[Jim F]

NGK lists the PZFR5F-11 as OE for the J35A1, the V6 in the 2nd Gen Ody.

Notice that the platinum tip is beefy.

I ran Bosch platinums in my SE-R for 8,000 miles. The electrode was burned down into the ceramic insulator. That was 8K miles of Grandmother-like driving.

I have 40,000 mile on my NGK platinums and they look brand new ... uh, but dirty.

The NGK's held up to everthing from bumper to bumper traffic to drag racing on the weekend.

Expect 100K miles or so out of the original equipment plugs. Depending on how long you own your Ody, you may never have to replace them. If you do have to replace them, I personally would go with the same plug. They may seem expensive compared to the cheaper copper plugs we used in domestic cars in the 70's, but they are worth every penny.

I believe Honda list price is about $15 each. I think I can get them for ~$8.



------------------
Jim
'01 GG EX

 

[longstrangetrip]

Ok, I'll bite, WHERE are you getting them for 8 bucks?

 

[manualman]

A warning to those who intend to try to break the Odyssey mileage record:

A set of spark plugs that has been in and engine untouched for 100,000 miles is going to be practically welded to the aluminum engine head. If you torque hard enough to take them out, they will probably come out WITH the threads from the head (Aluminum is pretty soft stuff).

Maybe they will go beyond 100k. But I will at least take mine out to admire them and reapply anitseize compound to the threads at about 50k miles.

Of course, if you still have to take them out every 50k, why bother with such an expensive plug?

One of the things I liked about the Odyssey is that it appears possible to get at the spark plugs without being a contortionist (or unhooking the engine).

 

[Wes Anderson]

100k plugs

I've had the same concern, and I've heard this point brought up regarding several new vehicles with long life plugs. Now if us non-automotive-engineering-degree-holding shade tree mechanics can realize this, does Honda have enough sense to add anti-seize compond when they install plugs that THEY themslves recommend not changing before 100k miles? I'd certainly like to hear from someone who's pulled a few 100k plugs from a Honda motor...

 

[Jerry O]

NGK lists the PZFR5F-11 as OE for the J35A1, the V6 in the 2nd Gen Ody.

Notice that the platinum tip is beefy.

I ran Bosch platinums in my SE-R for 8,000 miles. The electrode was burned down into the ceramic insulator. That was 8K miles of Grandmother-like driving.

I have 40,000 mile on my NGK platinums and they look brand new ... uh, but dirty.

The NGK's held up to everthing from bumper to bumper traffic to drag racing on the weekend.

Expect 100K miles or so out of the original equipment plugs. Depending on how long you own your Ody, you may never have to replace them. If you do have to replace them, I personally would go with the same plug. They may seem expensive compared to the cheaper copper plugs we used in domestic cars in the 70's, but they are worth every penny.

I believe Honda list price is about $15 each. I think I can get them for ~$8.



------------------
Jim
'01 GG EX

Jim-
Grandmother must have been a tough cookie! That, or you had some very strange combustion going on in that beast. I put Bosch platinum plugs in my daughter's Toyota truck in order to avoid having to remove plugs from some questionable threads and that guy ran perfectly 100K miles later. Go figure!

Jerry O.

 

[longstrangetrip]

Been there, still there...

2000 Odyssey with 52k. Two of the plugs were almost seized but I delicately managed to break them free. They are indeed the above pictured platinum plug and they were anything but "like new". They aren't toast, but the platinum tip had already collected much residuals. But getting these all out without changing my underwear a few times was not my idea of a "trivial job" as changing plugs should be.

CHANGE THEM - DON'T WAIT TILL 100k, or you will not be ABLE to pass go.

At the very least, pull them and put anti-seize on them - contrary to what another person speculated, there was NONE on there from the factory and two of them had partically RUSTED threads.

Of couse, those of you in the Sun belt might not experience the same thing.

