Step-by-step video on how to change spark plugs in a 2011+ toyota sienna minivan. This is not an easy job, but it is also not really that difficult. Just a lot of things need to be taken apart.
Great video! I hadn't seen yours before tackling the job but as you say, it's really just a puzzle, so take your time, and don't feel rushed to "get 'er done". A few things to add to your great documentation: I marked all the hoses with yellow dots to ease my addled mind on reassembly. That hose on the back of the airbox, next to the last 12mm screw you removed on the right side is for the brake boost -- really important to remember to put that back on (ask me how I know--and I didn't mark it, so there you go!). For those 12mm screws on the left and right behind the airbox, I found a ratcheting combination wrench indispensable - those were the "key fiddle" on this whole operation. For removing/reinserting the plugs, lots of folks seem to have a challenge there, but a standard plug socket, with or without the rubber bushing, attached to a 3" extension, then sequentially adding a 6" extention once the socket was seated on the plug worked great. Removal for me was easiest by removing all the extensions and socket, and using a telescoping magnet to grab the plug. Lastly, I put a towel over the intake manifold to prevent anything dropping down those 6 gaping holes that seem to just shout "Feed Me!". When I do it again, I'll tape the wiper position on the windscreen to keep all the fit checking down to a dull roar. Great work--thanks for taking the time to document this!
Great hints re: marking the hoses, etc. Great comment all-around. However, you owe me an aspirin or two. Why? Because (and bear with me as I dispense some friendly advice to YOU, lol) my head aches from having to read through several lines of text... without ever seeing a proper... page... break. Anyway, just a helpful tip. Thanks buddy! 👍
More (I'm doing the plug change again today) - From a recent gremlin that appeared as we ran from the CZU Lighting Complex wildfires: check the connection of the PCV hoses. Replace them if they are too aged to seal well (the top one is the easiest and most likely to get jostled - it's under $35 OEM). If air gets into the system at this point, the "Check VSC" system indicator can activate, which can lead you down all sorts of rabbit holes. (If you have a OBDII scanner, it shows up as random engine misfires - on many cylinders). -If you are getting oil on the plug threads, which I just discovered, it causes similar misfiring issues, but fixed to a single cylinder. Regrettably, that involves removing the valve covers and changing the seals. So far, not many good videos on that process like this one. LASTLY Looking for torque values or exploded diagrams can be a real bugger with the Sienna. I found tsienna.net better than average for these (not much with the processes), and free. Alldata and TIS gives a lot of data but not much wisdom and there's a fee with them.
i saw this be done without removing the wiper cowl. it seems like a fuck ton of work to remove all that. i was wondering from your experience is it worth it to remove the cowl or can it be left on to get the IM off and get at the back spark plugs.
Absolutely Outstanding Job! My local dealer quoted $689. I spent 2 days during holiday vacation doing the job in my heated garage. I have the full shop manual set, but your video made the effort very easy to visualize and plan around. Worst part of the job, without a doubt, are the 12mm bolts on the passenger side intake plenum mounting bracket. It was heartbreaking to see that Toyota engineers ran that 1/4" A/C line exactly in this location and it costs you 1.5 inches or so of precious working room. I hate to say it, but it does seem like this was done to discourage (or penalize) people who like working on their cars versus sipping coffee and reading Forbes Magazine in the waiting room of their Toyota dealership ;) Anyway, I got er done, and greatly appreciate your video!
Toyota service shop wanted to charge me around $1K to replace the spark plug. Totally insane! I watched your video, followed your instructions, got it done. It took me about 6 hours to get it done, but it was worth it. I saved a lot of money doing it myself. Thanks for the video! 😊
PLEASE READ BEFORE you attempt this job. Last weekend I followed the steps in this video to the letter, on my 2014 Sienna, until I got to the point when I start the engine to test it out. The engine starts then dies 2 seconds later. I spent 8+ hours trying everything I could think of to fix it. I removed back the manifold, checked all the plugs, checked the hoses multiple times, removed and cleaned the Mass Airflow Sensor, disconnected the battery for one hour, but got the same result. After a sleepless night (literally) searching the internet and checking forums, I found the cause: there are three electrical connectors that were disconnected before pivoting the metal trail, the one to the passenger side is connected to the fuel pump system. You need to connect that one before testing the engine. Now that I know it, I watched carefully the video once again and I could see that he connected it around 22:59 (it was fast-forwarded and he didn't mention anything about it) before starting the engine.
