I bought my 2009 Prius about 11 years ago. Although I've been diligent on all other maintenance, I've always delayed changing out the spark plugs - probably because I reasoned that the car was running well so I didn't want to mess with it. The car is still running great, but I think I need to finally change out the plugs. Here are my questions: Is this the correct spark plug, SK16R11, part # 90080-91184 How about the coils - at 170k should I just go ahead and replace them? I'll buy the plugs through my local dealer, but the coils at about $80+ each are not that cheap. However, I see 4 packs of Denso oem coils on Ebay for the price of 1 at the dealership. Anyone buy their coils on Ebay? How would I verify that they are not fakes? Lastly, I plan to buy a magnetic 5/8" socket - any recommendations? How about one like this with a swivel connection? Any other tips or suggestions for replacing spark plugs on a gen 2 Prius?
Never buy ebay parts - counterfeits are unregulated on ebay and amazon. I would leave your oem coils, just be careful you don't break the connector. Buy your plugs at a dealer. Let them look it up based on your vin.. Ask for a discount. It works sometime. Be very careful and slow pulling out plugs left in for 18 years. Same care going back in and use a torque wrench to tighten, Do not use an impact drill. Details
I wouldn't worry about them, they can last up to 200k+ miles. If you're paranoid about them buy plugs and coils at RockAuto.com and just keep them in your glove box, if misfires occurs on anyone of them then it's time to replace. Replacing them is a 10-15min job, can be done blindfolded
I run 20's in tno ho southern heat personally . The other option listed one step colder . Been like this on mine about 33 years now about ten different engines toyoda's of course. The number depends on model. Or series of plug . These cars started with platinum plugs I do believe like pq20r11 or such the original. hi mileage plug from Denso
The plugs are only $10 each at my local dealership, so I'll just pick them up there instead of ordering online. Any recommendations on a 5/8" magnetic socket for easy replacement? Also, if I do go ahead and purchase a 4 pack of coils off Ebay, for example this one or this one... is there a way I can validate that they're legit oem coils before installation? The sellers claim they're 100% original oem. Lastly, what about dielectric grease on the boot?
The coils are really cheap junk . I've had about 12 sets 4 or 6 pieces usually two out of the 4 or 6 go. Pretty quickly . Rt on schedule . There are a few aftermarket coil manufacturers that are trying to do good work making better internals a priority . Supposedly . Had a few of those fail . But for comparison you're talking $90 a coil versus 22 so you know if it takes a try or two to get a set in. So what I do now for a 4-cylinder car is order a 6 cylinder set of coils like 1mz fit . Sooóo. ... That gives me 2 extra for fails . On my hand . The v6 set was 20 bucks more than 4 set. and I've my originals left that were good or ok . The original failures go in trash . So I'm not sure how you wanna handle it. The 4 from Toyoda at Price . Get me about 14 of the other. In a gen2 2 min replacement times
Good job replacing those old plugs. I don't trust EBay for car parts (Chinese knock-off....they'll even try to copy the Toyota box to look OEM) Heck, I don't even trust Amazon for spark plugs anymore! Just stop in at your Toyota dealer and grab 4 of them. No need to replace the coils, which are probably over $100 each, anyway. They can last longer than the rest of the car. We have two 2008 Toyota's with original coils....no problams. How does your radiator cap look? When the car is cold, remove it and look at the spring inside of there. I've found that spring gets pretty corroded after about 10-years so I'll pick up a new one at Toyota which is only about $12. Check all your hoses, especially the ones that get hot....they can start needing replacing after about 10-years. For spark plug replacing, some tips: - be VERY careful when you remove the clips on the coils as they get brittle with age and breaking one just made a simple job a lot longer. I use a small flat-head and lift up the BOTTOM and then wriggle it off....I never squeeze the tabs on the top. -No power tools, do it all by hand -Have the engine warm but not hot. This helps those old spark plugs come out easier. When putting in new plugs, start threading by hand and stop if you feel any resistance and back out and start over....cross threading plugs is not what you want to do. I got this magnetic, swivel spark plug socket years ago and it works great. LEXIVON 5/8" Swivel Magnetic Spark Plug Socket, 3/8" Drive x 6" Total Length | Enhanced Magnetic Design with Thin Wall Socket, Cr-v Steel (LX-121)
Yeah your Toyota dealer very often will be a good deal on the spark plugs you can get the Denso spark plugs in the latest iteration for you're engine 10 a pop is very good the parts stores are up to 12 to 16 a pop . To view the fakes just look at the stamping on the silver part of the plug if it's not clear legible looking originals then probably fakes
I may just buy the coils on Ebay and take them in to my local dealership to validate that they're genuine. I don't want to pull the old 170k coils to find out they're damaged without having a replacement ready.
Why? You just pull them and inspect them and put them back. You are no worse off than you were before. Go and get replacements if you see there is cracking or carbon tracking. Sometimes you just need to replace the rubber boots on the end, which is way cheaper. The coils will last a long time, unless, of course, you don't change you plugs on time, or you use cheap low-quality eBay/Amazon rubbish/counterfeits (if they were branded Toyota).
My worry is that after 17 years and 170k, they've got brittle so there's a chance I damage them when removing. If that happens, I don't want to fork out over $100 a piece (I just looked up my dealer price) when i can get all 4 for $80. I just ordered the plugs through my local dealer.
The rubber is more likely to age out than the plastic. In fact, while I have had to fish rubber chunks out from around a spark plug a few times I have never had a pack's plastic break. I would be more worried that the release lever on the wiring connector to the pack would fail, as it is both thinner and subjected to more stress - and so far (knock wood) that has never happened to me.
Ever wonder why people ask for advice and then argue against it or completely ignore it? Yes, the Denso SK16R11 is an original OEM spark plug and is all I use in Gen 2s that I work on. I've purchased MANY through Rock Auto and never had one fail or wear out in 20k miles like the counterfeits will. So far, I've never replaced plugs twice in the same car, although two of my personal Gen 2s are approaching 100k miles of use since I bought them so I'll service them soon. I have yet to break a coil plug or have a failed coil after hundreds of plug changes. Never in my life will I purchase ebay or amazon plugs or coils, unless it's through a Toyota Dealer. They're pretty much all advertised deceptively. When you see "Genuine or OEM" it is deceptive. It's not Toyota. There's a company named Genuine and a company named OEM, just to mess with your head.
