Spark plug and fuel filter tune up for a 5VZ-FE

Recently I was complaining that having a camper shell on my 2WD 6cyl halfcab Taco has slowed it's acceleration and bogged it down. My friend who also has a 1st gen halfcab Tacoma recommended that I get NGK Iridian spark plugs and a new Toyota fuel filter, and that then I will notice a slight improvement in MPG and performance. What would you recommend?

 

a proper tune up on your engine will help get back some of those lost hp, you might get a little better throttle response, but really a good tune up will give your engine that “like new” feel again.

 

What is in a proper and good tune up?

 

Fresh fluids all over, all new filters, spark plugs, spark plug wires

 

Also clean throttle body as it can accumulate gunk. Clean maf sensor while your at it as well as the iac valve. Maybe seafoam if you still dont see or feel any improvement.

 

I don’t know if iridium plugs will actully help you at all, just regular dual ground NGK’s would probably be best

 

Im not sure either, when i swaped my plugs and wire i just got the ngk kit off ebay, im sure the plugs were the same as my old ones.

 

Also op how many miles are on your truck?

 

My tune up consisted of:

-New plugs (make sure to get dual ground, it says it on the engine if anyone tells you otherwise)
-New wires
-Fuel Filter
-Air filter
-Clean MAF
-Clean throttle body
-Clean IAC
Will take you an hour or two to do everything, just depends how many beer breaks you need


I also ran a few of those Lucas Oil fuel injector cleaners the few fill ups leading up to the tune up. They were buy one get one so I figured why not

 

I usally run a couple tanks of shell premium after so many tanks of the lower end shell, because it has some of that stuff in it to that helps break up the gunk

 

From a master tech - he said spark plugs have changed a lot since back when these were rolling out of the factory with dual ground spark plugs so it may not be as important with the plugs available these days, but like you said there's also nothing gained by going with something that wasn't spec'd out for the engine. Unless you're changing the specs of the engine with a turbo or sc'ing

 

Boosted engines is where iridium comes into play, with the colder spark?

 

100,000

 

Have you done your water pump and timing belt? I think its supposed to be even 90k

 

I bought the truck at 80,000 and put about 25,000 miles on it in a year. Haven’t done anything but oil. Air filter is surprisingly spotless after taking my truck on a 500mi road trip to bishop CA, but I’ll change it. My friend is pressuring me to change my shocks, he did a full king set up on his taco the thing is a 4wd tank. I put an 800lb Harley Davidson in my bed a few months ago and he said it blew my shocks - my shocks are very very stiff when riding I don’t like it, so he recommended bilsteins

 

So other words it’s probably time do change your water pump and timing belt

 

You'd be surprised how much a complete timing belt job, while pricey, can revamp an engine as well

 

TBH I don't know about the iridium part - I'm assuming it wouldn't hurt in terms of longevity, but yeah colder / different spec'd ones than the 5vz's rolled out of the factory with was what I was trying to get at for sure

 

They don't necessarily have to be iridium, they just have to be 'cooler' plugs...IK20 or IK22 is what a supercharged 5VZE calls for IIRC. The 'normal' heat range plugs that our engines use are IK16. There's no reason to go with a cooler plug if you aren't boosted, and it could actually put you at a disadvantage if you do from what I've read.

 

Op check ebay, ive seen a fuel sellers who put kits together with oem toyota parts for like 300 that comes with all you need to do your timing belt and water pump.