Sputtering after plug replacement...
 

Hey guys another noob who loves working on cars messed something up again :D lol

I just got done replacing the cylinder head cover bolt gaskets and spark plugs. (lots of oil on plugs) well 5 of the 6 plugs cause one of the new plugs broke on me so i reused one of the old ones until i got back to the auto store to get another. What seems to be happening is misfiring. lots of sputterage going on. Everything before i replaced the plugs sunday ran fine, just wanted to get rid of all the oil buildup and what not. since it was only yesterday i havent had time to go mess with anything, and figured i should get some comments before i did anyways.

So i drove a lil over 100 miles with it this way. Seemed to be running fine at full speed, but during light acceleration i got sputtering. Heavy acceleration wasnt noticeabal either. I dont know if it is the mixture of the old and new plugs or perhaps i may have damaged the wires while taking them off. (for some reason they were really stuck, so i grabed some channel locks to take them out. Dont know if that's bad or not) I have a multimeter, so i believe there is a way to test the current going through or what not, i'll have to read up on that.

I didnt touch distributor or cams or anything so timing shouldnt be off any more than it may have been before the plug replacement. Am def willing to check and correct if suggestions point me there no doubt.. but i'm kinda leaning towards the plugs or wires.

So anyways guys I'll be able to do all the work to fix this(unless it's something really easy) this coming wednesday or thursday any friendly input is appreciated. Thanks in advance

more: at idle while in drive it shakes and sputters kinda bad, but while in neutral it seems to kinda mellow out with little rpm flex...

Did you gap the plugs before you installed them? Did you even check the gap? Spark plug gap for non-turbo's is .043" (1.1mm), turbo's is .031" (.8mm). The Maximum electrode gap for non-turbo's is .051" (1.3mm), turbo's is .039" (1mm).

Why didn't you replace the wires while you were replacing the plugs? Channel locks?!? You most likely damaged them. I'd get a set of MSD or NGK wires.

Are you sure you didn't mix up the plug wires? I'd double check that also.

thanks for the input. wiring is correct for sure, gap i compared to old plugs and matched up perfectly(dont know what happened to my gap checker) so it could be the wires since i had to pinch them pretty hard to get them out... also i will check the gap properly.. i'll buy another gap tool.. i'll let you know how it goes.

Just so you know, comparing plugs to check the gap is not possible. The human eye can not distinguish the difference between .008". Spark plug gap checking tools are .99cents at your favorite parts store.

What kind of plugs did you use? You better not say Autolite, Champion or Bosch platinum +4's.

i used NGK iridium IX. and yeah im going to grab a gap tool at wally for less than a buck, just didnt have one then. could the gap make it sputter that bad? i think they came .044, so assuming that they were to spec with the sale advertisement then that wouldnt be the problem, but im obviously going to check that now that there is a problem, unfortunate that i didnt before. I also just ordered NGK wires earlier today, paid for the two day, so i'll have those soon. the wires were def sparking though. i removed three that i could access with the throttle body on and they were sparking fine.... speaking of throttle body.. does that gasket inbetween it and the intake need RTV gasket sealer goo stuff? or just the gasket?

You can't assume you are getting propper fire from all of the plugs without checking all 6.

I am using denso iridium u grooves. With MSD wires. They are not yet installed.

I think with you not checking the gap and a bad 1 or 2 wires you may get a sputter but if it's wires. You'll feel sluggish. Like you are really having to ride that gas pedal to make it go and or rpm decrease or slop in the rpm's.

Sorry. I probably should have just stayed quiet.

I think you will solve the problem with a gapper and new wires. May be time for a new rotor and dist. cap.

The proper tool name is a feeler gauge and for spark plugs, it's not crucial to gap them (just make sure they have a gap lol). Unless they are for race application then measurements are necessary. And for spark plug wires, I bought a set of the MSD wires and had the exact same problem you did with the misfire, turned out to be the 6th cylinder plug wire was closing onto the plug all the way. To fix it, I just took some long needle nose and clamped the inside together, by the way I HATE MY MSD WIRES. I'm switchin to factory as soon as I get the time. Don't waste your time with aftermarket, stick with Toyota, at least in my opinion, hell if you want the MSD wires you can have em from my car for free.. haha.

also, channel locks ain't a good idea. get spark plug wire removers with nice rubber boots on em.. much better idea.

My MSD wires work fine, and the are far superior to the stock toyota ones as far as resistances are concerned.

My advice is if you can't get spark plug wires off with your bare hands, then its time to put away the wrenches and bring your car to someone that knows what they are doing.

Lmao......

was or was not closing onto the plug all the way? if you clamped them together to resolve the issue, i'll assume you meant was not closing onto plug all the way, and in that case i will def check that as well when i install my NGK wires. Make sure they grasp the plug nice and snug.

As for the RTV gasket goo, do you guys put that on the uppper intake to throttle body?

New wires shouldn't have to be tweeked, by anything more than your hand.

oh yeah they shouldnt... but you heard dudes post up there, he had to tweek his... so it couldnt hurt to check.

ya new wires aren't supposed to have to be tweaked.. thats what I thought and I got the misfire.. for this reason is why I dont like the MSD. yes, it was that the clamps inside the boot weren't fully clamped onto the plug.

RTV... I didn't put any RTV on my throttle body to intake manifold.. I simply purchased a new gasket from Toyota and installed that. It works fine.

thanks alot man. Is there some sort of "rule of thumb" for putting RTV where gaskets go, or is it just something you gotta look up in a manual? cause when i took it off it looks like there was some sort of gasket sealer used is why i thought of buying some and using some, but now since i have to take it off again... i'll make sure to go straight gasket... sucks you have to buy those things in a whole set.. :(

a whole set?
 

I just the two throttle body gaskets for each side from Toyota.. like $15. and just use a scraper or flat-head screwdriver to scrape off whatever old gasket might be on there.. also while the throttle body is off, clean off the throttle body plate using some brake cleaner.

i did do the cleaning cause it looked yucky in there, as for the gaskets, i guess i was looking in the wrong spot... well not really, cause i get the entire(upper and lower) intake gasket set for 10.97 at kragen or napa.

Ok so i fixed the problem, i took out all the plugs to check gap and what not, and two of the plugs were broken on the insulator part, once i cleaned out the holes really good, got new plugs, put it all together... it ran really smooth. Me Happy :D... so it probably wasnt the wires... but at least i got new wires now..

Wow, i can tell you're not a mechanic. Yes, genius, it IS crucial to gap plugs. Why do you think the gap specs for every car known to man has the spark gap specs under the hood? It's there for a reason.

You don't ever put silicone on any gasket, except for any gasket that will have coolant run through it. It helps the paper gasket seal better. IE. water pump, thermostat housings, and in most domestics, where the lower intake meets the head.

I did head gaskets on a 2000 Pontiac Montana, after someone misdiagnosed a leaky lower intake gasket. Two mexicans did the lower intake gaskets and used that orange high temp shit on every gasket and o ring from the lower intake all the way up. I was pissed because i had to clean that orange shit off of every gasket and o ring surface. They even put it into the slot for the valve covers. WTF??????????? Silicone is your friend, ONLY, if you use it the right way. The bigger the glob , the better the job, applies in engine gaskets as well as soldering and welding, as well. The bigger the glob IS NOT better. If the repair manual or repair service you are using doesn't specify as to use a thin layer of silicone on a gasket, then don't put it on there.

thank you for that input, i was wondering what the rule of thumb was for that.