LtLeary

I am a bit late on the 105,000 Mile schedule but was going to change plugs and inspect the lot. Can't seem to find any plugs for the 7th Gen at any brick and mortar around me (Napa, Autozone, Advanced Auto)

Has anyone done their maintenance yet or replaced their plugs just because?
If so, where did you find them? I know the owner's manual states these are FXE22HR1 iridiums but even on-line only a few places seem to have them.

Please, if you just did an search and did not purchase, do not respond. Looking for bona-fide locations that our peeps have used.

GEAR_HEAD

Courtesy Nissan has them online, they are expensive. I have ordered other things from them and didn't have any problems.

http://www.courtesyparts.com/22401-p...300_8456_9410&

bk2k3max

I have a set of Pulstar Pulse Plugs but have yet to install them because I was waiting to hit the 60K mark then do it, my basis for this is based not on the engine but on the CVT's 120K warranty longevity (not that one thing has much to do withe the other as far as changes plugs) but I just figured it based on the half-life concept.

I'll let you know what the results are when I hit 60K and install but when I read up on the plugs they seem to fit exactly what I was looking for.

gizzsdad

I DID NOT buy them, but rockauto.com has them for about $11/ea.

Ghozt

Those Pulstar Pulse spark plugs don't get the best ratings...I've had a few people tell me to stay away as they don't provide any difference in MPG or performance and sometimes are even worse quality.

gizzsdad

http://www.google.com/search?q=Denso...&aq=f&oq=&aq=f

bk2k3max

Well I've never heard or seen anything bad about them at all, in fact, I spoke with a few guys who race here and swear by their performance. Oh well, I guess i'll have to see for myself since I bought them and do not plan to return them.

LtLeary

Well I guess the race is on as you are the only one to have bought any....I'll stop by my local dealer and qet the oem iridium densos and put them in this weekend ( hey, I have friday off and the bride is out of town so I can putter as long as I want!) Of course, I would be very interested to hear houw your Pulstars work as well.

By the way, where did you pick them up?

LtLeary

Well started to put in a new set of Densos but while the front bank looks pretty straight forward...looks like the intake manifold needs to be removed to get to the back bank. for those of you who've removed the intake manifold...any special hints? New gaskets required (or are there any?)

MONTE 01&97 SE

iTrader: (1)

If its anything like the 5.5 gen though 6.5 gen which I'm 99% sure, the manifold will need to be removed to get to the rears and it would be good to replace the gaskets but not absolutely necessary if they are in good shape. Some replace them some don't...., also just FYI'n you this is a couple hrs thing to do on the 3.5!

rtitan

iTrader: (1)

They only have one set listed atm:
http://www.sparkplugs.com/results_ap...1&AAIA=1442667

LtLeary

That is what I was thinking once I took the cover off and saw the complexity. Well, my bride is off to another marathon so I will have the entire weekend to cuss and putter around with it!! Just to be safe, will stop by the parts dept at the dealer and get a new intake manifold gasket. Would hate to get halfway thru and find out I nicked it and be without my max until Monday!!! Oh for the good ol' days when all you had to do was stick a socket on a wrench and crank away!!!

Dubl-A

Some things are easier to pay for.... I just replaced the manifold on my jeep and wouldnt want to do this on my Max

MONTE 01&97 SE

iTrader: (1)

Yeah, that was my thinking when I did it to get a spare gasket which I did. I had alot of time on my hand that weekend as well, when I went into I was thinking oh I can get this done faster than that.......Boy was I wrong . Thats truth about the old wrench and socket on old cars, now they make some of these engines with all of these covers look intimadating.......To the every day Joe that is, he is thinking man I'm not touching that.......lol.

MONTE 01&97 SE

iTrader: (1)

Do you know how much they charge you to do this at the dealer for 3.5's, this is what I was quoted. 2.5 to 3 hours labor plus parts it would be 402 greenbacks + tax.....

LtLeary

Well, it took me a little less than 4 hours..including an hour to find a 14mm Spark Plug socket (found it in a set at Pep Boys) and borrowing a neighborhood 4 year old to remove one of the clamps behind the manifold. Funny thing, 120,000 miles and I really couldn't tell much difference in the plugs. Only replaced one vacuum line that I mangled pulling the Intake Manifold off.

For a guy that doesn't get to get his paws dirty anymore, it sure felt good to get out and cuss, sweat, bleed and cuss some more.

maxud

Good job! Any pointers you can post for the rest of us?
I am only at 34k, so this specific job will not be done for a few years, but always nice to have confidence that its doable.
Did you end up using the new manifold gasket?
thanks
Max

twenty__eggs

My plugs are really dirty and old.

