Carina E 1.8 Spark Plugs

[tivoli pete]

I need to know what the recommended spark plugs are for this car. The engine is the 7A-FE and according to Halford's in-store selector book, they are NGK BRK6EP-13 although Champion EON-2 is also suggested. I can't seem to get them from any stores.

I'm reluctant to go to Toyota, as they consistently seem to charge a fortune for spares!!

Can anyone let me know what are the best plugs, and where I can get some in the UK??

Thanks,

Tivoli Pete.

[gazza1286]

I get all my spares from Motor Factors - that's where self-employed mechanics go - Check out listings in yellow pages. Take your manual with you and you'll save a fortune;

are you sure you don't want BKR6EP 13?

The 'P' stands for platinum tipped - They will cost about £15 EACH

from your Toyota dealer . I pick a set up for £37 (pricey I'm afraid)

Thats why Halfords don't stock full ranges of Platinum Tipped plugs.

Look for a yellow page ad which carries the NKG or Nippondenso logos.

Remember these plugs have a service life of 63,000 miles!!

You can fit a standard set which will cost much less, but I wouldn't recommend them.

PS you can also pick these up on the net - a serch on google will do it - Japanese Spares UK or something similar

[jamesholden]

I read somewhere that the 7A-FE had to have plugs which can take a higher temperature as the engine burns a bit hotter like the Plantinum ones can which is why cheaper ones don't tend to work very well.

[tivoli pete]

Thanks for the info' about the plugs. The fitted ones are currently Nippon Denso, which I think may even be the originals!! They look very white on the electrodes??

The gap seems to be huge, but then again it is supposed to be 1.3mm. They dont look at all worn though.

I got a set at my local motor factors for about £38 (NGK BKR6EP-13) and now they are fitted, they seem to have made the car a bit more lively, but now it sounds like the engine is pinking a bit when the engine gets hot.

The gaps are correct, so I don't understand why it would cause pinking - I did think that the engine management would sense any knocking or detonation and !Removed! the ignition timing to compensate - is that correct??

Tivoli Pete.

[gazza1286]

I've just read through your other post:

IF what you hear is pinking it is POSSIBLE that the cam-belt problem you may be having are inter-related.

The engine management system for these engines adjusts the spark retardation which used to be carried out by the springs/weights system in the distributor fitted to earlier cars. If the cam shaft is out of sync with the timing belt the EMS will not work as designed.

You should be able to confirm that the belt is fitted correctly without removing all of the pulleys/covers. Everything is usually setup when the engine is at TDC. With only the upper cambelt cover removed and the engine set to TDC there will be alignment marks visible through drill holes in the upper cam-pulley wheels. I would be looking very closely at the rota-arm cam shaft which MIGHT be one tooth out as others have suggested.

If the alightment marks aren't visible you may need to rotate the engine another 360degs back to TDC.

(personally I would be amazed if the cam belt is out by one tooth - only a complete idiot would do this and skipping a tooth after fitting is extremely unlikely - because if it skipped once why has it not skipped again and only a VERY slack belt would allow this)

I've changed at least 5 toyota cambelts and have only had problems once. This was when I set it too tight which gave a high pitched whirring when revving. The cam belts fitted by Toyota do not stretch at all - The new one is always exactly the same as the replacement and the tentioner always is best re-set to its original position. So I would be surprised if this is a problem unless a copy part has been fitted?