How To Replace the Spark Plugs In Your 2018–2024 Toyota Camry
ID: 185986
Description: [youtubevideo|DPx_kY5T4kU]This guide shows how...
Steps:
- Check the owner’s manual to confirm the correct mileage or time interval for spark plug service.
- Obtain four genuine Toyota iridium spark plugs and verify the factory identification mark on each tip.
- Gather a 14 mm spark plug socket with a rubber insert, an 8 mm socket, a ratchet, and a torque wrench that reads 15 ft‑lbs and 66 in‑lbs.
- Avoid aftermarket or counterfeit spark plugs to prevent driveability problems.
- Work on a warm engine: drive the car, then let it cool one to two hours before removal.
- Pull the plastic engine cover upward at its three retaining tabs and lift it off the engine.
- Store the cover safely; it dampens direct‑injection pump noise and must be reinstalled.
- Press the release tabs and unplug the four ignition‑coil connectors.
- Remove the four 8 mm bolts that secure the coils to the plastic valve cover.
- Lift each coil straight up, ensuring the rubber weather seal comes out with the coil.
- The coils are identical, so their positions do not need to be noted.
- Handle the three‑wire coils carefully; they differ from older four‑wire Toyota coils.
- Use a 14 mm extra deep spark plug socket with a ratchet on the first plug and loosen it, then repeat for the remaining three plugs.
- Use the socket’s rubber insert to lift each plug out of the well without damaging the electrode.
- Work slowly to avoid stripping aluminum threads; never remove plugs on a hot or stone‑cold engine.
- A normal plug shows a light whitish band, a clean center electrode, and dry threads.
- Wet plugs after normal driving suggest fuel or oil contamination that requires diagnosis.
- Factory plugs carry a stamped mark on the tip; missing marks indicate non‑genuine or previously replaced plugs.
- Thread each new plug by hand until fully seated to prevent cross‑threading.
- Do not apply anti‑seize, grease, or any compound to the threads.
- Never adjust the iridium gap; replace any plug that appears incorrectly gapped.
- Torque each spark plug to 15 ft‑lbs with a calibrated torque wrench.
- Push each coil onto its plug, confirming the rubber weather seal is present and seated.
- Install the four 8 mm bolts and tighten them to 66 in‑lbs (5.5 ft‑lbs); avoid exceeding 7 ft‑lbs to protect the plastic valve cover.
- Reconnect the coil connectors, following the gray‑black‑gray‑black order on the harness.
- Align the oil‑fill opening in the cover with the filler neck.
- Wiggle the cover until the tabs align with their mounts, then press down until all three clips snap into place.