MONTE 01&97 SE

iTrader: (1)

Lol,lol...glad that you got it done and you can say that you did it... Saved you a few hundred bucks for a couple hrs of your time, not a bad tradeoff if you ask me!

LtLeary

Didn't use the new gasket...I guess I'll save that for next time.

Tips:
1. Tools, Tools, Tools. Make sure you get extension bars that have positive disconnects (ones you must push a button to release the socket.) The friction or spring loaded ball types will not always come out of the spark plug well and then you will have to fish a lot to get the socket out. I have a set of Craftsman that are outstanding with this feature.

2. Make sure you have a 14mm spark plug socket. My smallest spark plug socket was 5/8 and that will not work on the stock Densos.

3. Get a good pair of bent nose needle nose pliers. The hardest part for me was releasing a hose compression fitting where the tabs were facing the firewall.

4. Wear a good pair of mechanics gloves. Although back in the day it was considered "manly" to have scraped knuckles, there are a lot of sharp corners back around the firewall. I'll have a lot of mercurochrome stains for the next few weeks!!!

5. Use a tray to collect your parts and keep them separated. Nissan did a good job of using standard size bolts for the various components but it helps to know that "4 go here, 3 go there, 1 goes there" which is easier for me to keep track of by using a compartmented tray.

6. While not absolutely necessary, I use a bit threadlock anti-seize when I put things back together....makes it easier the next time.

7. If you don't have assembly oil, use a thin coat of Mobil One on the manifold gaskets. When I removed my intake manifold there was still a good bit of assembly oil on the head. I cleaned that up and applied fresh.

8. I always disconnect the battery when I work on the engine. It removes any possible voltage to all the quick connects and gives you an opportunity to service the battery terminals at the same time.

9. Keep an eye on how the "sound generator" is mounted. It isn't shown on AllData.

10. Invest in a good torque wrench. I prefer the newer digital types. Remember that you are dealing with aluminum and it is pretty easy to overtighten.

11. Hoses get brittle..especially when they are subjected to the heat/cool cycles our engines go thru. Plan on cracking at least one when you are removing them and then plan on making a trip to the parts store to get the right size. Remember ID is more important that OD.

Oh, and one more note. I promised my team at work that when we finished with a 1.5 year project I would "bic" my head. If you are doing this work outside, don't bic the day before you attempt this. As I type this, I'm surrounded by a "red glow" from my bowling ball head's sunburn!

Jeramy

HOw many gaskets did you have to replace. I viewed a tutorial on another 3.5 liter Nissan that (i think it was 6th gen) and it showed two gaskets? One gasket for the manifold and one for the rear part of manifold? Is this correct, or is there only one gasket?

assiduous

I had to do this on my '97 to clean the stupid carbon deposits on that EGR pipe underneath. Lets just say it didn't go as planned. wasted entire weekend and cursed so loud that the neighbors protested. I am not doing this again.
My only dilemma if I were to do this now would be do I go to the dealer, or to local mexican shop who can do this whole thing for 100 bucks if I give him the parts. He always does the job but is a little rough on the car .. all plastic covers nearby will be bent or broken, my interior will have plenty of dirty hands and shoes marks..
I want to keep my engine bay neat with all the covers the same way and the dealer is good with these things.

LtLeary

Have to or should. Just the one from the plenum to the manifold in my case.

NCSUpilot

Looking at changing out my plugs. I have a 2009 with 122k miles. I am not even sure if I should bother yet. I don't notice any performance issues...etc. Thoughts?

Also, getting some conflicting info on which are the stock plugs. Some sites show NGK (PLFR4A-11)Laser tipped Iridium, some show Denso (FXE22HR11). Given the choice between the 2, which is better? I have been happy with the stock ones thus far.

NIssan USA Parts and advance auto:
http://tinyurl.com/lpyk5hh

22401 - SPARK PLUG - PLFR4A-11
Part Number: 22401-EW61C
Year range 5/2008 to 8/2009
Quantity per vehicle: 6
Fits vehicle filters:
( ENGINE = 'VQ35DE' )

Courtesy Parts:
http://www.courtesyparts.com/22401-p...ml?cPath=8300&

[22401] SPARK PLUG
Fits this vehicle: Maxima (A35)
DENSO FXE22HR11
2009+

1996blackmax

iTrader: (2)

I would think the Denso's would be fine. I had mine replaced at 58k when they were working on the head gasket on my car. Figured, heck they are already there so I don't have to pay for the labor. I can't remember what they put in though. I'll see if I can find the invoice.

