Spark Plugs - How do these look

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by ononeathome, May 25, 2014.

  1. ononeathome

    ononeathome Junior Member

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    I just pulled these from her today; they have about 60,000 on them (160,000 on the car).

    What is the boards opinion? I am somewhat concerned about the oil on the threads. Does this mean I have a leaking valve cover gasket, a leaking head gasket or nothing at all.

    She was bucking pretty bad for about a week, this is what lead me to replacing the plugs, PCV and MAF all at the same time.

    Number 4 is the one that concerns me. Notice the difference in color on the top and the side from the rest of them.

    Thanks in advance.
    1 though 4.jpg One Close Up.jpg Two Close Up.jpg Three Close Up.jpg Four Close Up.jpg NUnber 3 Top.jpg Number 4 Top.jpg
     
    #1 ononeathome, May 25, 2014
  2. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    I don't know what kind of spark plugs those are. I hope you replaced them with the correct NGK or Denso iridium spark plugs.

    The deposits on the spark plug threads are normal. The old spark plug from cyl 4 doesn't look much different compared to the other three.
     
    #2 Patrick Wong, May 26, 2014
  3. ononeathome

    ononeathome Junior Member

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    They are E3's. I thought I would give them a shot. The company says they'll last 60,000 miles so I pulled them.

    From your comment about replacing them with NGK's or Denso's are you implicating that they don't look good?

    I was pretty happy with the color.

    I put in Champion Iridium.
     
    #3 ononeathome, May 26, 2014
  4. ononeathome

    ononeathome Junior Member

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    I should have asked. Do you know where the oil is coming from? I'm guessing the valve cover gasket.

    I'm not worried about it. But I am curious.
     
    #4 ononeathome, May 26, 2014
  5. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    The correct iridium plugs will normally last 120K miles.

    The deposits on the threads are probably just combustion chamber deposits that have oozed up the threads.

    I don't know why the white porcelain is stained. What do the spark igniters look like? Do they have any rust or other deposits on the plastic body?

    I suppose you should look into the spark plug wells (with a mirror and bright light as needed) to see what an inspection might reveal.
     
    #5 Patrick Wong, May 26, 2014
  6. exstudent

    exstudent Senior Member

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    Was any type of lube or anti-seize applied to the E3 spark plugs upon installation? Perhaps a bit heavy on plugs 2 & 3?

    Those E3 cost you more than if you just went with the Denso or NGKs that Toyota recommends for the Gen2 Prius'.
    Amazon spark plug pricing:
    $7.17 each for Denso SK16R11 Iridium
    $7.25 each for NGK IFR5T11 (NGK website says this is Original Equipment Manufacturer, and/or Original Equipment Service Part)
    $5.95 each for E3.48 (E3's cross reference guide link), only good for 60k miles (according to Orginal Poster). $11.90/cylinder to get to 120k miles.

    The Champion's you got (assumed Champion 9001 RC10WYPB4) should be superior to the E3's because, of the Iridium electrode. Will be interesting to see what these Champions look like after 120k miles and if any issues redevelop like the E3's.

    Here's what the original factory Denso's looked like after 120,631 miles for me. Link

    Interesting how Patrick noted the E3 porcelain appears stained. Maybe burned?
     
    #6 exstudent, May 27, 2014
  7. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

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    The plugs look OK to me....especially for a 160,000 mile car. :)
    If your car isn't using much oil, knocking or pinging, and if your efficiency is on par, I'd say you're a good candidate for the 250,000 mile club at least.
     
    #7 ETC(SS), May 27, 2014
  8. Former Member 68813

    Former Member 68813 Senior Member

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    No, this is totally normal. Google corona effect on spark plug.
     
    #8 Former Member 68813, May 27, 2014
  9. tivoboy

    tivoboy Junior Member

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    150,000 miles right after a techron treatment

    The first one looked so good that I decided to only pull 1&3 - I will replace the others right before techron in 15,000

    I have pics with my borescope of the piston tops that I will upload later

    I will also check gap and report
     

    Attached Files:

    #9 tivoboy, May 27, 2014
  10. Former Member 68813

    Former Member 68813 Senior Member

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    Any MPG change with these E3 plugs? People on some forums think those plugs are gimmick only and some people lost MPG.
     
    #10 Former Member 68813, May 27, 2014
  11. Former Member 68813

    Former Member 68813 Senior Member

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    Are these OEM plugs with 150,000 miles?
     
    #11 Former Member 68813, May 27, 2014
  12. tivoboy

    tivoboy Junior Member

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    Yes - original OEM plugs with 150,000 miles

    Sorry for the confusion
     
    #12 tivoboy, May 27, 2014
  13. 70AARCUDA

    70AARCUDA Active Member

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    Sorry, but Toyota has NEVER used E3 spark plugs as OEM installations! Denso is Toyota's OEM spark plug supplier.
     
    #13 70AARCUDA, May 27, 2014
    Last edited: May 27, 2014
  14. Former Member 68813

    Former Member 68813 Senior Member

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    LOL, to understand a thread, you have to read the whole thing, and not just the first and last entry.
     
    #14 Former Member 68813, May 27, 2014
  15. tivoboy

    tivoboy Junior Member

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    The gaps of plugs 1 & 3 are within specs - between 1.02 and 1.14mm
    I may try to run plugs 2 & 4 out to 200,000

    Here are pics of the cylinders...
     

    Attached Files:

    #15 tivoboy, May 29, 2014
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