Changing spark plugs, wires, distributor cap...

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kristofferson

kristofferson

Joined
Jan 21, 2016
Threads
24
Messages
215
Location
Statesville, NC
Hi folks,

I’m new a relatively new Land Cruiser owner (1997) and new to auto DIY, and just changed out my spark plugs, associated wires, and popped on a new distributor cap and rotor. Thought I’d post my experience in case it might help other newbies like me…

I found a thread on MUD where others listed some steps, and also consulted the Toyota Land Cruiser Repair Manual and followed the steps.

First thing I did was remove the Air Cleaner hose and the “no.2 PCV hose” – this gets them out of the way for the next step. For me, on the air cleaner hose, it was easier for me to just loosen the clamp at the throttle body opening, and then unscrew the wingnut on top of the air cleaner/lid, lift it off, and then gently twist and pull the air cleaner hose off the throttle body, and slightly move it to the side; be mindful of the wires still attached. I also moved the throttle cable out of the way. (BTW, if I’m getting any of the names of the parts wrong, please correct me so I can learn).

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Covering the openings to the spark plugs, there are 2 plastic “cylinder head covers” as it’s referred to in the Repair Manual. Each plastic piece has 2 Philips screws holding it in… (4 screws total)

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In my case, I found that 3 screws were completely stripped and the 4th didn’t exist. Fortunately, I had a set of “Grabbit” bits, used the largest bit and it worked like magic… (and I now need to order 4 new screws from my Toyota Parts Dept.)

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I got the 2 plastic cylinder covers off which reveals all spark plug wires…

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There are 2 bolts that hold in the little plastic cord clamps, remove those 2 bolts…

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(continuing below...)
 
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Next, I started carefully I pulling up on the top rubber piece where each cord goes into the spark plug shaft – the manual emphasizes not to pull on the wires, but the top rubber piece…

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When I got to cylinder #6, and pulled out the stem, the little rubber “boot” piece (at the bottom that covers the tip of the spark plug) did not come out but was stuck inside the shaft…

All the others looked like this…

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And here’s what it looked like with the boot missing…

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I didn’t have anything long or skinny enough to get down far enough to pull it out, so I decided to try some super glue, which I put just a little on the stem and pushed it back down inside the boot and let it sit while I went to the auto store to get some dielectric grease…

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I came back, said a little prayer, and it came right out this time! Woot!
(I'm not saying this was the best way to solve it, I'm just saying this was all I could think of at the time, and it worked for me)

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I forgot to mention that the Repair Manual calls for a 16mm spark plug socket, and when I had gone to Sears to get one, they looked confused, and of course, didn’t have one. I didn’t even think about it until I got home, but I did a simple online search and found out that you can use a 5/8” spark plug socket instead of a 16mm and it’s just fine (luckily, I happened to have one in my beginnings of a tool chest). I’m sure a lot of you are facepalming me right now (haha)… I know full well I’m pretty “green” and that there’s a lot of things that are common knowledge to many folks, but I just never had anyone to teach me this stuff growing up and have never been around it– but it doesn’t bother me, I don’t mind asking dumb questions, and I truly am really enjoying the learning process.

I used my 5/8” ;) spark plug socket and got each of the spark plugs out easily. The one in cylinder no. 6 was a bit more difficult as there are some tubes somewhat blocking the spark plug opening, but got it out.

Here’s what my old plugs looked like…

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I checked the gaps on the new Toyota [Denso] spark plugs (needs to be .031") put them in and hand tightened. Then used a torque wrench to tighten them to 14 ft lbf, per Repair Manual. The rest went pretty smoothly… I attached the new Toyota spark plug wires--each spark plug wire is numbered (and wire is the exact length needed) so there’s no confusion as to which wire goes to which cylinder… and on the other end, when attaching to the distributor cap (I put in a new Toyota [Denso] distributor cap), each connection is also numbered.

*Note: I went ahead and removed the battery and battery tray to remove my distributor cap, just so I’d have more room to see what I was doing. Also, while I had the distributor cap off, I replaced the rotor as it was looking pretty worn. It’s as simple as pulling off the old and pressing on the new.

