Stupid law student on summer break needs to do some car and truck repairs...

 I want to change the sparkplugs on my wife's 96 Toyota Camry (4-banger), and my 93 Suburban (350).
 
 Two questions: 1) what kind of wires/plugs/other crap do I need to buy, and 2)how do I go about changing them, gapping them, indexing them, etc.???

Anyone have a "sparkplug FAQ" that they can point me to?

I thought this was a question about Lemmy.z

I have been real happy with the Bosch Platinum +4, the plug with the four electrodes, in my 350 C.I. V8, short 2 cylinders..... a 4.3 liter V6.

They have a 100,000 mile warranty and are factory gapped.  It is a PITA to change plugs on a S10 truck with the big motor and I didn't want to do it again.  I noticed an increase in pep and throttle response in my truck.  

The only down side is cost 7-8 dollars a plug.  Of course as with anything, and no pun intended YMMV.  

You aren't working on the space shuttle, so you won't need any "special" advice. I'd just suggest using what the original manufacturer specified in the first place, and I'd stay away from any new-fangled wonder plugs. Indexing isn't necessary on an ordinary street engine, and most plugs are gapped pretty close right out of the box... I'd just double-check to be sure.

From past experience, I've seen problems with everyday performance arise merely because the car owner decided to "improve" his car by installing what he PERCEIVED to be better plugs, or, worse yet, what his friend recommended. Like I said before, stick with OEM specs unless you are running a higher compression ratio (colder plugs) or if you need rings (hotter plugs to burn off the fouling!).

MANY times (I used to work as a Ford mechanic) I have seen Fords come in running rough, and not finding anything wrong except for a new set of Champion plugs, I'd replace the plugs with the "proper" Motorcraft part. That was the answer, MANY times. For some reason Fords don't seem to like Champion plugs, although I'm sure Champion makes a fine product. I'm not selling Motorcraft or Ford here, I'm just trying to support my opinion that each manufacturer has already decided which plugs work best in their engines, and I feel that it's normally best to adhere to these specs. Bosch does make great premium plugs, and you should be ok with these, especially for your import, as long as the vendor properly matches them to your vehicle. I would be inclined to go with the AC/Delco for the Chevy.

FITTER out

I forgot that these plugs are advertised for use with stock engines only/no modifications.

AC Delco in the GM product and Nippondenso in the Toyota. Be advised that the 4 and 6 cyl in the Toyota are equipped with "platinum" plugs from the factory. If you find dual electrode plugs in the Toyota, put duals back in. Don't
Fart with aftermarket parts for the Toyota, go to dealer and purchase.

I've used Autolite plugs for about 20 years now in a variety of vehicles, Jeeps to Toyota 4x4 trucks to full size Dodge Ram 4x4s.

Buy a plug gapper at the arts store for $2 & you're good to go. Do only one plug at a time as the others suggested.

I also strongly recommend buying a spark plug boot puller tool. Looks kinda like a pair of pliers that've been flattened. Plug boots dry rot QUICKLY from being around the exhaust manifold & the boot pliers keep them from coming apart.

1-3-4-2

You will need either a plug gapper or a set of feeler gauges.

On a lot of vehicles you will see the spark plug info (the type and gap) on the firewall or some other location under the hood.

Stock type plugs are fine and the platinum plugs are even better, just don't go for the junk plugs.

SBR7_11 is 100% correct on the Toy, don't mess around with after market stuff, stay stock.  Toyota is damn proud of their parts (just check out their price if you don't believe me).  But it's worth the money to avoid the headach.

Got alot of years working on Toyotas, and I'm not just saying this to get you to spend money.  Please avoid my mistakes 'cause believe me I've paid a dear price in trouble shooting time to be able to give this advice.  Stay stock on the toy!!!!!!!

As far as the Chevy, AC are good, so are Motorcraft, Bosch Platinmum are better, just don't go for cheapies like champions.

Like M4madness said, change one wire at a time, do plugs to cap first, then change the wires on the cap.  Since the Chevy Small Block has the Dist. in the rear of the motor it may not be easy to do this.  You can always use masking tape (easy to write on) and label the wires one at a time, as you change them at the plug, you will need to mark where the # one wire goes on the Dist. and then note where #8 (next on the order) goes and this will get the routing to go in the correct direction (as the direction the rotor spins escapes me at this moment).  Once you know the direction of spin the firing order is 18436572, and cyl. are numbered from front to rear on drivers side 1357, passanger 2468.

The Toy only has 4 cyl. and you should be able to attach the wires on the new cap and plugs with the old cap still on.  If I'm not mistaken the Dist. is in the side of the head on drivers side of car.  The length of wires and position of the cap will make it much easier than the Chevy for doing 1 wire at a time to the new cap, and then popping off the old cap and rotor, and snapping on the new ones with wires in place.

As for gapping you can use a cheap gapper from local parts store, make sure they are tight on the gap. Also, you should not need to loosen the Distributor in either case so no need to re-time the engine.

Good luck!!

Starsil9

Got any other questions you can email me.

I submit that if the boots are dry rotted to the point that they are coming apart, they should be replaced.

                         AMEN!..........[:)]

Sorry it took so long to get back to everyone on this:
Ok,since this is the last set of plugs/wires that either vehicle is likely to receive, I put
Bosch wires and Bosch +4 platinum's on both vehicles.  With the proper tools and equipment, this whole project took me about 5 hours.  

 Glad I did it too- the plugs from both vehicles had worn electrodes (especially the Suburban), so it was time for a change.  

Now, both vehicles are more peppy, run smoother, and consume less gas- success!