Help with spark plugs please!!!
05-04-02, 11:44 AM
#1
Driver School Candidate
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: South FL
Posts: 21
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Help with spark plugs please!!!
hey i'm about to replace my stock spark plugs with new ones. Can anyone tell me how to go about doing this because i can't find where the spark plugs are located on the engine? I'm sorta new to this so some detail would help a lot thanks!
05-04-02, 12:49 PM
#2
Lexus Fanatic
Hehehe...you MIGHT want to have a mechanic do it then...have you ever done a spark plug change before? Let's see if I can do this from memory...(I just witnessed it on a SC400 the other day!)
On the SC400 (1UZ-FE) motor, you have to remove the "wire plate" (the plastic plate in front of the Lexus logo on top of the engine...in the picture, it's ready been removed..the area is highlighted in YELLOW)..there are 2 screws to remove that.
Once you have that done, you have to remove the intake from the box to the connector that mates to the engine.
After that, you have to remove the plug plate (the once that runs down the engine, front to back on each side...in the photo, they're circled in red...the driver's side is already removed, the passenger side is hard to see cuz it's under the intake tubing)
From there, you have to remove the plugs, then unscrew the plug wire guide plate...
Once that's done, you need a long socket wrench to get in there and unscrew the spark plugs...
To put it together, do it in reverse...
Like I said, if you've never done this before, you should just have a mechanic do it...better to pay out some cash and get it done right then to screw up your car...
On the SC400 (1UZ-FE) motor, you have to remove the "wire plate" (the plastic plate in front of the Lexus logo on top of the engine...in the picture, it's ready been removed..the area is highlighted in YELLOW)..there are 2 screws to remove that.
Once you have that done, you have to remove the intake from the box to the connector that mates to the engine.
After that, you have to remove the plug plate (the once that runs down the engine, front to back on each side...in the photo, they're circled in red...the driver's side is already removed, the passenger side is hard to see cuz it's under the intake tubing)
From there, you have to remove the plugs, then unscrew the plug wire guide plate...
Once that's done, you need a long socket wrench to get in there and unscrew the spark plugs...
To put it together, do it in reverse...
Like I said, if you've never done this before, you should just have a mechanic do it...better to pay out some cash and get it done right then to screw up your car...
05-07-02, 02:53 AM
#4
Lexus Fanatic
Sorry, I'm not a mechanic myself. I was just watching....I do know that the ENTIRE intake from the box to the where the tube connects to the engine needs to be taken out. Open up your hood and you'll see why...seriously though, you should just pay a mechanic to do it...is easier to blow a few bucks than to **** up your motor.
05-07-02, 08:56 AM
#5
Lexus Champion
You don't have to take the middle wires cover off if you're not replacing the wires.
The driver side is easy to take off. Look at the plastic V8 thing on top of the valve cover (it's the plugs cover). Start taking the 10 mm bolts off. take the oil cap off to ease the access way to take the plugs cover out.
The passenger side you have to disconnect the intake. Take the air filter housing out, unplug the wire and hose of the MAF (mass air flow) its the thing after the filter housing. Then come the black box below the throttle body, I think there are two bolts to loosen the box. One of the bolts located behind the throttle body. You'll see it when working on loosen the box. Pull the box out to expose the pass. side plugs cover (put some DW40 on the iinner hole for ease of install back to the throttle body). Same procedure as the driver cover, just a little more bolts to take out.
Putting the pass. cove back on is a little tricky, just be careful not to break it.
Remmeber to antiseize to plug before installing.
Change the wires will be a little more involve, but doable.
All this work is assume that you can change the engine oil, drain trans. oil, change antifreeze of the SC400 yourself. Just to prove to yourself that you're handy with tools
The driver side is easy to take off. Look at the plastic V8 thing on top of the valve cover (it's the plugs cover). Start taking the 10 mm bolts off. take the oil cap off to ease the access way to take the plugs cover out.
