Spark plug question for the enthusiasts

What spark plugs are you using besides de OEM Denso?

NGK maybe? which part no.?

 

OEM are going to be your best performers.

 

I switched my last 5th gen to NGK

https://www.ebay.com/itm/3044434368...grtkYnqcBHuJnJRsL4AnPFsA==|tkp:Bk9SR_Dy_fXIZg

 

Did you notice any difference vs the stock plug?

 

Not really. I still got 17 MPG.

 

OEM Denso
Toyota did something whacky back in the 4th gen, they put NGK on one bank and Denso on the other. The NGK always wore out faster and looked worse when you got ready to change them. I would get the OEM from a dealer or buy them from an online dealer.

DO NOT buy Denso or NGK on ebay or Amazon, they are almost all fakes. Yes, someone overseas went thru the trouble of copying name brand spark plugs. The same box, the same look, but NOT the same plug. You would think they would fake expensive items but no, they fake everything and sell the crap out of them on Amazon and Ebay. Dont buy spark plugs on ebay and amazon, almost all of them are fakes even sellers that look legit. Its only a few bucks more to buy authentic from a dealer.

 

I have used Denso TT iridium for almost a few decades now. They feel like they ran better and a little better response. They're rated as ultimate endurance and performance by Denso and they are 100-120k plug so you don't have to mess with very often. I have used in my Ram Hemi and all my Toyotas. I believe it's these. They came from RockAuto for $7 each. Gets a little of the slug out. This is 4runner part number. I don't know about these, but the 3rd gen 3.4 4runner had Denso plugs on one side and NGK on the other from the assembly line. Toyota probably owns stock in both companies.

 

Tacoma's all came with one side Denso and the other NGK. At least they did through the 2nd gens.

Totally agree about the fake products on eBay and Amazon.

 

I have gotten Toyota parts from Ebay, but definitely no Amazon. I got valve cover gaskets that melted when the oil touched them. ToyotaPartsDeal.com is cheapest I have found, but research part numbers well before ordering.

 

Yeah that was the 1Gr-Fe engine they did that with. Every one I’ve ever pulled the OEM plugs out of, the NGK were way worse looking than the Denso side.

 

Unless cost is a factor, I see no reason to buy anything other than OEM spec.

They last so damn long you'll only have to replace them once, maybe twice, over ownership of the vehicle.

Mine just crossed 200k and I still haven't needed a plug change in my ownership. They were done just before I bought it at 79k. Probably just coming up on it now, but I've noticed no degradation in performance or mileage.

When I was a kid I had a Chevy pickup with a 350, I was always trying new plugs in that thing because they were so easy to change. Never noticed any difference with more expensive plugs.

 

... the Denso reference page doesn't see the ones listed in your photo (Denso 4704); just a hotter or colder plug?



listed direct compatible:



Denso 3417 SK16HR11 (this one showing original equipment)
Denso 4703 IKH16TT
Denso 5443 IKH16

also:
https://www.densoautoparts.com/part...ehicleAvailablePartTypes[Wiper Blades][]=8852



also
https://www.denso.com/cgi-bin/global/plug/genuine_parts/list.cgi?m=41&p=0

OEM part number: 90919-01233



Denso SK16HR11
Denso IKH16
Denso VKH16

 

How do you tell if they are fake?

 

Thanks all for your input

A while back when I had a 2003 Tacoma with the 5VZ, one bank came with Denso the other with NGK, there were interesting speculations why, like the 5VZ being a wasted spark ignition, to Toyota having ownership in both brands (mentioned here also), to the simple reason that you can opt to use either brand when replacing them.

 

This video is very insightful but at the end you want to buy from a trusted source. I would pay the extra few bucks and buy from a trusted Toyota dealer on-line, I´ve bought from Conicelli for many years.

 

^This! I was one of the silly ones that bought off Ebay and got burned. In less than 2000 miles the engine began misfiring - the center electrodes in the plugs had essentially melted away.

