Spark Plug Question

[brandlj]

Hello all!

I am a new member with a just purchased 1999 LS 400. It was a one owner car with 90,000 miles on it. The selling dealer is a Toyota Dealer and part of the deal on the car was that the 90,000 mile maint. was to be performed along with 4 new Michelin tires.

The dealer changed the coolant, the timing belt, the serpentine drive belt, the brake fluid, the oil and filter, the transmission fluid, the air filter, the A/C pollen filter and the spark plugs. All parts were Toyota or Lexus parts except for the spark plugs. He used NGK V-Power plugs. My owner's manual stated that thhis car uses Irridium tipped plugs. I know the NGK's were cheap for the dealer and I was wondering if they are going to be OK for the car. The motor runs great. How long will these plugs last?

Thanks John

[bartkat]

They might not last as long as iridium, but they should give good performance.

Here's some info.

http://www.rpmoutlet.com/ngkinfo.htm

http://www.ngksparkplugs.com/products/cars...suvs/vpower.asp

[brandlj]

Thanks so much for the info. I will run these for a while and probably switch to the Irridium plugs later.

The car runs great with these plugs and I am averaging 19.8 mpg in mixed city and highway miles. On the highway I am averaging 25.6 mpg at 70 mph in NE Louisiana.

John

[mig25]

NGK is as good as the original DENSO, as a matter of fact all Japanese cars either have NGKs or DENSOs as the OEM Plugs.

The requirement a must, is that it has to be platinum plugs.

Iridium is a different model of DENSO plugs, quite expensive, but NGK and Platinum DENSO is recomended

[ayan]

I stopped by my local dealer re: general tuneup....

Anyway, he said the time involved with changing the spark plugs for my 1990 LS400 would be approx. 3 hours!!!! The manifold has to be taken off, etc., etc.

How complicated a procedure is this? I'm used to doing my own work, and can't foresee changing the plugs, wires, cap, and rotor to be THAT big a deal. Please advise. Thanks.

[silvermate]

i think he was trying to take advantage

you do not have to remove the actuall manifold, and it shouldn't take 3 hours, maybe 1 hour or 1 and a half if you have never been in there, just to feel yourself around the engine,ie...what bolts to remove, and what parts to remove in what order

however, just to get to the plugs you do have to remove some plastic cover shields on the right side.

on the left side you have to remove the intake components, ie...air box intake tubing all the way to throttle body,(becareful not to break any hoses as they can be brittle) and then remove the plastic shield over the throttle cable and such, but thats about it.

it takes some time for sure just to remove all of the parts, but its really really simple

i would also reccomend cleaning your throttle body out while your in there, that makes a huge difference in engine response and idle.

P.S.>if you have any more specific questions about this just p.m. me.

[Lexusfreak]

There is a factory sticker under the hood of my 01 ES that states to use only iridium spark plugs as replacements. I asked the dealer to replace mine at 43,000 miles just so I wouldn't have to worry about them for a long time now. They replaced them with the factory original Denso iridium plugs & I asked for the old plugs back just to see how worn they were (just fussy I guess is the reason why I asked for them back). The iridium plugs have a higher heat tolerance over platinum (although a good plug nonetheless) and last a bit longer than the platinums.

[steviej]

The iridium plugs have a higher heat tolerance over platinum (although a good plug nonetheless) and last a bit longer than the platinums.

not too mention they cost about $10 each. Ouch......

Lexusfreak, I don't think you are fussy......just borderline OCD like me!!!! (j/k) :D

steviej

[99lsguy]

There is a factory sticker under the hood of my 01 ES that states to use only iridium spark plugs as replacements. I asked the dealer to replace mine at 43,000 miles just so I wouldn't have to worry about them for a long time now. They replaced them with the factory original Denso iridium plugs & I asked for the old plugs back just to see how worn they were (just fussy I guess is the reason why I asked for them back). The iridium plugs have a higher heat tolerance over platinum (although a good plug nonetheless) and last a bit longer than the platinums.

Lexusfreak,

Always a good idea to check the old plugs and label which cylinder they came from. A great indicator of how the engines performing :D

Per my 99 LS manual : Denso SK20R11 or NGK made - IFR6A11

Hey guys, the manual says:

"bend only the base of the ground electrode. Do not touch the tip. Never attempt to adjust the gap on a used plug"

How do they mean to adjust? use a needle nose plier or something? I'm confused

Also, I usually put my Shop Vac over the plug openings on the valve covers to help "suck out old debris and such" - Is this good practice?...

Thanks,

99

[Lexusfreak]

LOL steviej! I can't help it.....just the way I am....dealers even look at me funny the odd time But hey, I'm paying for the maintenance so I'm not all that concerned what the dealerships think, their our cars right? :D

99ls, there is a tool that you can use that measures different spark plug gaps & also to adjust the gaps (can't remember what the damn thing is called right now ) But the new plugs that are specifically for a certain car usually never need adjustment, but you can get the tool to double check the gap if you wanted to make sure it's correct. I'd probobly do that........ ;)

[99lsguy]

lexusfreak,

I've got those "spark plug" shims.....

I"ve always just "slid" the proper size between the tip and "hook" of the spark plug.. and given it a little tweak....

That's what blows me away...How can you change the gap if you can't touch the tip of the plug????

Maybe they mean "don't touch the tip of the plug with your Finger or skin????"

99

[Lexusfreak]

Possibly, or maybe they mean not to adjust the gap too much :)