Spark Plugs on 2012

Hi all,

I’m a new owner and pretty new to DIY maintenance.

I managed to clean my hybrid fan after seeing how horribly filthy the cabin air filter was, so I’m looking to the next task.

it’s a used Prius with 147k miles on it, so I’m going through a laundry list of things to do.

Long story short, what should the spark plugs be torqued at?!

Sorry for yet another thread on this, but it seems like the info is pretty chaotic.

I believe it is 15lbs and 13lbs with anti seize, which is not needed with NGK.

The video from Nutz about Boltz he says 20lbs, but I’m fairly sure he misspoke. Then in the description it has 13lbs, but he applies anti-seize.

I s’pose if anti-seize isn’t required I see no point.

The info is so chaotic, I’m beginning to wonder if this is a thing I should pay to have done, but I’m pretty confident in my ability.

Also, on one video I watched when they hit 15lbs torque the plugs “clicked”. Any idea is legit?

 

HV battery fan. The cabin filter’s grossness made me think it was a good idea

 

I do not. I spoke with the mechanic the previous owner regularly saw and he said he had not changed them. But he gave me an idea of the typical maintenance that was done. It wasn't the most immaculate car in the world, but it also wasn't treated horribly.

He also thought I should change them, ha.

 

Thanks, but yeah, she mostly stuck with her local mechanic. So it doesn't show

 

am I wrong? I mean, I've watched soooo many vids, so I could very well be misremembering. I usually watch them like a handful of times at 1.5x/2x speed weeks before doing work.

 

Awesome, thanks to both of you.

This is going to be my first spark plug job, so I'm just trying to make 100% certainty that I'm doing it correctly.

Currently I'm looking to buy 4 NGK 4912 plugs from a local shop, mainly because I see info of counterfeits for Denso plugs, which don't get me wrong could also have the same issue, but I feel like I see NGK issues less?

Also, probably won't do anti-seize, because of specifications from the above poster and NGK guidance.

I'm fairly terrified to do this work, so lol.

 

The NGK are $10.80 as of today, but it looks like a sale is going on. So whoo!

I'm currently in a pretty rural location and tbh I've had such bad experiences with the closest dealer, that I'm not trying to go back.

 

Yeah, that is on my list. I quickly got an oil changes and all the fluids + air filters. Thankfully, from what I can tell that is covered in the warranty until 150k.

After talking to the local guy and getting the car checked out by someone else before I purchased it, my suspension is she didn't keep up with maintenance but didn't run it into the ground. Think more of a busy white collar type rather than a teen boy showing off. Got some work done, but not all.

Also, not many people have worked on Prius models around there, so things def were missed. For instance, the guy that gave me an inspection sticker couldn't even quote me spark plug replacements because he had never worked on a Prius and wasn't sure of the details.

These are some of the reasons I ended up on this forum and to start doing maintenance myself. (Also, in general poor experiences with mechanics in my past. Good ones are really worth their weight in gold.)

When I do the spark plugs, I'm going to take off the EGR pipe to get a decent idea of how filthy the rest of the set up is. That procedure, I might end up paying for, because egad.

 

Sorry to keep posting on this thread, but this is going to be the biggest maintenance job I've ever DIY'ed, so I'm just trying to be completely 100% on what I'm getting myself into. I've not used a torque wrench since shop class in high school. Lolz

Tools needed:

• Ratchet and the sockets
• 9/16 or 14mm magnetic spark plug socket (I've seen people complain about short ones not reaching?)
  
• Flathead
• Pliers, I have a Leatherman, so that should work
• Torque wrench that can do below 20-ft lbs (For some reason I've had trouble locating one)
• Spark plugs
• Silicone paste for after putting the plugs in

Things to note

• Torque plugs at 15 w/o anti-seize or 13 with anti-seize
• Gap should be fine but check just in case
• 9/16 might be slightly loose, but should work. The rubber in the socket should help.
• Clean near the ignition coils before starting to make sure nothing falls in + make sure to keep track of which one goes where
• After installing the plugs, before putting everything back, fire up the engine to see if everything is good (PWR mode will force the engine to run. Additionally can do maintenance mode and go around the block.)

Bonus

• Can check EGR pipe and valve pretty easily, probably worth cleaning as a small bonus task.