For not being a full time mechanic you did a fine job, just an FYI for you and anyone doing this in the future, from my 50+ years of doing mechanic work, you may have done this but I didn't see you do it, when you remove any intake manifold PLEASE use some rags and insert them into the intake ports so you can't accidentally drop ANYTHING down into the engine, if anything especially a metal piece, i.e. a bolt, nut or washer, does drop into the ports while you're working on the engine and it's not noticed and or retrieved (which is sometimes next to impossible to do without removing the heads) the engine will be toast/destroyed when you start the engine and that piece get sucked down into the valves and pistons, even dirt or other debris can do harm if it gets into the combustion camber.
Wow. I am sure glad I didn’t drop anything in my engine. Where were you when I did this the first time. Truth be told is I had cylinder 1’s coil pack go out on me and I had to replace it a couple of months ago. I had to remove everything all over again. This time, I was smarter and I covered the intake manifold with some duct tape. Thanks again.
@@BuildItSimple yup i learned this , replacing the brake vacuum pump on a 2016 Chevy Malibu, when it broke, ugh... that was a job, and i never done anything like that before, took me a month to study and then another month to fix, waiting on parts, that was back in august-oct and the car is still running.. i am just a wife who loves to save money, hubby really does not like working on cars. SO yes ladies you can do it too lol☺
I like the motivation to let people know they can. I am about to work on my Highlander 2013 spark plugs and the coil parts with the spring and boot not the coils themselves . Thank you for sharing your work.
Amazing video thank you brother. I’m one of those people people who don’t put that back bolt in lol I don’t think you need it. I think it’s just for when they put the engines in in the factory with the hoist.
I couldn't put the back bolts in either. I figured the 10 mil nuts and 5 mil hex bolts on the front of the manifold are enough to cinch down the manifold so the IM gaskets get a good seal. Some things robots can do that humans can't.😂
Great work man. I had to do one of these jobs on my girlfriend's old solara v6 (same deal, remove intake plenum). These engines do last forever though if maintained. That solara has about 400k miles on it.
Wow, That's awesome. 400k! That is a true testament of good maintenance. Keep taking care of that vehicle and it will continue to take care of you. Good work!
Great video ! I know some about cars and I do as much as I can by myself but when it comes to spark plugs and ignition coils, especially those three in the back, I think I need to be more confident before I replace them myself. Those three in the front are easy peasy.
Self awareness is a real thing. If you really think you shouldn't attempt it then I support you. I will tell you.... If you have a basic socket set, some problem solving skills, and a little patience, you can do this repair. But on the other hand, I totally understand if this something you don't want to attempt.
Fixing to do this job on my 16 Highlander during Christmas break. I appreciate your video. This will be my second major job on my Highlander. The first one was changing out a noisy water pump to their new design. Not a bad job either. Just have to jack the engine up a couple inches in order to clear the frame.
Thanks for doing this. Getting ready to do this on my wife's 2013 Highlander, we've driven it Seattle to GA three times now and getting ready to do it again. Will also be doing engine, trans and differential oil and filter change. All simple jobs but this seems like the most time consuming having to remove the wiper panel and intake. They are great vehicles.
You are welcome. I am glad you have had great luck with your Highlander. If you continue to take care of your car, it will take care of you. My next projects on my Highlander are a diff oil change and coolant change. Please come back and post an update on your progress.
My wife’s 2013 highlander limited has 230k and I’m barely looking to do this. But you only take off the manifold you dont have to take off the wilder panel etc.
Congratulations, you did a great job. Same thing happened to me with the sucket boot and I figured out that a bent peace of wire would allow me to get it out. Good job, thanks.
Thanks for making this vid and sharing the installation process. I've been mulling over if I should just have a mechanic do it or spend a day on this. Thanks for the push, I'll be doing this soon!
Wow, one of the better vids on this! Thanks for all the positive encouragement, it's...encouraging! Looking forward to your coolant change (transmission, differential too?) Fluid change video too! Thanks!