I was going to change the spark plugs myself but after watching this video I decided to just take it to a mechanic shop. Thank you for saving me the headache!
Amazing,thank you, just completed this weekend , took about 2.5 hours, i followed exactly except I also completely removed the hose from the top of the engine, I though it would be easier, ending up breaking the connection from the pcr valve, had to replace with Toyota part $70, no need to remove from the valve only the manifold connection. I purchased a ratcheting wrench for the back bracket 12mm from Home Depot, $8, made it a lot easier. When replacing the plug on the back near the driver side, remove the nut holding on the wiring harness, makes access easier. I did not end up removing the top bolt from the bracket at back of manifold, it came out with it on. Spark plugs $63, manifold gasket $26, throttle body gasket $6, all from advanced auto parts, total cost for parts incl hose $165, Toyota quoted $875, not including gaskets, so thank you so much. Just follow step by step, label the hoses and connection, I am not a mechanic, I normally only change oil and belts etc. this was the most complex task to date and went well, 2011 sienna, 138000 miles.
Thanks for the well-done video and close up view of the 12mm bolts on the back of the intake manifold. I completed this job at 154K miles in about 5 hours and would suggest replacing the manifold gasket, throttle body gasket and clean the throttle body. The dealer quoted $760 for this job and I replaced with original oem plugs for $72. Mahle and Fel Pro gaskets were another $20. Lots of things to disconnect so marking hoses is a good idea. The most difficult part of the job was remembering to connect that sensor with the heat sink located on the wiper assembly tray near the passenger strut. The car will start but stall in 5 seconds as posted below.
Wow, I figured $500, but not surprising for 760! Marking hoses is a very good idea. Even take pictures as your project progress as many pics possible, and dock tape with permermant ink maker 2 write the name of components and even mark an arrow 4 directon goes in. Excellent idea of replacing manifold n throttle body gaskets, plus clean throttle body with proper cleaning sparay. It is worth pain to SAVE bloody essensially 900 dollars to get net-pay 760. If you did not spend let just say 800, U saved 1600 dollars bascially! Once again, I have stated my comment that no good Toyota mini van designers deliverately make nearly impossible for vast majority of drivers or owners to FORCE or compel them to bring to dealer keep dealers alive, so that the dealers will keep order NEW CARS it is vicious cycle but that is what it is for economic cold blodded survival! Next time look for another van LIKE Chrysler see if they made much more easily maintainable... Even buying cargo van is not a bad idea and modify like passigner van with all the utility applications! Thz 4 Ur suggestions for changing gaskets, cleanings, etc. since I am there anyway. CA, USA
Just did this spark plug change last night on our 2011 Sienna with 129,000 on the plugs and when I was all done and have everything put back (except for that one sensor with heat sink) the car was not holding idle and dying. I assumed it was something to do with the lights or windshield and wouldn't have any effect on the motor... Wrong! Anyway this video was very helpful and saved us from spending the $690 the dealer quoted us.
Licensed tech here - great video! I skipped through to get a rough idea what I was into while tuning up a 2018 Sienna 3.5L and 20 minutes later the spark plugs are sitting on my toolbox. Even beat the parts delivery guys. :) On the 2018's the only bolt at the back of the manifold is behind the throttle body. Unbolt the throttle body and move it out of the way without disconnecting anything. A 12mm headed bolt goes into the side of the manifold - the bracket stays attached to the cylinder head. So much easier than the older ones.
This is one of the best auto maintenance videos I've seen! Thanks for doing this. I'm looking to tackle this on my 2011 Sienna this weekend. Just can't see paying almost $700 which is the quote I received. Wish me luck! Thanks again.
After paying $1200 for my BMW sparkplugs and coils, $700 almost sounds tempting. Wife's 2012 Sienna is at 110k miles. Thankfully we just made it to Ny and back to Tx with no issues, but feel like it's time for some thorough engine and transmission maintenance. Shocks, brakes and tires are all new, so msy as well top it off.
Damn that's a helluva job for just changing six spark plugs - especially for the back three! You've got my respect for completing this task! I'm foreseeing that I'll just go to the shop for this job when I'm due to the spark plug change, as that’s way more than I’m willing to tackle for a weekend job.
