Hey all, I was wondering if anyone out there could tell me the easiest way to change out the spark plugs on my 96 ES? Is it necessary to remove the intake and all the stuff on the top of the motor to get to the 3 plugs in the back of the motor? If I do have to remove all that stuff, is there any gaskets or anything that need to be replaced if I remove the intake etc? I want to make sure I have purchased everything in advance before I tear into it. thanks so much. I do appreciate it!!!

 

There is a way to get the rear plugs with a bunch of extensions, but I've never tried it that way - there is guide on here somewhere.

If you decide to remove the intake, you will need these parts:

EGR gaskets
Throttle Body Gasket
Intake Plenum Gasket
PCV valve + grommet + hose
A can of Carb Cleaner

Not sure for about the 96, but for my 98 I needed two special tools. One was an E6 socket for the wiring harness by the front valve cover, and also an Allen Socket for the Intake Plenum (9/16" iirc)

Check if your valve cover gaskets are good, because you might want to replace them as well.

 

I just did my 2000 ES 300 last week with out removing anything - I don't know what the differences are with your engine


Obviously the fronts are easy and doing them first will get you some practice. To do the backs I used two different extensions. Mine has the individual coils. To do the rear three I removed all of the coils -- this gave me enough room to get to the center plug. Then I did the other two -- and finally reinstalled the coils ............ I took my time but it was all done in a little over an hour.

I have a fair amount of tools -- surprisingly the cheap set of plug sockets with built in joints that I picked up at harbor freight made the job easy.

This is my oldest ES with 220k on it and i did not want to remove anything or move anything that I did not have to.

 

you don't need to take everything apart. just unplug most of the vacuum lines and take the intake manifold off with the throttle body attached.

change your valve cover gasket and spark plug tube grommets while you are at it.
also the PCV valve + PCV valve grommet.

you can re-use the intake manifold gasket, I've never seen those break and give you a vacuum leak..but it's up to you.

get new spark plug wires as well.

 

If your valve covers are not leaking, don't even try to go there... Trust me, it's a huge pain in the butt.

 

i dunno what u talking about.
it literally takes 10 minutes once the manifold is moved out of the way.
and if it leaks later, you will have to do everything again just to fix that.

 

This is for the 1MZFE engine, which I assume you have: http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/sh...d.php?t=295707

 

I don't know how it is on your ES, but my 1MZ was a huge hassle because of the wiring harness and the tilt of the engine. Also pulling the old spark plugs seals out of the cover and putting the new ones in was not as simple as one might think. And then finally reapplying the sealant and cleaning the mating surfaces takes a lot of time as well. It's definitely not something that I would call a 10min job.