3RZ Spark Plugs for CA Spec Emissions

[JZiggy]

Hey guys,

Just did a tune up on the new-to-me 1999 4Runner with 3RZ. I'm confused by the spark plug specification for the motor since it appears to have CA emissions. When I look it up on a Toyota parts site or Rockauto they list:

Federal Emissions: Denso K16R-U (0.031" gap)
California Emissions: Denso K16R-U11 (0.043" gap)

First question... this is a CA emissions sticker, right?

This 4Runner was dealer serviced for most of its life. When I pulled the old plugs out last night they were a basic K16R-U (small gap) set of plugs. They looked good with normal, clean wear. I put the same type back in.

Second question -- does it matter? Why would the CA-spec use a wiper spark gap? Best I can tell there's nothing else different about those two types of plugs.

Thanks for the insights! :tea:

 

[TheDurk]

As to whether that is a CALI spec, I am not sure. I don't know that much about the 4-banger. I have been able to determine that the exhaust system on both Cali. and Fed spec 2.7 are one-cat with 2 O2 sensors, so my usual trick for the 3.4 of looking at the description (where it says SFI, EGR, HO2S(2), TWC won't work as that will be the same on both. Take a look at the label on my 1999 3.4 Cali. spec:

I would expect a Cali 2.7 to have similar verbiage in the big box and to say CAL AND OTC across the bottom like mine does. But this CARB sh@# is so confusing and counter-intuitive that I am not willing to say I'm sure it's not, just that I don't think so.

So I tried Googling the engine family to see if I can find a CARB approval for it. I couldn''t. I can find cats listed as approved by CARB for that engine family, but that means nothing as both specs have cats and those FED cats need CARB approval to be used on FED trucks relocated to California.

Hopefully someone with a 2.7 CALI can nail this down for you.

As to why the plugs would be different, I could guess but not worth doing so.

Let us know if you find out elsewhere, please, I'm curious to know.

 

[TheDurk]

So I got inspired. This was bugging me. I'm still confused. I was messing around in the EPD looking for a Cali. Spec part that would be an obvious tell, when I got the idea to look at the PNs for the emmissions label itself. As Toyota often does on similar parts, they only put the second half of the PN on the part. In your case that is the 75400 in the lower left hand corner.

Here are the listings for 2.7 emmissions stickers:

11298 PLATE, EMISSION CONTROL INFORMATION
11298-75370 1 $7.43
11298-75380 CALIFORNIA SPEC (08/1997 - 06/1998) 1 $7.43
11298-75400 (07/1998 - 07/1999) 1 $6.17
11298-75540 (08/1999 - 07/2000) 1 $2.06
11298-75550 CALIFORNIA SPEC (08/1999 - 07/2000)

As you can see, there is only ONE listing for 07/1998 - 07/1999 (which corresponds to MY 1999) and that is your 75400. Is it possible they only had ONE label during MY 1999?

So then I looked at the PNs for the engine ECU. THAT HAS to be different right? Nope, not for '99.

89661 COMPUTER, ENGINE CONTROL
89661-3D341 (10/1997 - 02/1998) 1 $2,016.15
89661-3D342 (03/1998 - 06/1998) 1 $2,016.15
89661-3D650 (07/1998 - 07/1999) 1 $2,201.14
89666-35070 (08/1999 - 07/2000) 1 $2,016.15
89666-35110 CALIFORNIA SPEC (06/1999 - 07/1999) 1 $2,220.04
89666-35111 CALIFORNIA SPEC (08/1999 - 07/2000) 1 $2,016.15

ONLY for MY 2000. ForMY 1999, just one listing. WTF?

I am starting to think the only difference IS the plug gap and a more expensive cat, but only one. Those PNs are the same plug, you realize, the only difference at that final piece of the number is the gap. U11 just means pre-gapped to 1.1mm. So I really don't know how you can tell the difference, as the fancy cat probably has no external differences. Just fancier metals in the can.

 

[TheDurk]

OK. Went a little further. URD lists both '99 and '00 2.7 Cali's as taking the same air/fuel sensor mine does Denso 234-9003. So two conflicting pieces of info. To use an A/F, the ECU HAS to be different. So that data bit must be wrong if this is right.I didn't believe it when I saw it so I'm going with an error in the EPD.

