getting my plugs and wires changed tomorrow in my 99 4r V6, and my mechanic told me that he would have to take the air intake off to get to the 3 plugs on the left side...he said something about a gasket that went on the air intake that mite have to be replaced when they put the intake back together......and a guy in service at a toy dealership said the gasket is a metal one....and the dealer just reuses it when they change the plugs.....anyone here know anything about this.......

 

unless there taking the throttle body off there no need for a gasket all they should do is remove the intake tube

 

What metal gasket? I just did the same job on my '99 yesterday, and there were no metal gasket involved in the process.

This is an easy DIY job. It took me about 1 hour to do all 6 plugs/wires. OEM Denso or NKG plugs and oem toyota wires are highly recommended. I got my plugs from www.rockauto.com

You should be able to do it yourself. Just follow Bob's writeup at www.4runners.org on how to change plugs. There are also other great writeups (e.g., Throttle body clearning, MAF cleaning, etc) -- When you take off the air intake, you may also want to clean the MAF and TB. Bob's site:

http://www.4runners.org

 

ditto changing the plugs on the 3.4L is like putting air in your tires

 

hey t4txr, i know nothin about it, my mechanic just told me there was a gasket in the intake that might need to be replaced....hell this guy might not even know what the he is talking about.....who knows....do you have any idea what gasket this guy is talking about?

 

Find another Mechanic Fast!

 

Metal gasket is the one going from the throttle body/butterfly valve and the intake plenum. This does not need to be removed. Once under there, you'll realize you just need to take the "rubber" (not sure what kind of material it really is) intake tube which connects the airbox to the throttle body. Its two adjusting screws on each end which loosen the hose clamps. Also taking off a few small vacuum hoses is needed as well. Very simple job... might be a little intimidating at first but not hard.

You will also need a 6" 3/8 socket extension to get into the spark plug holes.

 

yeah sounds like he is wanting to pull the upper intake manifold off. On the driver side the intake is in the way when trying to move the ratchet back and forth. Should not be a problem with an air ratchet. I got a long extension (probably 14in. or so) and I cleared the intake and no problem manuvering the ratchet. If he is wanting to remove the intake manifold to do plugs it is time to find a mechanic who doesn't have his head up his a$$. Intake remova, is necessary on some cars but not on the 4runner.

 

Pretty straight foward easy job that shouldn't require any gasket for the air intake. You just remove the center section of the intake, take off a bracket or two on the driver side and there is plenty of room to work. Good luck if you are doing it yourself, but any decent mechanic should be able to do a competent job.

 

I can change all six of my plugs in about 30 minutes. if your mechanic wants to remove the manifold find another mechanic. obviously he not familiar with your application.