 

testing the resistance with an OHM meter
or just dont buy the cheap ones
I only use Timken bearings for my trailers, i haul trailers a LOT of miles and have found Timken bearings to be the best. Twenty years ago good auto parts stores kept good bearings but now you cant find Timken bearings anywhere except online. Timken stamps their part number into the race of the bearing AND laser etches the stamped letters. It makes a very distinct look that is easy to recognize. Go on Ebay and look at Timken bearings and you can easily use this to see the real Timken bearings vs the fakes. You CAN find REAL Timken bearings on Ebay but i would venture to say 80+% of the listings are the fakes. The laser etching they do on the fake Timken bearings looks "close" to the same laser etching Timken does but the fakes are only laser etched. The real Timken also have an indention where they stamp the part number before the etching. A REAL Timken bearing is tighter when its wore out, than brand new auto parts store bearings are right out of the box. I've been using them close to 30 years and learned how to spot the real vs fakes. There are HUNDREDS of listings on ebay of fakes. Why would they fake a $12 bearing? I dunno, maybe because they make it in tajikistan in a cave for $0.03 each so selling them on Ebay for $11.99 is making major profits for them.

Legit Timken bearing: look at the depth of the letters
https://www.ebay.com/itm/357619703025
https://www.ebay.com/itm/267375696138




All of the fakes are laser etched, but dont have the depth of any of the letters like the real authentic. The boxes are identical, the wrapping is identical, the prices are close, but you gotta look thru hundreds of listings of fakes to find a few real Timken bearings.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/317255129026
https://www.ebay.com/itm/165021640189

 

crazy! like it literally melted away and dripped down onto the piston head? Or just burned off and there was nothing left?

 

This reminds me, not long ago, a friend asked me to help him with his newly purchased Used Toyota. The first thing I told him was, DO NOT BUY from Ebay, go to this store (Conicelli Toyota). A couple of week after he calls me to help him install the spark plugs, he got the deal of the century, Yes at Ebay, 6 Denso iridiums (in Toyota little boxes) for $21.95 (all 6 with shipping)
1 Week after the install, misfires, all kinds of problems. Had to put the old spark plugs back...

 

This.


Americans have a hard time understanding how much cheating and stealing to make a buck goes on. The same country doing this is also the same ones that will sale fake eggs to make a buck in some parts of the world. And no the fake egg is not a joke or exaggeration.

 

Yep always buy from reputable trusted sources! Fake/counterfeit parts are everywhere even in the aviation industry!

 

Probably burned off but I'm not positive. Gap was twice or more what it was when I installed the plugs. All I know is, after I removed the plugs and installed OEM ones I bought from the dealer the engine ran just fine. That was over a year ago.

 

That seems silly to go through the effort to make a counterfeit but then not make the printing of the logo match.

 

Did you go after the seller? Refund and report them?

 

I did a quicky look and found E bay plugs with the right part number and a pic of a Toyota box for about $8 a piece give or take.
Best I found from a Toyota Dealer with an online presence was $11.01 from Ourisman Toyota.
So 3 bucks X 6 plugs. Is it worth potentially doing it twice over $18? Not for me.
Plus, you can wait for one of the dealerships that occasionally do a 25% off plus free shipping deal...

Edit- BTW all the E bay sellers had dubious non dealer type names.

 

2010-2013 use a different plug P/N. Toyota changed to a hotter plug on the 5th gen V6 after the facelift. Might be related to the introduction of the secondary air injection system.

 

This is a very good call out. Thanks for chiming in on the why. I went and made some notation on the knowledge sharing document to reflect my new knowledge.

 

I only buy from US sellers. You can filter this in your search.

I've never had a problem with anything I buy from Ebay but I know what to look for.

 

I've bought from sellers that mark themselves in the US, just to get around that. But then ships from China, etc.

 

At first I thought this was the reason for colder then hotter plugs but actually secondary air injection is injected to the exhaust when engine is cold to help with emissions. So no changes in the combustion chamber.
When was the "ECO" light added? It could be related to that...I have a couple of theories based on that