 

[longstrangetrip]

BTW: I replaced the factory plugs with Bosch Plat+4's and the engine is MUCH smoother now. I'm very impressed with these. I thought they were snake oil, but I do remember many 2 stroke outboard's using these multi-electrode plugs. Runs smoother than when new - go figure.

 

[rmfuke]

1999 with 63k miles

after reading this thread I just changed the plugs - they came out without a problem (phew) and there was no indication that any anti seize was applied.

Put in autolite platinum plugs and the van runs smoother. Old plugs showed normal wear but the gaps were fine. The only problem I had is I had to go out and buy a 6mm allen wrench to take the screw out that holds the plug connector in the well.

This is a great forum that has helped me in so many ways. Keep up the good work guys.

 

[lelandstanford]

Just replaced 47k old plugs with NGK Iridium.

All 3 rear plugs have rusty threads but wasn't too hard to remove.

They looked like Longstrangetrip's old plugs.

To verify the result, I ask for wife's input on the engine response. She thought I have poured some gas treatment and maybe the injectors just got completely unclogged.

Needless to say, I am happy with $6 plugs. And they are cheaper than OEM platinum replacement.

 

[KCDoug]

A set of spark plugs that has been in and engine untouched for 100,000 miles is going to be practically welded to the aluminum engine head. If you torque hard enough to take them out, they will probably come out WITH the threads from the head (Aluminum is pretty soft stuff).

Yesterday I replaced the original NGK plugs on my wife's '99 Ody that has 109k miles. They looked worn and their gap was out of spec (but by surprisingly little). I had no problem removing them from the cold engine. Naturally I was cautious, but none were stuck. I couldn't find evidence that anti-seize compound had been originally applied either. Since I didn't have a problem removing them, I have to presume they applied something at the factory. I agree that it is refreshing to access all the plugs with minimal contorting! The whole job took about 35 minutes start to finish, but I had a buddy pre-gapping the new plugs and applying the anti-seize compound.

Editorial comment about 109k on original plugs: The Ody never did idle or run rough, and fuel efficiency did not slip all that much (I'm guessing .25 to.5/mpg). With new plugs in I think the acceleration feels a little peppier, but I wouldn't call it a great improvement. My buddy who is a gifted mechanic and body guy says he has not regularly encountered problems with removing properly installed, quality plugs having 50-70k miles on aluminum head motors, and he has not found many of those plugs to be in really bad shape on cars that are reasonably well maintained.

I didn't have time to chase down the OEM NGKs and I wasn't excited about buying from a dealership and they're not located close to me anyway. The couple of chain auto parts places showed the basic NGK & Bosche Platinums in their systems for about $2-3/ea. So I went with the basic NGKs. Do I plan to run these plugs 100k? Heck no, the car will be that much older and the new plugs are not as high quality as the oems. I will probably pull 'em after 30k if the Ody continues to run well, and we keep it that long.

I also finally found the elusive PCV value on the back head. It didn't look so good, so I will be happily replacing it soon.


Hey folks, mine is just another perspective.

-Doug-

 

[williemon]

I plan on pulling mine every 30k or so just to look at them, if not replace them. I dont want to take the chance.

I also have a 90 Toyota 4 Runner I bought used several years ago. I replaced plugs in its V6 at around 60K miles. Guess how many pairs of underwear I went through that day? On the other hand, I also have a 94 Toyota truck with a 4 cylinder. Pulled its plugs at about 60K without a problem. Neither had antisieze on them, but I used antisieze when reinstalling.

Only thing I noticed is that the 4 Runner plugs I pulled were not the Nippon Denso nor the NGK. The truck was Nippon Denso. I replaced with NGK. I pulled them all after 30k more without a problem. Relubed them and reinstalled. I need to replace them again now.

 

[longstrangetrip]

Can't find the PCV on my 2000, care to share exactly where it is?

Thanks.

