivers side. It's a little more crowded on this side but still pretty easy. I removed a vaccum line from the red circle and tucked it away near the firewall.

Same process as the passenger side. Remove the clips with a small screwdriver to help pop the clip, remove the bolts for the coils, pull out the coils, remove old plugs, install new ones, reinstall coils, bolt in coils, replug coils, reattach vacuum line and thats it.

Here is a picture of the coils out of the truck:

Here is the drivers side all back together.

After it was all done I took it for a spin, 20 mile trip, averaged 40mph and turned this MPG which a little better than what I usually get.

If this helps one member save $235 from the dealer then it was worth the 15 minutes it took me to make this thread.

-Ryan

Thanks so much for the great write up OP! Just did mine today and it was my first self maintenance done aside from charging my AC. Started it up 3 times, noticed a small misfire on the second one but nothing on the other two.

I used the NGK Laser Iridiums and noticed that with the AutoZone metal gap gauge I was using, they seemed to come in around .0425, so not sure if the gauge is off since its a mass produced piece of metal or if the gap is smaller than it actually says.

Either way, so far so good!

 

[CookieRoe]

Thanks so much for the great write up OP! Just did mine today and it was my first self maintenance done aside from charging my AC. Started it up 3 times, noticed a small misfire on the second one but nothing on the other two.

I used the NGK Laser Iridiums and noticed that with the AutoZone metal gap gauge I was using, they seemed to come in around .0425, so not sure if the gauge is off since its a mass produced piece of metal or if the gap is smaller than it actually says.

Either way, so far so good!

The Laser Iridiums are rated for 100K miles, I believe. Anyway, you don't have to use these plugs as the factory calls for "cheap" copper ones. I get the densos (come pre-gapped), install them and do it again in another 30K. I'm saying this b/c I remember in a few threads that people would complained on how fouled the plugs were at 100K miles. Engine wasn't made for them. The V8 is different story.

Anyway, I changed mine a couple of months ago. Easy job.

Ps: insanely jealous on how clean OP's engine block looks. Lots of metal pieces on mine are all rusty. I plan on replacing them one by one.

 

[Snacksquatch]

I'll probably check them out in 50k and see how they look, but it was one of those small expenses that seemed to be worth it in the long run. Thanks for the tip though!