I've changed plugs in a lotta vehicles but never in a 1998 V6 Tacoma. Is there anything I need to know before I start? Any tool that will make things easier? Any problems accessing the plugs? Which plug removal socket will I need to buy?

Any gotchas???

 

need some long extensions a metric socket set anti seize dielectric grease some screw drivers to remove the intake maybe clean the throttle body while you got it tore apart i found it best to use a sparkplug socket to remove the plugs then use it to get a few turns on the new plugs then remove it and switch it over to a deep metric socket also only use factory denso plugs or ngks

 

On the 5VZ the plugs are like 6 inches down so an 8 inch piece or so of 1/4 inch tubing/fuel line will help. Put the plug on the line and spin it in that way to ensure you dont crossthread since you cant put them in by hand. Once the tubing starts slipping throw the socket on and tighten up.

Oh and taping the socket or wedging a little piece of cardboard between the socket and extension sidewalls will ensure you dont lose the socket down in the hole

 

put duct tape inside the socket unless you have a spark plug socket to hold the plug in the socket or else you will never be able to get them out. Change the tape each time if it gets damaged (it will). You don't want to loose the tape in your engine.

 

Everything the above posts have stated. If you want to maintain the factory plug setup, use Denso's on the driver's side and NGK's on the passenger side. Don't know why it was setup this way, and I don't believe it's a performance issue more than it is a production issue. Or, go with NKG's all the way around. For some reason the Denso's seem to wear faster. Good luck.

 

everyone had good advice
You probably allready know this but always stick with the denso or NGK duel electrodes, as it requires "duels" and it says so right on the engine.

Exactly as stated by everyone else, the only thing that I would do extra besides the anti sieze and rubber hose tip (a real great tip to not "cross thread")

is when you have the coil pacls off of the car before the old plugs are removed. clean the outside of the rubber plug extension with a damp towel and then Blast each plug tunnel with Compressed air for at least ten seconds each (or vacuum). Any debris that falls into engine through the spark plug chamber can score the heck out of your cylinder walls.

Also take care not to over torque (strip) or under torque the plugs. Tighten just enough to where you feel the metal plug washer initially crush and form its seal (and then give it a slight 1/8 to 1/4 turn after that).

 

http://www.4runners.org/writeups/sparkplugs/index.html

I used a 5/8" spark plug socket though technically I think the spark plugs are actually a metric size (16mm?). Some of the plugs are harder to get to than others. I ended up using various combinations of extensions depending on what was needed.

 

An often overlooked must-have for spark plug changes is a wire feeler-type gapper. You CANNOT use the old-school gappers on these plugs. You have to do this very carefully too. It's tedious, but it must be done because even "pre-gapped" plugs from the dealer can be off.

 

That's pretty old school in itself! The plugs he needs should come pre-gapped from the factory, and set to the correct gap out of the box. I personally wouldn't mess with a Toyota OE plug that has been pre-gapped.

 

I think he's saying to double check the pre-gap on the new plugs. A couple out of the six may be off some. And what ever you do, don't use Bosch Platnium plugs.

 

I found my "pre-gapped" OE plugs to be way off from the dealer. It's a $3 tool and well worth the time to double-check the gap while the plugs are out and before you get misfires.

 

I highly agree... I've caught myself quite a few times when changing spark plugs at work. 90% of the times they are right, but the other 20% is why I'm glad I've checked before I have one pissed off customer.

 

Thanks for all your replies and tips. I have the tools, now all I need is for the spirit to move me...

 

Go slow and go 1 plug (and plug pack) at a time.... trust me

as these plugs are not the most accessable and be prepaird to take some components off (air duct for air cleaner ect... )on the left and right side banks of the engine.
HEY, while you have the air intake assembly you can also clean the throttle body at the same time!

Believe it or not, even though this is fairly strait foward there is potential to break things or mess things up and therfore i would consider this a semi "moderate" job that took me about 90 minutes total both times that i've done it, and you be suprised how involved it is to carfully replace 6 plugs on a 3G runner. And I forgot to attach one of the plug packs and my SR5 started immediatly and died with a registered error code. I reattached the wire plug for the plug pack and reset the computer and good to go.
good luck and god speed

 

good advice above. all i can ad is to let the engine cooldown before you start. a) so you don't burn your hands, b) you could strip out a plug hole if the engine is really hot.