MONTE 01&97 SE

iTrader: (1)

Yeah the Densos are fine, if you want to save 5 to 7bucks a plug and get them for 10 each get them at http://www.rockauto.com/. They tend to ship faster and cheaper as well, use one of these codes and you will get 5% off of your total order 2290438721021812 or 8C37505FB12B55.

DENSO Part # 3442 {#FXE22HR11} Iridium Long-Life One of our most popular parts
[Flag indicates this part fits vehicles sold in the US Market. It does not indicate where the part was made -- manufacturers produce parts in multiple factories worldwide.] [Flag indicates this part fits vehicles sold in the Canadian Market. It does not indicate where the part was made -- manufacturers produce parts in multiple factories worldwide.] Gap .044

Part Image
$10.11

CorollaULEV

I'm sure it's common sense, but I thought I would get by with changing the plugs and NOT the manifold gasket. Do yourself a favor - replace it. I have to take everything back apart and change it now due to a vacuum leak.

I got by with this on my Altima....but not this one.

LtLeary

I just put my second set in at 255k miles. This set I ran at 155k Miles and still looked great. So unless I start seeing some performance or economy delta, I wont change them again until 455k Miles

ThinBlue82

iTrader: (1)

Outstanding, Lt.!!!! 255k and still Rollin!

1996blackmax

iTrader: (2)

Yes, that's good to hear !

maxud

I did the plugs on my Max recently. Used Denso OEM plugs. The old plugs varied in their gap very widely. Overall they looked good, but some had over 2x gap of new plugs. I assumed that the new Denso's were pregapped, mine came as OEM Nissan parts, but with that assumption I still tested the gap and realized that they were not all gapped the same. Whats more puzzling is that the gap numbers from service manual did not match the gap of the plugs.
IIRC, manual specifies 0.044", and I measured between 0.025-0.030". Typically
NGK and Denso plugs are gapped from the factory so I chose not to mess with them at all.
To help the forum, here is a general observation of the process.
1. Remove the engine cover (2x 5mm hex bolts)
2. Front set of plugs is now easily accessible, 10mm bolt holds the coil, 14mm socket for plugs. 14mm plug socket is a new one on me, instead of running to the store to get one in a hurry, I used regular 14mm deep socket with a bit of paper towel stuck between plug and the socket to hold plug in during the install. To remove the plug you can use a regular pen magnet.
3. Rear plugs - they were less of a pita than I expected, but I managed to bungle it up and therefore the reason for my post.
4. Start by removing fresh air intake from the front - 3x 10mm bolts
5. Remove the MAF electric connector, loosen the clamp on the rubber intake tube between throttle and air box, remove top side of the air box, remove one 10mm bolt holding the bottom side of the air box, pull bottom side of the airbox out.
6. Loosen the clamps on the rubber intake tube where it connects to throttle body, sound generator and another side tube. Pull off the rubber intake tube.
7. Remove throttle body - 4x 5mm hex 74lb/inch torque, do not disconnect coolant lines, just shift it aside.
8. Remove 7 10mm bolts on the front of upper intake plenum that are used to hold various vacuum lines on. There are 3 that hold valves (installed vertically), then 2 more that hold the entire rail (these are horizontal) and 2 more on the edges that hold some more brackets on.
9. Remove the rear 10mm bolt that holds the harness to the back of the intake plenum. You gotta go by the feel on this one. As you are facing the engine reach with your left hand over and around the intake (it will be on passenger side).
10. Remove two hoses from the back of intake plenum, they have spring clamps (again these will be on the passenger side) back of the plenum, mostly under the cowl.
11. Remove 4 10mm bolts and 2 10mm nuts - torque 8 lbs/ft that hold upper intake plenum to lower intake.
12. At this time you should be able to lift the plenum up and flip it over to the front side of the engine. I remember removing a line from a clip on the driver side to make sure it does not kink. AT NO POINT IN TIME DO YOU NEED TO REMOVE VACUUM lines from the valves going to left and right of the plenum. DO NOT TOUCH THEM. Looking at them, for whatever reason I thought I may have to remove them, so I tried to do it and snapped a plastic nipple on one of the valves. Nissan does not sell those valves separately, and you have to buy the entire upper intake plenum!
13. After you lift the plenum and flip it over, you can access the rear 3 plugs.
14. In total there are two gaskets that need to be replaced. Upper plenum and throttle body. Mine were in good shape, and I left them be. These gaskets are 3d rubber type and not flat paper type, so you will not destroy them during disassembly. I did not plan the job well in advance, otherwise, I would probably have replaced those two gaskets. I covered all engine openings while working on rear plugs and suggest you do as well.
15. Additionally I cleaned my throttle body during the job. It was pretty clean and just a slight layer of carbon behind the butterfly. I used carb cleaner sprayed on paper towel to wipe it clean. I did not disconnect the electrical connector/nor battery. The manual describes the need to do idle relearn. I did not have an idle issue after starting the car, so did not bother with relearn.
16. reassembly is reverse of removal. Make sure that you dont trap the vacuum lines under the plenum during reinstall.