Add the highlander years to the title make it easier to find. I always use a torque wrench with anything inside the motor. I seem to over tighten things.. Great video thanks!!
based on your video ill be doing the same in a day or 2. did you notice better performance after installing all 6?? thanks keep up highlander videos!!!!!!!
I would blow out spk plug holes before removing so no debris falls in cylinder and cover the intake manifold for same reason. Always use antiseize on new plugs. Tx for video
So, I have a 2010 Toyota Highlander Hybrid 3.3L V6. Another guy on here was recommending replacing the coil packs when doing this job because of how daunting the job can be. My Highlander is at almost 187k miles. You say that these should be fine? Also, as far as gaskets go. Do I just need a new plenum gasket and throttle body gasket then? Thanks for all your help!
Truth be told a couple of months after I did this repair, Cylinder 1 coil pack went bad on me. I had to the job all over again. I would not replace the coil packs at the same time strictly because of price. I would rather replace them as they go bad. The coil packs are pricey. Also, My throttle body and intake manifold gaskets were in good shape. I did not need to replace them. If you do the tare down and you realized the gaskets look bad, then replace them. Good luck!
Andrew, I heard several times that coils can get bad and should be replaced with spark plugs fyi I changed a buddies plugs on Ford f150 it was still missing, he took to real mechanic I have no code reader and he found bad coil. It would work sometimes ( the bad coil) so when I tried swapping it out with another it seemed to work. I guess the wiring in the windings of the coil get weak and short out or whatever
Dude great video and a HUGE help! Did this today. Just a point about rear bolt. Not that hard to remove the bolt that attaches onto the engine and not the plenum side. Also make sure you route the airbox tube line UNDER the plenum and not towards the firewall. Removing the wiper stuff was key! Thanks again!
Hmm I'm glad I was being lazy and let the shop do this while it needed other routine stuff. Not that I couldn't tackle this, but dang Toyota engineers dropped the ball on ease of maintainability on this! My I4 Tacoma was a 15 minute job.... Much of the cars I've worked on in the early 2000's late 90's was pretty straightforward. This is too much fiddling for plugs and I'm surprised this is a Toyota procedure. Great video though!
Thank you. That is a big compliment. When I was first married to my wife, a little over 10 years ago I taught myself to work on my own car out of necessity. I have continued to work on my vehicles ever since. I do find joy in it and it is a very useful skill in this day and age.
Fantastic and very good educative video. Thanks for this. I want to know if this process is applicable to 2021 Toyota Highlander or is there a different process of changing plugs on the 2021 Toyota Highlander Platinum
Did anyone tell him that the grey metal thing either the coolant lines going to it is a throttle body? When doing this job you might as well clean the throttle body ( RU-vid how to do it and use throttle body cleaner not brake clean etc. ). Since you made all that effort, buy a throttle body gasket especially on a 7-15 year old vehicle. Also change out the intake manifold gasket. Ya I cringed when I saw the intake ports were wide open. Use a clean rag or painters tape ( don’t use “ duct tape “) it leaves a residue which could lead to leaks. The intake is plastic. Loosen the screws from the outside in and the opposite when putting the intake back on. Use a torque wrench and Google the torque settings. Like you said it’s not much but that also means it doesn’t take much to crack the plastic. Doin* the front plugs first gives you some muscle memory for how 5he wiring harnesses disconnect. Yes they are brittle but they can b3 taken off quite easily without breaking the connection.
oh this going to be just as fun as the yaw sensor... lol i am only 4'8 and your up under that hood... i need to record everything too... just curious why did u have to take the dash off? thanks for the video... i have 2008 highlander limited
Thanks for commenting. I am glad you can relate to short person problems. Ha. I have seen it a few times where people can do this job without removing the wipers and the wiper tray. I have small hands and I couldn’t get to the bolt in the back. The take down looks worse than it seems. It wasn’t that bad. I hope you like your Highlander. We love ours.