And if it is true Cali's have A/F's, you don't have a Cali. If you did, your system description would be something like SFI, EGR, A/F S, TWC, HO2S. So 1999 Cali's must use a different label that says that, and that would also say CAL at the bottom. Best I can do. So two glitches in the EPD, label and ECU date listings.

 

[gamefreakgc]

OK. Went a little further. URD lists both '99 and '00 2.7 Cali's as taking the same air/fuel sensor mine does Denso 234-9003. So two conflicting pieces of info. To use an A/F, the ECU HAS to be different. So that data bit must be wrong if this is right.I didn't believe it when I saw it so I'm going with an error in the EPD.

And if it is true Cali's have A/F's, you don't have a Cali. If you did, your system description would be something like SFI, EGR, A/F S, TWC, HO2S. So 1999 Cali's must use a different label that says that, and that would also say CAL at the bottom. Best I can do. So two glitches in the EPD, label and ECU date listings.

I think you are right, I'm almost positive he has a Federal emissions vehicle. My 98 (pre-A/F stuff and all that) is a California emissions vehicle, before they actually changed anything and has "CAL" at the bottom, along with a lot of references to meeting California standards.

 

[TheDurk]

I think you are right, I'm almost positive he has a Federal emissions vehicle. My 98 (pre-A/F stuff and all that) is a California emissions vehicle, before they actually changed anything and has "CAL" at the bottom, along with a lot of references to meeting California standards.

Yeah, that's the standard verbiage, but it varied a lot over the years, so I try not to count on it. In '98 and earlier, the CAL part of it was not so much because of emissions standards because those were indeed the same, it was the evaporative part that was more stringent in CALI.

 

[JZiggy]

Thanks guys, really appreciate the effort and insight. The vehicle came from WA, so I had an inkling it was not CA but the verbiage on the sticker is indeed confusing.

 

[UnderFire]

I'm running KR16-U's gapped at 031 in my California 97.

 

[JZiggy]

I'm running KR16-U's gapped at 031 in my California 97.

Hey, what does your under-hood emissions sticker look like?

 

[UnderFire]

Hey, what does your under-hood emissions sticker look like?

No idea, it was long gone when i bought the runner. It's definitely cali equipped though, shipped into Corona and spent around 9 years there based on Carfax.

 

[TheDurk]

No idea, it was long gone when i bought the runner. It's definitely cali equipped though, shipped into Corona and spent around 9 years there based on Carfax.

Hmmm. Weird. K-16RU is the ONLY listed plug for '97 4-banger and also '98. I can't find a Cali part anywhere in the EPD for '97. Are you sure there WAS a Cali version in '97?

I'm starting not to trust my EPD (toyodiy.com) on the 4-banger/Cali. stuff, but it has generally been reliable. I'm pretty sure the emissions are the same between FED and CAL in '97, my only doubt is on evaporative and I can't see how the plug would affect that.. It's just weird that the only plug listed is the one for the Cali. version in 1999, and not the one for the FED/49-state.

See what I meant about confusing and counter-intuitive?

 

[UnderFire]

Hmmm. Weird. K-16RU is the ONLY listed plug for '97 4-banger and also '98. I can't find a Cali part anywhere in the EPD for '97. Are you sure there WAS a Cali version in '97?

I'm starting not to trust my EPD (toyodiy.com) on the 4-banger/Cali. stuff, but it has generally been reliable. I'm pretty sure the emissions are the same between FED and CAL in '97, my only doubt is on evaporative and I can't see how the plug would affect that.. It's just weird that the only plug listed is the one for the Cali. version in 1999, and not the one for the FED/49-state.

See what I meant about confusing and counter-intuitive?

The only thing I've found different between mine and an Oregon equipped runner is that the downpipe does not have a flange before the cat, it goes straight into the cat as one piece. Other than that, nothing.

 

[gamefreakgc]

If it's any consolation, these engines will work on any plug gap. Even never-been-replaced-since-it-was-built-at-the-factory-200k-miles-ago gapped sparkplugs.

 

[mymalade]

Thanks for that last post, been trying to figure out what spark plugs I need for a while and I really have no clue about the gap. I ended up ordering some from Amazon and I believe the gap is at .32 so I'm hoping they do the job.