Tune up Checklist

[phychotron]

Van has been running sluggish lately and developed an occasional miss. Gas mileage is down to 18, and at one pass down to 15mpg.(fully loaded, roof rack had cargo too) I figured its about time for a tune up. I bought the van about 30,000 miles ago.

What should I make sure to replace while I've got the other side open? I've got plugs, wires, cap and rotor. Fuel filter, air filter, oil and oil filter. What else am I missing?

Also, the rotor they sent me said copper but its clearly not. Should I hold out for a better one? I complained and rockauto just sent me another one. The guy who sold me the van gave me a set of spark plugs because he said if I didn't put the Toyota plugs in then it won't run right.

Cap: STANDARD MOTOR PRODUCTS JH102
Rotor:STANDARD MOTOR PRODUCTS JR95
Wires: STANDARD MOTOR PRODUCTS 7446
Fuel Filter: WIX 33500

How hellbent is everyone on using OEM parts vs aftermarket?

[Flecker]

I'm not hellbent really on using ONLY Toyota parts...

I will say this though, for certain items, YES. As for the normal tune up items, there are a number of avenues to look at. I have been playing with Toyota vehicles for 3 decades, and here is what I have learned.

There are a few manufacturer's of parts I trust with many foreign (specifically Japanese) vehicles. Sometimes, Toyota isn't always the better option for many reasons... be it cost, quality and etc.

Heres the top player's when it comes to most old school toyota's

Toyota (oem obviously)
Denso
Aisin

So for plugs~ I stick with Toyota, denso or ngk only. All of these are designed to work well in the Toyota engines.
Cap and rotor~ I like Toyota, beck arnley and oem (original engine management). At the very least get an original Toyota rotor.
Plug wires~ are denso or Toyota. Quality of the denso's are REALLY good. All of them sized right and comparible to, if not equal/ better than, the Toyota set.
Fuel filter~ you are good with the wix brand. They make quality filters... I also like them for the oil filters AND air filters also... but the Toyota oil filters are actually cheaper right now, so I typically go with them for the last while.

Things like thermostat and t-stat gasket~ can and should be Toyota or Aisin ONLY. Both are the best substitutes for the dependability in your cooling system. Many hard parts like the water pump, oil pump and etc. are better sourced through Aisin (they made and still make parts for Toyota originally, quality is superior to many other makers).

For hoses and belts~ Gates, Goodyear and Continental are supreme choices.

There are a number of parts you may have to source from other places... gaskets being one and some electronics. For gaskets, I typically try to source Toyota's when I can, but Fel Pro (believe it or not, I know some will gripe and disagree) makes a quality gasket! I have found the quality in many cases to be equal to or superior in some cases for things like valve cover gaskets and the like. They are thicker at times and made of a more pliable material... Electronics (like say an internal regulator for an alternator rebuild or a new coil for inside the dizzy) I have had good experiences with "intermotor" products. And of course DENSO is king for electronics if you can find them.

The point is this... when you can source parts from Toyota and it makes sense financially, do it. There are other options however where you don't have to pay the higher price~ AND the quality of some of the aftermarket manufacturer's is actually better in some cases.

That's my .02 cents.

[phychotron]

Any suggestions on how to get this fuel filter off? Somebody tightened the red bolt to the point that I can't get a socket on the blue bolt. To remove the red bolt I'd have to come from the other side but the oil filter is in the way. I tried getting the blue bolt with a wrench but because of the angle I had to get on it with the distributor on the way it just kept slipping. So it looks like maybe was put on when the distributor was off..

9551

[phychotron]

The plugs were noticeably worn NGK's and not the same platinum tip as the Denso's I put in.

Is this normal wear?
#1
9552
#2
9553

#3 is where I started to become concerned. There's a strange plastic cup the plugs sit in, this one had some old and newish oil but no leak from above. its not on the tips of the plug, just around the socket head. i cleaned a lot of gunk out of it but not sure how it got there. No noticeable damage to the cup.
9554
9555
9556
I noticed on 1 and 2 they both spun freely but I didn't try to pull it out, this one sorta came out cause the oil made it stick to the plug.
9557

#4
9558

The caps both looked like they were the same material but the rotor was obviously a better quality than the new one. I cleaned it up with a file and brass brush and tossed it back in.
9559

My last tank fill up I was at 16.8mpg, I'll post my mileage over then next tank or two.

[Flecker]

The nut on the banjo fitting for the fuel filter can be pretty tough to break. I use a 6 point socket and a long handle breaker. May need to pull the distributor to reach it better. Wrenches doubled up would work better on the blue bolt in your pic... better leverage. Like so:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ja7Ax45DGT8

And theres already a thread on the fuel filter HERE:
https://www.toyotavantech.com/forum/showthread.php?756-Changing-the-fuel-filter&highlight=fuel+filter

The plugs look like the have good color (nice and tan) and yah the definitely overstayed their welcome... they were definitely done.

As for oil in the plug tubes, it's a normal occurrence. You will need new tube seals... most the time they come with a new valve cover gasket.

The old rotor is greater quality, ergo replacing with a Toyota brand. At the very least the rotor should be swapped with a Toyota brand. Typically runs around 7 or 8 bux… the cap is ok with a beck arnley or wagner.

[phychotron]

The banjo bolt came right off with a 6 point socket and ratchet. The 12mm on the other side came right off. I think next time I'm in there I'm going to see if I can slide a different socket on the blue bolt. The impact set I was using might have a thicker wall than a regular socket.

Water pump is next, it's been hissing. Should I do the fan clutch as well?

[Flecker]

The banjo bolt came right off with a 6 point socket and ratchet. The 12mm on the other side came right off. I think next time I'm in there I'm going to see if I can slide a different socket on the blue bolt. The impact set I was using might have a thicker wall than a regular socket.

Water pump is next, it's been hissing. Should I do the fan clutch as well?

If it's bad... do a search for how to test it. It's been covered.

[phychotron]

right, spin it. But should I replace it by default like rock auto says?

[Flecker]

right, spin it. But should I replace it by default like rock auto says?


Will only help your cooling system to get better air flow. Aisin only on the one too fct-037 I think is the standard.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008EEYKZA/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Flecker]

right, spin it. But should I replace it by default like rock auto says?

Also, rock auto wants to sell you stuff.... of course they are going to say replace it. Do a bunch of research HERE in this forum to find the best troubleshooting and so on for our vans. Pretty good resource once ya get the search feature down... it's a bit different, but it can work.

Alternatively google "WHATever the van topic" is, followed by "toyotavantech.com" works really well.

In the search bar on google type in "fan clutch toyotavantech.com" and BAM. Lots of results