Spark Plug Replacement - 2022 Lexus ES 350 - 3.5L V6 2GR FKS

[GoOil97]

Hi all! I do a lot of hwy driving for work and bought my '22 Lexus ES 350 F-Sport (in beautiful ultrasonic blue mica 2.0) new on July 8/22. I currently have 108672kms (67920miles) on it. I just changed out the spark plugs with OEM plugs from the dealer (Denso FK20HBR8) as with shipping Rock Auto wasn't much cheaper to Alberta, Canada, and I am nervous about buying these from amazon or ebay. I also changed out the intake plenum (air surge) gasket and throttle body gasket and cleaned the throttle body.

Here are some pics of the plugs I took out with a comparison of a new one.

I'm no plug expert, but the originals still looked good! Maybe someone here could chime in. Lexus/Toyota recommend a 95,000km (60,000miles) change interval, yes even here in Canada! Its interesting that when i called around to various Toyota and Lexus dealers near where I live, I received mixed information from their service & parts depts. Some thought they were good for 160k kms, others 200k kms, but when they double checked for the newer 2GR FKS engine, they said it is recommended at 95,000kms.

The spark plugs ($31/each), plenum gasket ($50) & throttle body gasket ($13) cost be just under $300 CAD with a small discount from the dealership parts dept. Yes, expensive, but I am very happy its done and enjoyed a nice cold Guinness in my backyard after the fact! Took me about 2 hours with the "The Car Care Nut" youtube video playing on my laptop on a small plastic table I setup beside the car. The one tool I wish I had was an electric rachet, but I do have an electric impact driver, so that made removing some bolts and nuts a bit easier. Would like to get a good electric rachet someday, but can't justify the cost for something I don't think I would use very often.

For information, I do Pennzoil Plat 0w20 (5.4L approx) + OEM filter changes every 10,000kms (6250miles). I also recently did a ATF drain & fill and level check using a temp gun with the car as level as i could get it on jack stands. I used OEM Lexus/Toyota WS fluid from the dealer (about $10 CAD/L, or roughly $7.3 USD/L).

I love this car and hope to keep it to 400,000kms!

 

[LazyDog]

Harbor freight as some nice battery ratchets, at some point do the PCV system. Very forgotten by most folks beside cabin filter

 

[benjamming]

I also recently did a ATF drain & fill and level check using a temp gun with the car as level as i could get it on jack stands. I used OEM Lexus/Toyota WS fluid from the dealer (about $10 CAD/L, or roughly $7.3 USD/L).

I love this car and hope to keep it to 400,000kms!

Car Care Nut has a video on how to check the transmission fluid level correctly without the factory scan tool. It's fairly straightforward. I agree with him that the temp gun method is too prone to error for my liking.

 

[GoOil97]

Harbor freight as some nice battery ratchets, at some point do the PCV system. Very forgotten by most folks beside cabin filter

Thx for the tips! I do change the cabin air filter and air filter semi-regularly, but haven't touched the PCV Valve. Would you recommend just a cleaning (soaking in brake clean or carb cleaner) or replacing?

 

[slacktide_bitog]

They look good

 

[dubber09]

Old plugs look very good, a bit surprised to see 'crush washer' not flattened more thou, wondering if they were torqued to spec at the factory.

 

[paulo57509]

FWIW, the 60k mile spark plug replacement schedule is a requirement of the emissions warranty rather than based on spark plug wear. See the footnote in the Maintenance Schedule booklet. Once out of emission warranty term (100k miles?), you can leave them in for an extended period of time.

The Highlander has the same engine and the same spark plug change interval (above). The same interval and footnote apply to the Lexus as well.

 

[LazyDog]

Thx for the tips! I do change the cabin air filter and air filter semi-regularly, but haven't touched the PCV Valve. Would you recommend just a cleaning (soaking in brake clean or carb cleaner) or replacing?

I just normally replaced the PCV, never clean them. Consider replacing the hose that it attaches, they get brittle w/ father time.

 

[GoOil97]

Old plugs look very good, a bit surprised to see 'crush washer' not flattened more thou, wondering if they were torqued to spec at the factory.

I was wondering that too. They didn’t seem very tight at all to be honest.

I torqued them to 13 ft lbs if I remember correctly (whatever was in “The Care Care Nut” video). For the plugs in the back, I didn’t even both to disconnect the electrical connector from the coils, they lifted out and are easily bendable to access those plugs. I found in some of the videos and forums, some folks spent quite a bit of time and frustration trying to disconnect those connectors. Then I watched another video where the gentleman said there is enough slack in the wires and enough room to just pull the coils and remove the plugs.

 

[nthach]

FWIW, the 60k mile spark plug replacement schedule is a requirement of the emissions warranty rather than based on spark plug wear. See the footnote in the Maintenance Schedule booklet. Once out of emission warranty term (100k miles?), you can leave them in for an extended period of time.

View attachment 226794

The Highlander has the same engine and the same spark plug change interval (above). The same interval and footnote apply to the Lexus as well.

Supposedly, the 2GR-FSE/FXS/FKS is hard on plugs - normally an iridium-tipped plug can easily go 100K and then some. Toyota went back to 100K replacement on the A25A/M20A, not sure about the V35A/T24A/M15A TGDI engines. All use the same D4-S port/direct injection system.

I’ll say this, due to the cooled EGR setup on the 2GR-FXS, it’s a pain in the butt to get to the back 3 plugs. You need to unbolt and disconnect the EGR system. The ones I’ve removed were all good shape but better change plugs early than need a new cat due to misfires.