 

[canadaodyowner]

First remove the intake manifold cover, then the rear ignition coil cover.. you should see the PCV valve connected 'inline' with a hose on each end, near the firewall, on the driver side.

The PCV valve is working well if it makes a clicking sound when you run the engine at idle and gently pinch the hose between the intake manifold and the PCV valve with your fingers or pliers. Just make sure you pad the plier jaws to avoid damaging the hose.

Darn, I worked in that area recently - to Armor-All the cover and lube the spark plug threads. Should have checked the PCV valve too.

 

[cmt4]

I just returned from a 3,000 mile summer trip in the Ody. Prior to going on this trip I decided to change the original plugs (01 with 58K). I did this because on the last trip (identical route/destination) the Ody varied between 19 and 20 mpg. Normally it gets right at 24 mpg on this route (and yes, we've done the trip a "few" times ). Well, on the trip going it averaged right at 24 mpg and the same on the way back. This is with a top carrier, a/c on the whole way, couple hundred pounds of luggage and 450 lbs. of people.

I replaced the plugs with NGK's (OE). The original plugs came right out and looked pretty worn. The whole job was extremely easy and quick. I would not wait until the 100+K interval listed in the manual. The plugs paid for themselves with this one trip (20 mpg vs. 24 mpg average) in gas savings. I'm a fanatic when it comes to maintaining this vehicle... the only thing different on this trip was the new plugs.

 

[ex_MGB]

I'm a DIY'er shade tree mechanic. The biggest challenge is not to mess something up. Changing plugs is a great thing to do. I do not believe most new factory plugs have had anti-sieze applied. I don't believe most factory plugs are properly torqued.

With an aluminum head, my belief is that at 10,000 miles the original plugs should be pulled, gap checked, anti-sieze applied, a dab of di-electric grease and plug torqued with a torque wrench to factory spec. In fact, it's not a bad idea to do this the day you drive it home.

Plugs should be replaced at around 50k miles. Use OEM NGK's. Period. In my '97 Maxima SE I use NGK coppers but I change them every 15K to 20k miles or so. New plugs will pay for themselves in gas mileage.

On a similar note, at 80k miles, for maximum performance, most vehicles need new O2 sensors. I was amazed at the performance increase in my Maxima. A true dedicated DIY'er might pull the O2 sensors at 10k miles and carefully apply anti-freeze (don't get any on the sensor element) to avoid the misery of trying to loosen a rusted solid O2 sensor in an inaccessible location.

 

[Motsyball]

A warning to those who intend to try to break the Odyssey mileage record:

A set of spark plugs that has been in and engine untouched for 100,000 miles is going to be practically welded to the aluminum engine head. If you torque hard enough to take them out, they will probably come out WITH the threads from the head (Aluminum is pretty soft stuff).

I just bought a 2002 Odyssey with 158,000 miles. The guy I bought it from said he never replaced the spark plugs. Now when he bought it at 100,000 miles he immediately had the timing belt replaced and that bill specifically states that the spark plugs did not need to be replaced at that time. Well here we are almost 60,000 later and I don't know if its the original plugs or not. Did the plug removal get better with the 2002 model? Would you go ahead and replace them and if so would you do it or would you have a shop do it? I guess my fear is that they might be the original plugs and could be seized up in the head. Any input is appreciated.

 

[cahaak]

The plugs will likely remove fine. I have 211K on my 2001. Removed first set at 103K and second set at 200K. They all removed fine each time. On the second set I used nickel antisieze. Access and removal of the plugs is quite easy and there are a variety of plugs out there that can be used. I have used Bosch and autolite. I get 25 mpg on the highway with my van. Bad things can happen, but for the most part the plugs remove just fine.

 

[ackack]

You might want to see my post linked here. Whether or not you go with the Denso plugs is of course optional.

http://www.odyclub.com/forums/24-1999-2004-odyssey/154735-denso-spark-plug-job-9-00-a.html