@@BuildItSimple it’s done thanks broke 3 clips on the coil packs but I purchased new ones from Toyota and replaced them . It’s a 6 hr job but I’m almost done
@@BuildItSimple I replaced it a few mo ago omg let me tell you I think I broke ever damn clip on the coil pack . That’s ok went into Toyota and they had all 6 of the cheap plastic clips and I rewired them on the new clips . Overall it was a long day and half but I’m glad it’s done right and feels like new again since I purchased it new a while back. I only do 7k per year so it’s a low miles suv
Good job Bro. I have a 3rd gen with the same engine. I purchased an Endoscope Camera for 20$ from Amazon. It helped me see behind the air intake and find all the bolts. Why did you replace the spark plugs? The are good for 192,000km according to the manual. Did your car start behaving poorly? I'd love to see you do a coolant change in it. I'm trying to find out what is the easiest way to do it. Keep up the good work
An Endoscope is a great purchase and can be useful for many different projects. I changed my plugs because I had never done the replacement before and I wanted to make sure everything was good. My car was not behaving badly. I do have plans to do a coolant flush but I need to wait until its a little warmer outside. Thanks for commenting.
192,000 on plugs ?! Never heard that number before. 133,500 and did 3.6l Ram promaster and plugs were terribly worn. Should've been changed at 92,000 !
Plugs rated for 120K. Also, good luck getting them out after that many miles..rust is a real bugger if it gets far enough along..a broken plug can ruin your week. Mine were 11yrs 112K and they were tough but doable..a little rust had started.
After how many miles should I consider replacing spark plugs on a highlander? What's factory recommendation? Also should I ever consider replacing the coil packs or wires?
Toyota specs Iridium plugs for most of their cars now. Iridium has a long life and they say last up to 110,000 miles. So interval replacing should be done at your discretion. Most people don't ever think about these things so they only replace plugs when they have an issue, like one misfires. I only drive about 10k miles a year so I replace mine about every 5 years. (50k miles) Coil packs on Toyotas can be really expensive. They can last the life of the vehicle. It is recommended that they be replaced when they go bad. When they are replaced, they can also be replaced one by one.
Changing the back 3 plugs requires removal of the intake manifold. Those 3 cylinders are under the intake manifold and cannot be accessed just from removing the wiper assembly. I wish it could be done. It would make the repair easier and quicker. Thanks for the question. I hope this helps. Good luck on your repair! Please comment back if you have any more questions.
Good stuff kid I was thinking of buying a Highlander. First things to look at before buying anything used is Fluid changes Spark plugs This would cost a small fortune to have the dealer change these. Other than spending I guess 4 hours you got it done Great.. How does the Highlander run otherwise?
Thanks. You should for sure buy a Highlander. Absolutely one of the best vehicles ever made. Our highlanders is 12 years old and has 110k miles on it. I drive a brand new Dodge Ram that has 10K miles on it for work and the highlander runs way better. There is no comparison. Good luck finding a vehicle.
The #1 TOOL for this job is 12 millimeter RACHET WRENCH. For the bolt on the left side that everyone cant get to. Next time it should take me 2.5 hrs vs 5 hrs my first time😰 last week.
Amen to that. A short time ago I had Cylinder 1 miss fire on me. I had to do the whole job again. I was way easier the 2nd time. I for sure cut the repair time in half. Good work. Thanks for commenting.
How long did it take to replace the spark plugs? I have a 2011 Highlander Hybrid, but used to have a 2010 Corolla, which was easy peasy to change plugs in. This one, however, I have no idea if plugs have ever been changed as it is a new vehicle for us, so I am considering changing plugs. I am a bit intimidated by the plug change process, though! I have never gone that deep into a car without some help. A bit nervous to say the least
Thanks for the question. I had never done this repair before so it took me 6 hours or so. That is probably at least 2x the amount of time it would take an experienced mechanic or someone who has done this repair before. Basically 2 evenings after work. I will say that there is not much guess work on this repair. I think almost anybody can do this. If you don't feel confident doing it on your own, grab a buddy to help you. That's what friends are for. 2 head are usually better than one. Also, be patient. Don't feel like you have to rush through it. Bigger jobs like this one are a lot about the journey and the process. Also, the sense of accomplishment at the end of the job is amazing. Reach out if you have anymore questions. You can do it! By the way, Go watch my video on replacing my evap core. That job was daunting.
