Lexus 60000 spark plug change interval
Hello from Australia,
I recently bought a 2012 Lexus is250 with 50000 miles. The car runs like a dream, it's been very well maintained.
According to the Lexus service schedule the spark plugs are due to be changed at 60000 miles and to change the plugs I must remove the intake manifold. Do you think I should change them at 60000 or wait longer given they are Iridium plugs.
Also given its so labour intensive to change the plugs should I change the coil packs too while I have the intake off ?
Thanks big fan of the channel
Do you think I should change them at 60000 or wait longer given they are Iridium plugs.
Change it per your car user's manual.
should I change the coil packs too while I have the intake off ?
No. If you don't have issues, leave them alone.
Do you think I should change them at 60000 or wait longer
On most cars, you can run it with bad spark plugs - I ran iridium TT plugs rated for 100k and after 60k already had fuel smell and a long crank -
even though it was on a regular compression ratio MPi engine.
Realize that with a direct injection very high compression engine the spark plugs do get worn out much faster.
I would not wait and would just replace them, you'll have to do it at some point anyway.
Also use quality spark plugs, DENSO Iridium TT seems to be the best.
(probably IKBH20TT)
should I change the coil packs too while I have the intake off ?
Coils are troublesome on the 4GR engine, but consider they're not cheap at all - what would it cost to replace them now VS what it would cost to replace a coil when it goes out down the line.
This is the link to the LEXUS maintenance schedule for your vehicle. Just scroll down to the 60K miles interval and you will see that replacing the spark plugs is required under the terms of the Emission Control Warranty. Probably this warranty is no longer in effect for your 2012.? This is something you would need to investigate.
https://drivers.lexus.com/lexusdrivers/service/maintenance-schedules
I had a similar situation last year on my Highlander. I bought the iridium spark plugs and coil packs and brought them to the shop since it was too labor intensive for me to do. The mechanic suggested to not change out the coil packs since there was no problem and the spark plugs were just being changed for the recommended schedule (120K for me). I was surprised because it did make sense to replace the coils since the labor included taking them out, and I had the new ones. Anyways, I trusted him and just returned the coil packs. He also told me changing the spark plugs at the recommended schedule would allow the original coils to last longer. So far so good, I guess up to you on the coils, but spark plugs for sure.
Thanks everyone. Great responses and very quick. I'm a long time fan of the channel but it's my first time asking a question.
The practical way I test whether or not spark plugs need replacement is the following: I load the fully warmed-up car to the max (e.g. with relatives) and give it full acceleration on a straight line. If during the acceleration I feel any misfires, or if during / after such acceleration the code scanner shows any misfires, the sparks do need replacement.
The longest spark plugs life I´ve ever seen during the 25+ years of my driving experience were 160 kkm (not miles), but this must have been a very untypical and lucky case, while in most other cases spark plugs hardly reached 60 kkm - regardless if platinum or iridium or else. I would guess that in your case, after 60 thousand miles, chances that your plugs are OK are probably not that high.
As to coil replacement, coils are not consumables, hence should not be replaced without specific reasons to do so, as several respected contributors already mentioned.
You can always put an ohmeter on the plugs to see if the resistance is fairly equal for them all. I usually clean them up on a wire wheel, hit them with an ignition file, re-gap them and use them until the electrode disintegrates. I am CHEAP!
