On the 2.5L A25A-FKS and the hybrid's A25A-FXS, this is one of the easiest modern four-cylinder plug jobs: pop the cover, four coils out with a 10 mm socket, four plugs out with a 14 mm plug socket. Most people are done in under an hour with hand tools they already own. The plugs are long-life iridium, so you're typically only doing this around 120,000 miles.
The 3.5L 2GR-FKS is a completely different job. The front three plugs are easy; the rear three sit under the intake surge tank, which means draining nothing but removing hoses, brackets and the manifold itself, and buying gaskets before you start. The thing people get wrong on every version is torque — these plugs go into aluminum heads at a low figure, and cranking them down by feel is how threads get pulled.
| Item | Type | |
|---|---|---|
| Socket set, metric 10 mm and 12 mm, 6-point, 3/8 in drive Removes engine cover bolts, ignition coil bolts, and (V6) intake manifold hardware. | Required | shop |
| Ratchet 3/8 in drive, fine tooth Main driver for coil bolts and plug removal. | Required | shop |
| Extensions 3/8 in drive, 3 in and 6 in Reaches down the plug wells and past the cam cover. | Required | shop |
| Swivel / wobble extension 3/8 in drive, 6 in wobble Gets the plug socket square in the well on the rear V6 bank and tight corners of the 2.5L. | Required | shop |
| Spark plug socket 14 mm, magnetic or rubber insert, thin wall, 3/8 in drive Correct hex for the factory Denso/NGK iridium plugs in all XV70 engines; magnet keeps the plug from dropping in the well. | Required | shop |
| Spark plug socket 16 mm (5/8 in), thin wall, 3/8 in drive Backup in case an aftermarket plug with a 16 mm hex was previously installed. | Recommended | shop |
| Torque wrench 3/8 in drive, 5-80 ft-lb range Plugs thread into aluminum heads and coil bolts are low torque — both need a wrench, not feel. | Required | shop |
| Small flat screwdriver or trim tool Plastic pry tool set Releases the coil connector locking tabs and any harness clips without breaking them. | Required | shop |
| Compressed air or vacuum Blow gun or shop vac with narrow nozzle Clears grit from the plug wells before the plugs come out so nothing falls into the cylinder. | Recommended | shop |
| Spark plug gap gauge Wire-loop or coin type Only to verify the new plugs arrived at spec (approx 0.028-0.031 in) — do not bend iridium tips. | Recommended | shop |
| Length of fuel/vacuum hose 3/8 in ID, 10-12 in long Slips over the plug insulator to start new plugs by hand and avoid cross-threading aluminum. | Recommended | shop |
| Torx/hex driver set T25/T30 and 5 mm hex Some engine cover and intake bracket fasteners on the V6 use Torx or hex heads. | Recommended | shop |
| Ratchet and sockets, 1/4 in drive 8 mm and 10 mm Handy for hose clamps and small brackets on the V6 intake removal. | Recommended | shop |
| Pliers, hose clamp Spring hose clamp pliers Releases coolant and PCV hose clamps on the V6 surge tank. | Recommended | shop |
| Spark plugs 2.5L/hybrid: Denso FC20HR-Q8 (or OE equivalent, 4x). 3.5L: Denso FK20HBR8 / SC20HR11-type iridium (6x) — match to your VIN The wear item; use OE-spec iridium for the 120k mile interval. | Parts | shop |
| Intake manifold / surge tank gasket set 3.5L 2GR-FKS only Required if you pull the surge tank to reach the rear bank; old gaskets often tear. | Parts | shop |
| Dielectric grease Silicone dielectric tune-up grease Thin film inside the coil boot so it seals and releases next time. | Consumables | shop |
| Brake/electrical parts cleaner Aerosol, quick-dry Cleans oil or dirt off the cam cover before opening plug wells. | Consumables | shop |
| Shop towels Plug the open holes and keep the work area clean. | Consumables | shop |
| Nitrile gloves Engine is oily and the coil boots leave residue. | Safety | shop |
| Safety glasses Blowing debris out of plug wells throws grit. | Safety | shop |
All XV70 engines use a 14 mm hex iridium plug and 10 mm ignition coil bolts, so the core socket sizes are identical; the 2.5L and hybrid have 4 plugs, the 3.5L has 6. The difference is access: the 3.5L 2GR-FKS rear bank needs the intake surge tank removed (extra 10 mm and 12 mm sockets, hose clamp pliers and a new gasket set), while the four-cylinders need nothing beyond removing the top cover. Bring a 16 mm (5/8 in) plug socket as a backup only if aftermarket plugs may have been fitted previously.
| Spark plug (all XV70 engines, aluminum head) | 13 ft-lb (18 Nm) — verify in the service manual |
| Ignition coil mounting bolt (10 mm head) | 7 ft-lb (10 Nm) — verify in the service manual |
| Engine cover bolts / nuts | Snug only, approx 5-7 ft-lb |
| 3.5L intake surge tank / manifold bolts | verify in the service manual |
The 10 mm coil bolt, 14 mm plug hex and the requirement to remove the surge tank for the 3.5L rear bank are solid for XV70; confirm the exact plug part number against your VIN and confirm the plug and intake manifold torque figures in the Toyota service information before final tightening.
A 14 mm thin-wall magnetic spark plug socket on 3/8 in drive fits the factory iridium plugs in the 2.5L, hybrid and 3.5L. The ignition coil bolts take a 10 mm socket. Keep a 16 mm (5/8 in) plug socket handy only if non-OE plugs might already be installed.
Yes, for the rear bank. The three rear-bank plugs on the 2GR-FKS sit under the intake surge tank, so it has to come off along with hoses and brackets, and you should have new intake gaskets on hand. The front three can be done in minutes.
Toyota's long-life iridium plugs are typically rated for around 120,000 miles on the XV70. Replace earlier if you have misfires, rough idle or ignition-related codes, and always check the maintenance schedule for your exact model year and market.
No to both. OE-spec iridium plugs come pre-gapped (about 0.028-0.031 in) and the fine electrode breaks if you try to adjust it, and Toyota does not specify anti-seize on these plugs — using it can cause you to overtighten in the aluminum head. Just a thin film of dielectric grease inside the coil boot.