DIY: 2001 V6 1MZ-FE SparkPlug Change

[DrRuckus13]

I've asked alot of questions about changing the spark plugs and read every thread about 5 times and it just seemed there wasn't a full guide on how to do it. Hope this helps

Start with taking the Plastic Toyota Engine Cover off

- It has three bolts on the bottom and the Toyota Badge in the middle is also a screw.

(PIC 1)

- The front 3 plugs are really easy to get to. Great practice for the back side.
-Start by pulling the wire out of the ignition coil. There is a tab to push in and just slide the connector out.
-Take the silver Bolt holding the Ignition Coil in place off.(10mm)
-Pull the black ignition coil out of the engine. Its about 5 inches long.
-After the coil is out you can see the tip of the spark plug down in the engine. You will need 2 of the 3 inch socket extensions and a common Spark plug socket with the rubber boot to pull the spark pugs out. The wrench will stick out about an inch from the engine on the front making it really easy to unscrew the plug.
-after the plug is out check it for any excessive wear or build up that could be an indication of an potential problem.
-next its time to put the new plug in. Dont for get to apply a little bit of anti-seize on the top of the plug threads. DONT USE TO MUCH!!! keep it at least 3 threads away from the tip to be sure none seeps down to the cylinder.
-Now put the plug into the wrench (the rubber boot inside holds it tight) and just use the extension to feed it in by hand. I counted about 10 full rotations by hand before the plug seats against the block. Then give it a half crank with the socket if your using OEM Toyota Denso plugs with the washer on it.

-Repeat this for each of the front plugs.

Now for the fun part. The Dreaded REAR plugs. This took me about 3 hours total with cleanup afterwards

(PIC 2)

-Start by removing the Cruise control wire mount. Take off the holder (14mm) and the cable just slides out with a little shimmy. A 10mm wrench might be needed if its on there tight. You can just lay it down on the engine. but be careful to direct the wire down where it connects on the pulley; as to not kink or pull it off.

-You have a little room now to get under the intake manifold going from the right side of the intake and "blindly" start taking out the rear plus. Although you can kinds see in there

-I was not able to get the connectors off the right side and middle rear ignition coils but the wires are connected about 6 inches away from the coil and lead back to left side of engine. So its actually pretty easy to just leave them connected to the ignition coil.

-I purchased a small little 4 inch socket from Sears to use on the back. It makes it a little tough to torque the bolts off but do-able.

-Same sequence as the front. Remove the silver bolt that holds the ignition coil in place. start it with the little socket and finish by hand.

- then just pull the ignition coil out. keep in mind that the coil is still connected so you have to be careful when sliding it up. you can set it on a pack of wires connected to the firewall after its out. Just be careful because you dont want to damage the wires. So dont let it just hang. Also you want to keep it clean you might want to wipe the area down before setting it down.

(pic 3)
-Its tight back there so you have to slide the socket in connected with one of the extensions and then side the other extension on before pushing it completely into the hole. Then just maneuver the socket until your able to start the plug. Then its up to your fingers to finish it. The pic shows the wrench sticking out the left plug hole.

-To pull the plug out you have to pull one of the extensions off after you have it halfway out. the firewall is in the way to just slide it out.

-put the new plug in and set the coil back in place. But don't bolt it down just yet. You might need to twist it just a touch for your hands to get to the middle plug.

- Next before doing the starting the middle plug switch to the left plug.

(PIC 4)
- The pic is of the left side of the air intake. Not much room but you can see the coil which makes it somewhat nice.
-The left side You can work around the Choke so don't bother taking it out. But there is a vacuum hose that must be take off right above the left plug. Its got very weak clips so you dont have to fool with pliers. Just pinch and slide. The hose connects under the intake and its about 4 inches long with a foam protection hose around the outside of it.

- You have to pull the wire off the coil on the left plug. It is really hard and took me about 30 minutes to finally get it off!!! I dont know of any tools to help with this but it sure is a pain !!

-Then just unbolt the nut and you have to slide the coil out to the left.

-Change the plug its easier to fit the socket wrench than the others.

-But dont put the coil back on just yet. You'll need the room to reach the middle plug.

-Now the middle plug. You can use one hand to go in on the left and use one hand to go in on right. You need both to get the socket extensions connected.

-leave the coil connected because there is room with the wires again.
-Just unbold the (10mm) bolt and slide the coil out to the left again. its really tight so be very carful with the wires and coil. you can set it on the wire pack tied to the firewall again.

-Swap out the spark plugs just like the other 2 rears.

-put the coil back on.

-Then place the coil back on the far left plug. and connect the wire.

almost DONE !!!

-You now have to put the 10mm bolts back into the coils. You should be a pro working on the back side now so it will take no time.

-Put the vacuum hose back on. The side under the air intake is hard but do-able with patience.

-Reconnect the Cruise control line. Feed the wire back on the spool and slide it back into place. Check the tension to ensure its all aligned accordingly.

-Put the plastic Toyota Plate back on the top of the engine.

And you should be DONE!!

Give it a start and have a cold beer. Its actually not that bad, just be glad their 100K plugs and your good for a couple of years !!!

My used plugs are PIC 6, Pic 5 has 1 good plug in there for comparison.