@@BuildItSimple thank you so much for your reply. I dont have any friends to help, but have a boyfriend, son, and daughter that can help. I am a little short, though, and worried about the arm reach in the back and if I can reach it. Yes, I am a car chick. Been working on my own cars as long as I can do it. So, I want to tackle this one day. I will check the front plugs first to see what shape they are in before proceeding with purchasing plugs and going forth. We only have this one vehicle, though, so that is definitely a concern before we start. Appreciate your videos!
@@cjnorton That's fantastic. Maybe your repair can be a family affair? I don't think you will have much trouble reaching the bolt in the back. It's really not as far back as it may see. Also, once the wiper assembly is removed it is much easier to reach. Great Idea on starting the front plugs. They are easy to reach and will give you a good indication of the status of the back plugs. Good luck and come back and leave an update once you do your repair.
hind-sight, do you think there was any way to pull and replace those plugs if you had not removed the intake manifold? I've seen people fight over the top of it to get that hard to reach bolt on the bracket but do you think it would have been ridiculous to try without removing the intake?
Wow - Thanks for this video! This looks super hard to do, so let me ask this: IF I am getting no misfire codes (or any other codes for that matter), should I skip this? To be honest, I am the second owner of the same 2010 model here that has 137,000 miles on it -- no clue if plugs have ever been replaced. What is your opinion? I'm an retired older guy, but very mechanically inclined. I hate the part about the likelyhood of those coil clips breaking...Grrrr.
Whenever I purchase a new to me used vehicle there are some basic things I always do. I do these things because it ensures to me that they are done and the vehicle will run the best as possible. One of those things is changing the spark plugs. If you do not know if the plugs have ever been changed, I would change them. Good luck!
@@BuildItSimple Well, I'll go ahead and order those clips, and proceed after recieveing them. (If I don't have them, they will break; if I do have them, I won't need them. 🙂)
Aerial Lens, you can pretty much guess that plugs have never been changed on a vehicle. Car may still run but not very good performance or gas mileage. More cranking on start ups etc
@@tubetime39 I truly miss the days when lawn mowers and cars had a lot in common: Super Easy to work on. Obviously, cars have come a long way AND the old saying, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it," is losing a lot of traction with today's vehicles. BUT there are so many ways to screw this up. I will set aside a day to do this soon (NO WAY I would trust a dealer to do it, as they would surely mess something up -- call me a skeptic, but dealers do have a well deserved reputaion for that).
I bought 2008 toyota highlander hybrid 222000 miles on it. He said he had replaced coils and spark plugs recently but there is po300 code. What could have triggered that po300 code,any idea? So I could try to diagnose the problem.
I am not sure. I am no pro, but I would probably have to see the vehicle to fully diagnose the issue. If you figure out what is going on, please come back to update.
It took me about 4 hours with the few problems I ran into. I also did half in 1 evening and the second half the next evening. Good luck with your repair.
I would have done the job without removing the wiper assembly if it was possible. The space is just too tight without removal. Also, The wiper assembly is not very difficult to take apart, so that wasn’t a big deal. Good Luck!
To film the whole job and do the 2 bulb replacement it took about 35 min. I would say that if you weren’t moving lights or filming you can do it in half the time. So expect about 15 min to replace both lights.
I did not have to replace any gaskets. There is a rubber gasket that fits between the bulb and the housing. That is reusable. I hope this info helps. Good luck with your replacement.
Awesome video again! I will be combing this with the evaporator job, two birds one long ass effort! lol Check out this video, really good video as well NAME: How to change spark plugs on V6 Toyota and Lexus 2GR-FE 3.5L engine by The Car Care Nut Let me know what you think about it Thank you
Well you are a MECHANIC, i like when you say that, if i can do it, you can do it, so therefore i will try do it on my. Own car, MECHANICS these days are very THIEVES, 90% of MECHANIC ARE a THIEVES.
Sure it does. I am not sure why it's exactly like this. However, I wouldn't trade it for the reliably of this vehicle all around. Thanks for the comment.