The passenger side you have to disconnect the intake. Take the air filter housing out, unplug the wire and hose of the MAF (mass air flow) its the thing after the filter housing. Then come the black box below the throttle body, I think there are two bolts to loosen the box. One of the bolts located behind the throttle body. You'll see it when working on loosen the box. Pull the box out to expose the pass. side plugs cover (put some DW40 on the iinner hole for ease of install back to the throttle body). Same procedure as the driver cover, just a little more bolts to take out.
Putting the pass. cove back on is a little tricky, just be careful not to break it.
Remmeber to antiseize to plug before installing.
Change the wires will be a little more involve, but doable.
All this work is assume that you can change the engine oil, drain trans. oil, change antifreeze of the SC400 yourself. Just to prove to yourself that you're handy with tools
05-08-02, 08:38 PM
#7
Lexus Champion
Triton,
How many miles on your SC? Before you do all this take a good look at your drive belt. If it looks old then probably your timing belt may be old too. It is expensive but if you have a SC around or over 100,00 miles you might conider to replace the following:
Timing belt
Thermostat
cam and crank seals
water pump
wires - mine were kind of shot
rotors - mine were cracked and burnt
dist caps
spark plugs-mine were very corroded
when you get the pump replaced you will need to drain the radiator so coolant flush time
Do these together and you will save money in the long run since they all involve similar labor. Expect it to be around 8 hours labor.
Your car will feel like new.
And to be on the safe side remember to check your other fluids. Although many places will tell you they checked they dont always do. One that I is neglected is power steering fluid. If you let this one slide you will get a real nasty whining sound if the fluid drops too low.
Ask Steve Ganz at Carson Toyota or LexusSC400.com (West Coast)
or Irontoad.com(East Coast)
for parts since they are cheap.
Good luck
Finally I have confirmed today that the timing belt is an interference item and will damage your valves if it goes out. Earlier posts mentioned it might not affect the SC but it does. Be careful.
How many miles on your SC? Before you do all this take a good look at your drive belt. If it looks old then probably your timing belt may be old too. It is expensive but if you have a SC around or over 100,00 miles you might conider to replace the following:
Timing belt
Thermostat
cam and crank seals
water pump
wires - mine were kind of shot
rotors - mine were cracked and burnt
dist caps
spark plugs-mine were very corroded
when you get the pump replaced you will need to drain the radiator so coolant flush time
Do these together and you will save money in the long run since they all involve similar labor. Expect it to be around 8 hours labor.
Your car will feel like new.
And to be on the safe side remember to check your other fluids. Although many places will tell you they checked they dont always do. One that I is neglected is power steering fluid. If you let this one slide you will get a real nasty whining sound if the fluid drops too low.
Ask Steve Ganz at Carson Toyota or LexusSC400.com (West Coast)
or Irontoad.com(East Coast)
for parts since they are cheap.
Good luck
Finally I have confirmed today that the timing belt is an interference item and will damage your valves if it goes out. Earlier posts mentioned it might not affect the SC but it does. Be careful.
Last edited by Hermosa; 05-08-02 at 08:39 PM.
Trending Topics
07-05-07, 11:59 AM
#9
Lead Lap
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: San Jose, CA
Posts: 539
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Why hasn't anyone asked if he owns a SC300 or a SC400? I own a SC300 and i was able to detach the the throttle body from intake manifold and pull it enough to access cylinder 3 and 4. It was a PITA, you V8 guys have it easy.
07-05-07, 01:04 PM
#10
Rookie
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: MA
Posts: 76
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Knowing what Year and Model has has is important.
The 98+ SC400 has a slightly different setup. It has a Direct ignition and no more cap and rotor. The air intake also feeds to the front of the engine.
Still need to lift the air intake though, because there is some big black plastic box connected to the intake tube that blocks 4 sparkies. (PIA)
Took me 2 hours to replace my sparks on the 98 sc4.
The 98+ SC400 has a slightly different setup. It has a Direct ignition and no more cap and rotor. The air intake also feeds to the front of the engine.
Still need to lift the air intake though, because there is some big black plastic box connected to the intake tube that blocks 4 sparkies. (PIA)
Took me 2 hours to replace my sparks on the 98 sc4.
