Spark Plug Replacement Tutorial

[Pro40Dually]

Thanks!

[Ardnut05]

Yeah - I'm a n00b well and was wondering about my 6 cyl 2005 Tundra. It looks like I'll need to remove a bunch of "stuff" to access the plugs on one side of the engine. Any tips on that?

Thanks in advance!

[hartjr69]

Originally Posted by shall36

Darn...I did the fuel filter on my truck about 3 weeks ago. didn't think about taking pictures at the time.

Here are some real-world tips on that. You will have fuel dripping out when changing the filter, so plan accordingly. For example, have a catch can of some type at the ready. DON'T have your body or head right under the fuel filter. Bring some paper towels or rags under the truck with you.

1. The fuel filter is located on the inside, driver frame rail about at the end of the door.

2. You will see that the fuel filter is held in place by a big clamp. That clamp is bolted to the frame and snugs around the fuel filter usig a single 10mm bolt.

3. BEFORE you unclamp the filter, break the fuel lines loose. I *think* that the boss on the filter itself is 17mm and the fuel line is 14mm. In other words, don't just put a wrench on the fuel line and go to town....you will probably bend up the clamp. The fuel filter has a provision (or it should) for a large wrench so that you can keep the fuel filter from twisting while breaking the fuel lines loose.

4. Once the lines are broken loose, unclamp the filter.

5. You can now run the lines out of the filter. Both lines will drain fuel and there is a good bit of fuel in the filter itself. The filter will drain from the rear. Once disconnected, the rear line will keep dripping as it will siphon from the tank. Plan accordingly.

6. Orient the new filter properly. There should be an arrow on it or one of the ends will say "IN" or something like that. Slide it into the clamp, then thread the lines. Even though the fuel lines have rubber segments, they are super flexible. You will have to wrestle to get the lines started.

7. Thread in the lines as much as possible by hand to slow down the fuel leaking.

8. IF you removed the 10mm clamp bolt all the way, you'll probably need to get a pair of pliers to bring the clamp ends back together so you can thread the clamp bolt back in. This is especially true if you spread the clamp apart when getting the filter out or putting the new one in. I use a pair of Channel Locks to bring the clamp ends together and run the clamp bolt in with a nutdriver.

9. Make sure that the ridge in the filter is aligned with the notch in the clamp and tighten down the clamp bolt.

10. Tighten up the fuel lines making sure to use a big wrench on the fuel filter boss to keep the filter from twisting.


It's really simple, but can be a PITA...especially because you are on your back and there is fuel involved. Basic hand tools is all that is required. The Tundra filters are a snap compared to the 4-cyl. Tacoma filter, which is under the intake plenum and uses banjo fittings on the fuel lines. That's a total PITA.

Good luck!

Forgot one thing loosen fuel cap and make sure key is off before doing anything.

[RichS.]

Thank You for the tutorial. This helped me a great deal. I just came up on 30k and I decided to change my own spark plugs. I went to my local dealer and purchased the 8. What was even better, I received a discount which was lower than all the other places I checked out. Since this was my first time jumping in, I wanted to take my time. 1 hour. The hardest part of the job was when one of the 10mm bolts fell some where down below. It was the fifth plug out of the 8 I was on. I had to walk back to my tool box and grab my telescopic magnet and started fishing. Once the two connected I yelled HOOK UP, and finished the job. Thanks Again for your post. I am sure there are many more newbies like me that will find this helpful. RichS.

[2XOverhead]

Stickied

[subzali]

Another suggestion: if you have a misfire after reinstalling new plugs, make sure you didn't knock the spark plug against the head upon reinstallation. I've seen sometimes that even a small drop can completely press the electrode against the spark plug body and it won't fire. If you have any doubts take it out, remeasure the gap, and try again.

[pinnacle]

Thanks for the great tutorial. I have changed spark plugs before but never on my Tundra so it was good to have a preview of what I should expect. Like an earlier post suggested, I taped the socket to my extension. Very good tip considering how deep those tubes are. The closest thing to a problem I had was when I realized the torque wrench I recently bought at an auction was 1/2" drive and all my extensions were 3/8". From what I could tell from the tutorial, getting the torque spot on was not a necessity anyway so I skipped using the torque wrench.

There seems to be a lot of talk on what brand/model of spark plug to buy. I ended up buying Autolite XP Iridium plugs. I wanted long life plugs and a good price. These were $6.49 each at Autozone and qualified for a $2 per plug rebate through Autolite. Here's a link to the rebate:

http://www.autolite.com/rebate/?productID=23

The truck is running great so far with these plugs. I will check my mileage sometime soon to see how that is.

Somebody in this post mentioned making sure the gap is right even if the plugs are supposed to be pre-gapped. That was more good advice. These plugs all came at .040 so I had to adjust all of them down to .032.

[meethooks]

Hello All,

I'm new to this (just signed up) forum. I have been using this site as guide to narrow down my search for a"1st gen" Tundra, and found the so helpful I decided to sign up!!!
I finally found a Truck! It’s a 2000 4.7 V8 with 110000 mile on it. I have also come to my 1st hurdle! While starting a spark plug change, my socket got stuck in the cylinder! The socket move but with heavy torque (feel very rough). I can not get the socket (wit built in extension) out, no matter how hard I try. The previous owner had never changed the plugs . . . any suggestions?

JG