Next, here’s a pic in the Repair Manual that shows you how to correctly “layer” the wires at the distributor cap…

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Piece of cake!

Then I just put my battery tray and battery back in. Put my Air Cleaner Hose and PVC no.2 hose back on (almost forgot!) and fired it up – sounds great! I still need to order the 4 new screws so I can get those 2 plastic pieces that cover the spark plug shafts back on.

Anyway, I hope this little write-up is helpful to anyone just learning this stuff like me. There is a wealth of good info on the MUD threads, you just have to figure out the best keywords to use to find it sometimes.

Last note, I recently joined my local Land Cruiser club (Olde North State Cruisers), and have found some really great, friendly people that are SUPER helpful with answering questions, and they never make you feel like you’re asking a dumb question. I just mention that to other new folks to encourage you that you might also want to seek out your local club if you haven’t already – the whole MUD community at large is just incredible – truly something special.

All the best,

Mike

Weddington, NC
 
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I like the trick with the super glue.

Were the spark plug wires the originals?
 
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landcrshr said:
...Were the spark plug wires the originals?
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I don't think so. My cruiser has 230k miles on it and I bought it from someone in Las Cruces, NM, where it was originally purchased - I'm not sure if the wires were in bad shape or not, but I just wanted to start fresh and do it all at once.
 
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kristofferson said:
...
When I got to cylinder #6, and pulled out the stem, the little rubber “boot” piece (at the bottom that covers the tip of the spark plug) did not come out but was stuck inside the shaft…
...
Click to expand...

If you put a film of silicone grease on the boots, where they contact the plugs and cap, it will make future removal easier and better water sealing.
 
Tools R Us said:
If you put a film of silicone grease on the boots, where they contact the plugs and cap, it will make future removal easier and better water sealing.
Click to expand...

Thanks for mentioning that. Above, I said I was going to the auto store to get the dielectric grease, but forgot to include the part explaining that's what I was getting it for.
 
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Tools R Us said:
What does the printing on the wires say?
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These were OEM Toyota/Denso wires and each one has the cylinder number printed all over it, repeatedly. For example, the wire that goes with cylinder 5 has "5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5" printed all over it. Very nice touch! (and very appreciated)
 
FYI the bolts for the trim cover over the plug wires are 10mm. You could have used a 10mm socket instead of trying to drill out the top.
 
The original/dealer wires were Yazaki and have the manufacture date on them, along with plug number. Denso wires should be good stuff?
 
bmwjnky said:
FYI the bolts for the trim cover over the plug wires are 10mm. You could have used a 10mm socket instead of trying to drill out the top.
Click to expand...

Hey, good point -- I just looked at the screws more closely and you're right. I didn't notice the first time I looked at them. ;)
 
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I just did this last night. I lost 3 boots and pulled out with the "shepherd's hook" from my pick set. O-Ring Hook Scribe Set 2 Pc

I also did the 10mm socket for the stripped philips heads.

I went with NGK wires this time around...
 
Getting at the #6 plug was a royal PITA on my rig. I mean I did some wordsmithing. I'm 6'3" and it was still super difficult to get to and around the hosing directly above it.

I cut off one of the old plug connections and used it to start my new plugs. Worked quite well.
 
kristofferson said:
The Denso wires/plugs are what my Toyota dealership Parts Dept provided and even though they say Denso on the product, the plugs came in a Toyota box.
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Original wires will have year of manufacture stamped on them. Have seen lots of rigs still running 20+ year old wires with good results.
 
what other parts are needed for this? i got the cap, the rotor, the wires, are there are seals needed?

90099-14118 distributor o-ring?
19127-66020 ??
 
bmwjnky said:
FYI the bolts for the trim cover over the plug wires are 10mm. You could have used a 10mm socket instead of trying to drill out the top.
Click to expand...
I was scrolling through all of the responses to see if someone would comment on that!! Excellent write up otherwise
 
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