haven't forgot about this...thought i had a Spark Plug gap measure tool but still looking for the darn thing...will report if possible

 

I did it alone so had to use the vacuum port. Started the car, rev it a little, then started spraying. I took my time by pressing the sprayer 3 times, then gave 10 seconds in between. When the can had 1/4 seam left, I noticed the car started to quiet down, like drowning, so went in and rev it a little sat there for good 2 minutes. Then came out again and sprayed the remaining seafoam.
Rev it a little bit more, then shut the car off, waited for 20 minutes, started the car and the first set of smoke that came out was brownish white (sort of a dirty white smoke). Then after a minute, it started to spit white smoke - this is when I had to leave the garage and drove away - probably 10 miles of white smoke came out LOL.

Anyways, I just finished with spark plugs. Didn't do seafoam coz I don't think it's needed(gloomy out and I want to beat the rain). Took me 1.5 hours - this includes bringing the tools out, removing strut bar and intake, spark plug replacement process (includes cleaning), putting back all parts and putting away all my tools back.

Pic of the Denso Ignition coil - very nice.


First plug (bearer of the dreaded nut) - really glad I did it first because it took me good 15 minutes to remove the nut - thanks to my small hands (no pun intended)


Old and new


Tiny wolverine patiently looking at them.


Closer pics




Let me know what you think guys, plugs at 40,123 miles - all opinions are accepted.

 

Looks good from here...the plugs where done though.
If you look at the porcelain section, the flame marks next to the nut (where the socket grabs) indicates the internal seal in the plug is compromised.
The tips have no odd buildup and seem evenly colored across all plugs. I don't think it gets much better than that for plugs that need to be changed.

 

Thanks Sasnuke. Is that oil around them normal? Or I'm just looking on a normal wear of those plugs?

 

Yeah the oil around the threads is normal...that's why there is that collapsible seal (crush washer) at the base of the threads.

 

when you see that, it means the plugs were loose, not torqued correctly. Unburned fuel is working up the threads.

 

If the plugs were loose that could happen...but it would happen anyways since the thread and cylinder head are different metals, so gaps will form as they would heat up (expand) and cool down (contract) differently.

 

Where are you guys buying your spark plugs? dealership? Considering doing it myself on my 250. Also any ideas on cost for a shop to do it vs dealership?
Thanks in advance

 

Bought mine from a local auto parts store (Advanced Auto Parts). You can always go to a Toyota parts store but price could be a little bit higher. I would not buy it from amazon or ebay unless.

 

I bought mine from advanced auto parts online. Find the parts, put them in your cart and enter your info like you plan to buy them and then exit. In 2-3 days Advanced auto parts will send you a 20-25% discount code to buy them for cheap. Pay online and pick up at the store. I do it all the time.

 

thanks for the suggestions S3v3n & Drcoffee, unfortunately they don't ship to Canada.

But I can find a similar store here. Just more curious if there was a strong opinion to go OEM or aftermarket.

Did you guys end up going Denso anyways?

 

I did my plugs today on my 2015 350 with 88,000km...went OEM.
28$ CAD per plug from dealer. Paid 1 hour labor for my mechanic to replace them ($95).
He said they were in decent condition still.

 

these engines are high tech. Buy the denso replacement plugs. You dont want a high compression engine to misfire. Use what was Designed for it. Im sure you can find a reputable retailer by you. I would never buy plugs from ebay.

 

sorry for the late pics but threw out my back...they all seem to be about the same if i used this thing correctly:

1



2



3



4



5



6

 

All gapped small.