07-07-07, 09:53 AM
#11
Lexus Champion
And I need to replace mine again, I'm not looking forward to it.
07-09-07, 07:23 AM
#13
Zombie Slayer
09-28-07, 05:29 PM
#14
First of all, ms. morksu , I appreciate your sarcastic answer - in the spirit of the internet that certainly falls in the category of something you wouldn't be able to say to someone's face. I wasn't talking about a maintenance forum, I said what I meant, SECTION, with hyperlinks and saved procedures - i.e. in other sites valuable procedures are saved and posted... The TTORA site I subscribe to actually has a saved maintenance SECTION with procedures you don't have to "hunt" for.
Anyway, I had a hesitation and went in to replace the spark plugs, only to find a broken spark plug cap (see the piece that's resting on my oil cap)
So I halted the project temporarily and got some NGK spark plug wires. VQT's post is right on and he lists all of the major points.
The biggest hassle was removing the black plastic air pipe between the Mass Airflow Sensor and the throttle body.
There's a bolt in the rear of the engine very close to the firewall that holds this on in case it' doesn't come out after those 2 bolts. I put a rag into both openings to make sure nothing got in there...
I definitely had to use my socket extensions and my swivel extension for the plugs near the firewall.
I replaced each wire one at a time to make sure they went in correctly, although most are different lengths and the wires are numberd.
I still would strongly recommend replacing the wires one at a time , though.
Since I've uploaded my limit of one picture, I can't post any more pics .. I took a bunch of pics during this procedure but oh well, so much for posting a step-by-step with pics.
All in all, this was a pretty easy thing to do. Just make sure you have enough lighting and patience and know how to properly torque down a spark plug. As always, I put some grease on the threads of the new plugs.
When I unbolt things to remove stuff, I try to put the bolt right back into where it was removed from so I don't lose it or lose track of where it belongs. That helped in this case because some of the bolt lengths are different...
If anyone needs help or more pics, feel free to IM me and I'll help any way I can...
Anyway, I had a hesitation and went in to replace the spark plugs, only to find a broken spark plug cap (see the piece that's resting on my oil cap)
So I halted the project temporarily and got some NGK spark plug wires. VQT's post is right on and he lists all of the major points.
The biggest hassle was removing the black plastic air pipe between the Mass Airflow Sensor and the throttle body.
There's a bolt in the rear of the engine very close to the firewall that holds this on in case it' doesn't come out after those 2 bolts. I put a rag into both openings to make sure nothing got in there...
I definitely had to use my socket extensions and my swivel extension for the plugs near the firewall.
I replaced each wire one at a time to make sure they went in correctly, although most are different lengths and the wires are numberd.
I still would strongly recommend replacing the wires one at a time , though.
Since I've uploaded my limit of one picture, I can't post any more pics .. I took a bunch of pics during this procedure but oh well, so much for posting a step-by-step with pics.
All in all, this was a pretty easy thing to do. Just make sure you have enough lighting and patience and know how to properly torque down a spark plug. As always, I put some grease on the threads of the new plugs.
When I unbolt things to remove stuff, I try to put the bolt right back into where it was removed from so I don't lose it or lose track of where it belongs. That helped in this case because some of the bolt lengths are different...
If anyone needs help or more pics, feel free to IM me and I'll help any way I can...
09-28-07, 05:33 PM
#15
Below is a pic of the RH side of the engine with the covers and the plastic air intake pipe and its underneath removed.
and here's another tip.
If you had a digital camera, take pics of your disassembly in as many stages as practical. On more than one occasion I've found this very handy when re-assembling things (especially after the delay I had in my project when I had it all apart and had to purchase the wires in addition to the plugs) and you forget if this hose goes under or over a particular hose/wire/etc..
BTW , this fixed my hesitation problem...
HTH
and here's another tip.
If you had a digital camera, take pics of your disassembly in as many stages as practical. On more than one occasion I've found this very handy when re-assembling things (especially after the delay I had in my project when I had it all apart and had to purchase the wires in addition to the plugs) and you forget if this hose goes under or over a particular hose/wire/etc..
BTW , this fixed my hesitation problem...
HTH