Agree with you but with 1 scary thought. In the other video I watched, the mechanic mentioned that some people don't think it is necessary to replace 1 or 2 of the bolts BEHIND the intake manifold. That worries me because how would a customer know.............?
Now try to replace this van's transmission fluid filter- 2 of the many bolts holding the pan on are blocked by the frame. Odd how well engineered most of their vehicles are, but have these little sticking points.
had to have the manifold cover removed to solder the fuel injector wire that rats had chewed, a simple job that turned into a 500 dollar job due to Toyota imbecile design, trying to make simple things as difficult as possible to fix is their mantra I guess.
I have the same year with over 380K miles and this van was brought brand new at the time, never had this done entire life and still drives very good. I don't plan to change it and probably drive it until it dies.
@@randomcar2190 These vans are built like tanks from Toyota, in fact the original battery lasted till 320K, alternator went out around 340k. Never once change the transmission fluid, I change oil and filter every 10k-15k myself.
Thank you, thank you! incredibly useful video. I was quoted between $370 and $800 for this job, I don't believe that the low end quote was a true quote. I finished the job over 1 and half days but some of that time was spent on purchasing tools, including a torque wrench. Another video I watched suggested torquing the intake manifold to engine and throttle body to manifold 14 foot pounds. I was careful with the torque for the throttle body to manifold since the bolts didn't seem to reach my 14 foot pounds torque. One issue I had when testing the engine caused the car to start and stop after 6 seconds. I didn't plug in the last connector on the cow which goes into the silver hot box. Make sure to do this when testing the engine or your engine won't start. Because the engine didn't start properly the first few times I received a check VSC system at dealership engine check error. I was able to reset the error by holding the traction button 3 sec, then start the engine while holding the button. This trick reset the VSC system error.
Great video. After seeing this, I still don't have that kind of time to spare. I found a mechanic that'll do it for $300. I might have to go that route. Once again, great video.
Thank you very much for sharing. Well explained DIY. I placed a cover over intake openings to prevent anything from falling inside engine. . It took me 5 hours to do. You helped me save $900.00 Nicely done. 10-23-23
Thank you sir!! I followed the video and was able to change my neighbors spark plugs in a 2013 Toyota Highlander Limited V6. I will suggest since you are already down this far is to replace the intake gaskets throttlebody gasket and clean the throttlebody masairflow sensors the car will run so much better and get so much better gas mileage Thanks !! 💯
I just did mine today. Not sure if the factory instructions tell you to remove the splash pan tray below the windshield, but it was not necessary- I had enough room to do all the work.. The key is having the right tools and patience.. A nice cool day helps too.. Took me about 2 hrs, taking my merry time..
Thanks. Reminds me of a time I brought my car into a dealer for a complimentary maintenance service. I knew tire rotation was one of the things they were going to do, so I marked the position of a couple of the wheels. At pick up, the service manager said rotation was done. I check my marks, low and behold, wheel were in the same position...
Thank you so much for all the instructions and details. I just replaced spark plugs on my Sienna (2011-140k) and took around 1 hour from start to finish!
Really, 1 hour? Why is everyone saying it is so extremely difficult? I do most my own mechanics, and sparkplugs have always been something that I don't even hesitate due to them being so EASY. However, so many saying it takes like half a day, ect. I have done water pumps, alternators, ball joints, cv axles, and even a clutch and rear main seal on a 99 Cummins 2500. Is this job really that hard? Or could it be that most attempting this haven't done much auto mechanics before?
I have the Toyota Sienna 2011 V6 too. Bought it new in Jan 8, 2011-just over 73000km in almost 8 years. If it is a few hundred dollars just for changing spark plugs, I will let the Toyota dealership to change spark plugs. The front 3 spark plugs that I can do, but 3 at the back seemed very challenging for me with no tools. I learned a lot from you. Just changed a new battery at Toyota after begging them do it for free and just paid for a battery and tax. I was there in front of it when they changed it out-it was easy, I wanted them to do it so I could give them the old battery and refund $18 for the old battery-I didn’t want to take the old battery home back and forth for 2 hours. Hope it will last another 5-7 years battery with 2 years full warranty and 84 months prorated deal. Since the van is getting old, I want to do as much as by myself instead of expensive maintenance at the dealership. Thank you for your videos.