Churchill729

Thanks for the write-up! How long did it take you, start to finish?

maxud

I spent some time doing things that needed not to be done, looking up specs, looking for the piece that I broke. I would say, plan between 2-4 hours depending on your skill level. First time is always harder, no matter what car I work on. I could easily do it in half the time next time. That said, I probably spent 3.5-4 hours all together. Should be doable in less than 2 hours.

DCLawyer68

I've had my Nissan Maxima since 2009. About 52,000 miles. Have not replaced them yet.

seesole

I replaced mine at 170K, and I do not feel any difference, the old plugs actually did not look that bad! Took me about 2 hours to do the job, I could probably do it again in about 30-45 minutes now that I know! I did not remove the coolant hoses from the throttle body, that saved me a big mess and time, I just had my wife hold the manifold out of the way to get to the back corner, no issues. That was a great tip I read!

NCSUpilot

I'm in the process of replacing mine. Thanks to all the input from the forum...it saved a lot of time and heartache. I *could* have been done in 2 hours...but ran into 2 snags.

1) The Throttle body bolt heads stripped out. I could only get 1 bolt out and the others were not budging and somehow the heads stripped. I thought the bolt was turning but it wasn't. I thought I was dead in the water. However, I just put the one bolt back on and was able to continue by disconnecting the 2 coolant lines to the throttle body. It barely dripped coolant out.

2) I got the wrong manifold gasket. I had everything ready to go and as soon as I got into it I realized I had ordered the wrong one. I needed the intake plenum gasket (about 11$ from O'reileys). SO right now im just waiting to put everything back together. I probably could have used the old one, but figured why not change it out while I have everything apart.

I am at 145k and the plugs look really good and the gaps were all consistent, I am sure I could have gone a lot longer. But at least it's done and I don't have to worry about it.

I was really worried about this job and almost decided not to do it (shop wanted $250 just for labor). But if you prep right and follow all the good directions on this forum, you can tackle it.

A good trick to get the hoses off is to push them with a screwdriver (carefully of course), instead of pulling them. Just take your time and be careful and you shouldn't have any issues.

Les7311

thanks for the write up. I planning the spark plug surgery soon.

Les7311

Surgery performed today.

Easier than the 05 maxima. Complete under 2.5 hours. eBay has OEM plugs for $45. Gasket from advance auto for $13. 14mm long neck socket for $4.

Beat the stealership price - go figure. Priceless

Les7311

Update.
Changed plugs at 102k miles. Gas mileage on a full tank before was averaging about 420 miles.

Now (after replacing plugs) am averaging 480 miles on a full tank - and considering gas stations now using the winter grade.

mjhuffer

Looking for some advice from the forum. Using the knowledge on this thread, I changed my plugs without changing the plenum gasket. Torqued everything to spec. Drove for about 2,000 miles with no problems but then the car started to stutter at full stop while in drive. Threw codes P0171 and P0174 with an SES light meaning lean bank 1 and 2 (car was getting too much air so was crashing the engine with fuel to compromise). Replaced the plenum gasket but not the throttle gasket. Torqued everything to spec. Cleared the check engine lights. Still getting some slight stuttering at full stops while in drive but not nearly as bad as before. Been a week and problem isn't getting better or worse and no SES light coming back on. Was going to replace TB gasket but the Fel-Pro 61632 from O'Reillys didn't fit (smaller than OEM). Thinking of ordering an OEM replacement but the original one looks to be in great shape. I'm kind of at a loss for what to do next. I also went through the process of replacing all of the small vacuum lines. I would hate to take it into the dealership but it's looking like I might have to so they can see what is going on. Gas mileage is great and no performance lost. Only thing wrong is the slight stutter at full stop while in drive. Any help would be much appreciated.