I have a 2011 Honda Odyssey which takes about 20 minutes to replace all 6 spark plugs. Sister has a Sienna that needs plugs, not looking forward to this process. Great video. Thanks
Excellent camera quality and stillness. Great instructions, step by step! Thank you! The Toyota Sienna engine is basically a Lexus engine. So, this should be pretty much the same as Lexus -- maybe not the hybrid Lexus cars, but certainly the RX350. Tip: You can use a laser pointer to point to a part, e.g., a screw/bolt, from a distance.
Nice job great video. If van or any vehicle has close to or 100,000 miles I would change upper intake gaskets, fuel injectors, coils and plugs one and done. I would use dealership parts or the same company that makes the dealership parts. The goal take that cover off as little as possible. I done the plugs first to we just keep learning.
Great video helped me alot...I got this done in 4 hours..the hose in the back of the manifold is easy to forget...I like how you gave the sizes to each bolt...great videos please keep posting more
Very informative video. I am watching this because I am planning on buying 2015 plus Sienna. I have Toyota Prius V , right now and do most of the stuff myself, like, coolant, flush , break fluid flush, engine oil, break pads. I changed the spark plugs recently and it's almost as complicated as this one , the back three . I changed spark plugs on my first car, Jaguar S type , a decade ago and it was complicated as hell. I think on those cars where we have to take intake to access 3 spark plugs , is complicated design. I guess. I watched a video on changing engine oil on Sienna and it looked like walk in the park, when compared to changing oil on Toyota Prius V ( wagon ). Anyway, thanks for sharing, I subscribed.
Thank you so much for this video -- I love your style! I am doing this job this week and have been watching different videos for it: your video just excellent. Much thanks!
Subscribed just because of the work you put into this! Not looking forward to doing this myself. Hopefully it won't take me as long now that I've seen how to do it. Thank you!
Woaaaaaoooooooooooooooooooooo this is to much job for spark plugs is crazy i prefer a old car you can seat inside engine and work. Good job man I have to bring my van to the shop to much for me. Thks anyway good video.
Samuel Florian I prefer the car I drive 10 years and 155k maintenance-free that starts and runs flawlessly while getting decent mileage, reduced emissions, and very good power per liter.
Great Job. Took me 6 hours, I had a mouse living under the engine cover, and he was making a cozy bed out of the firewall blanketing - so I took the time to remove the remaining firewall fiber material to discourage him from coming back. The only difference is that I did not have to remove the bracket, the intake came out without having to remove the bracket on the left side. I would have covered the intake area with rags once you removed the plastic intake. And I changed each plug, one at a time. Didn't want anything falling into the hole(s).
just ordered all the spark plugs and intake manifold gaskets so I can do my wife's van. I hate when you have to remove the intake manifold to do half the spark plugs. Thanks for the video
Thanks for sharing. I just did my sienna plugs and cleaned the throttle body. I was very nervous to change the plugs til I watched your video. Took me about 2.5 hours. Straight forward. Just took some time.
Awesome thank you so much so far this is the only RU-vid video I found that showed how to remove all the bolt and get the job done 👍👍👍👍👍 I’m planning to work on my 2015 highlander in the future less talk more work like it so much u definitely made the job look so easy wish u were my neighbor lol 😁
Thank you for this video. It was a huge help. Appreciate you taking the time to do it. I was able to do it without removing wipers. After removing the top bolts and the Throttle Body, I removed the back passenger side bracket before removing the intake manifold. I removed the bottom bolt and then lifted the manifold to get to the top bolt on the bracket easier and removed it. I was able to remove the manifold pretty easy at that point without having to remove the wipers. A couple other things I found helpful when installing was putting the bolt on the top of the passenger side bracket in loosely and sliding manifold in place then maneuvering the bracket in proper position. I then recommend taking advantage of the ability to have the driver side bolt on the intake manifold loosely and sliding it in place as the bracket allows for that. I also put in the small bolts and hexes on top of manifold loosely. I then was able to more easily put the bottom bolt in place on the driver side bracket at that point. Once everything was in place I tightened everything down. The job was still a pain but much better thanks to you and the other comments here.
Wow, you are awesome for this! I can't believe you don't have more views. All of your Sienna videos are super informative. So many times I've backed out of repairs halfway through due to fear of need to apply too much pressure, bizarre fluid leaks, etc. These vids help get the job done with little fear. Thanks man!
Thank you for the video very detailed and great. I would use OEM spark plugs. The store give you the wrong cross reference spark plugs you screw. With OEM you can side by side check the spark plug number it have to be identical.
Very nice video but kind of scary for a DIY person like me. I also just watched another video of a mechanic taking the Intake Manifold and replacing the back plugs WITHOUT removing the windshield wipers or anything like that at all ?? It all looks very complicated to me :) Thank you again.
Also I would recommend grabbing some brake clean. And while you have it apart clean the throttle body and clean the whole intake manifold it's full of carbon build up you know all the black stuff that robs your gas mileage!
Just talked to the Toyota Dealer near me...Changing just the plugs a little over 600.00. Change the coil packs like some suggest...over 1700.00! Using Oem doing just plugs 63.00 and doing it yourself with all the coil packs...644 with tax even using OEM. Take the day off and do it!
Thz n job well done indeed! Scm Toyota Sienna designers deliberately design that way to SAVE n KEEP dealers' Service department job and revenue flowing in. Unless you are mechanically inclined and have basic knowledge, the vast majority of people would not do what you just did! NO good scm asols Toyota designers of Sienna van, saying if you have money to buy and keep the minivan, you must pay to keep the car running! Likely 4 hours labor job translated to 400 dollars around and parts. Toyota dealer might charge at the lowest $400 to $500 for changing lousy spark plug when U can do Corolla in 20 minutes around! CA, USA
Awesome job and thank you. I'd change the 3 coils in the back at the same time since it is so difficult to access it. Did you replace the intake manifold gasket?
Am in the market shopping for a Sienna. I had plugs changed on my Ford Windstar last month and now it appears to have running problems cropping up and the plug changing process was quite similar in that it is almost impossible to do correctly. May have to change my shopping plan to a Prius or Tesla because the mechanical process is so difficult. Another idea is to buy a low mileage Sienna and sell it just before a plug change is necessary.
So with everything that needs to come out, do a spark plug change while doing the front struts/sway bar links, water pump and save multiple hours later on :D
It would make sense to replace the ignition coils while you’re back there At the recommended 120,000 spark plug interval it would be good timing for those too
my sienna has 250k km. The original iridium sparkplugs appear to be working just fine. I'm not sure if they ever need to be replaced. Couple years ago, I replaced plugs on corolla, which also had iridium plugs. The old and new plugs looked the same after 180k km. I couldn't see any wear on them.
OMG what a great video. Thinking about doing this myself, it looks really complicated. But what can i do. I wonder how much they'll charge for this job. Thanks a bunch man..
It seems in all the videos that I have seen, an error in naming the size of the cap screws (it is called bolt, when a nut is attached to it) is committed. The posters say "14mm bolt", or "12mm bolt". Those are wrench (head of the cap screw) size. Which is what the viewer needs to know of course in order to use a proper tool. Metric cap screws are designated for example as M10X1.50. Which is the diameter of the cap screw by the pitch. Wrench size is never indicated.
I'm curious how your van runs before and after the job or were you just following scheduled maintenance. I have a 2013 with almost 110,000mi very good 🎥 👍
Like the video have a 2020 sienna guess when plugs get old I have done plugs on this engine without removing the windshield cowl just the intake it wasn’t on a sienna though guess I’ll check when time to
That is seriously jacked up these car manufacturers make maintaining your car so difficult. Dang. Did any if the stuff removed (manifold) require new gaskets?
There is no need to remove the wiper arms and cowl....just remove the air filter box assembly and you'll have plenty of room to remove the upper plenum to access the rear plugs.
Good video I have a few questions.... did you use a resource/repair manual to do this or just figure it out as you went? My concern was your intake manifold gaskets, did you inspect before replacement, should they be replaced? Also as you worked I would also consider covering the intake ports, don't want anything falling in.
Hi Robert, I had to figure out as I went. Good question on the gaskets! They looked in good shape when I had it out. But, since you mention that, it wouldn't hurt to put in a fresh set. And I believe it is a cheap item to replace. Maybe $20-30? So, definitely worth doing while it is out. Thanks!
I completely removed the bracket on the passenger side, screw that, took me a hour to get that bolt out. Very good video. Just out of curiosity what's normal idle speed, I didnt check before hand, but I'm at 800 after, sounds good?
A lot of minivan engines (in more recent years) are now setup like this. And it's not just Toyotas. It sucks because now, the dealership (stealership) can charge an extra hour or more for labor! That said, I still love Toyotas. ✓
