Repair 7

Glow plugs are used in vehicles that require diesel fuel to operate. Because glow plugs are exposed to extreme heat they can lose their voltage and become damaged quickly. If your cars glow plugs lose their voltage, you may find that your vehicle no longer starts. Even if the vehicle still starts, you may find that there are other operating issues. While a glow plugs voltage is usually checked by a professional in a garage, it can be done at home with the right equipment.

Instructions

1

Open the car hood and locate the glow plug relay. The glow plug relay is often found on the drivers side of the car behind the headlight. The location of the glow plug relay will depend on the vehicle. Glow plug relays are usually large, black and boxy, with a sticker that resembles a barcode. Several wires are attached to the glow plug relay.

2

Remove the glow plug relay lid and set aside. You will see several connectors and thick wires under the lid. Remove the largest connector by pulling up.

3

Set the multimeter to "ohms" and note the number on the display screen. That number must be subtracted from each glow plug voltage reading to get accurate results.

4

Connect the negative wire on the multimeter to the battery negative. The multimeter should be clearly labeled. Connect the positive wire to the multimeter and then insert the other end into each hole on the glow plug relay connector.

5

Read the meter to determine each glow plugs voltage. Refer to your vehicles user manual for recommended voltage levels.

Replacing the spark plug wires with a new set of high-quality wires on your Toyota Camry can improve the performance and allow the engine to run smoother. New plug wires can increase the fuel economy of the car as well. Regular inspection of the wires for cracks, nicks, tears or burns is the best way to know when the wires need to replaced. Spark plug wire sets are available from Toyota dealers and most auto parts stores.

Instructions

1

Open the hood of your Camry and locate the negative cable on the battery terminal. Remove the retaining bolt from the battery cable end with a wrench. Lift the cable off the battery. Set it aside, making sure it cannot fall back against the terminals while you are working.

2

Locate the spark plug wires on the top of the engine. The wires run from the ignition coil or coil packs to the spark plugs. There are four on the 2.2-liter engine and six on the 3.0-liter engine.

3

Pick one wire. Remove the wire from the coil by pulling the wire off the terminal. Follow the wire to the spark plug. Grasp the wire by the boot on the spark plug end and pull it off the spark plug.

4

Lay the spark plug wire out straight and find the matching wire from the new spark plug wire kit. Place a small amount of dielectric grease in each end of the wire. Install the new wire on the coil and the spark plug. Push the wire onto the terminal and the plug until it snaps in place.

5

Move to the next wire and repeat the process. Continue replacing plug wires until all of them are new. Do not remove more than one wire at a time. Doing so could affect the firing order, in which case the engine will not run correctly.

6

Reattach the negative cable on the negative battery terminal. Tighten the retaining bolt with a wrench. Close the hood and discard the old wires.

Some roads are paved with good intentions, others with broken dreams; still others are paved with broken down cars, formerly driven by people with good intentions. Lubricating spark plug threads is one of those things that seems like a good idea at the time, until you realize all the reasons that you shouldnt do it.

Spark Plug Basics

A spark plug is, in essence, the end and the weakest link in a long circuit. The electrons flowing across the gap from the spark plug tip to the ground strap start at the battery. Electrons flow from the battery, and through the ignition coil where they induce a high-voltage/low-amperage in a metal core. The high-voltage electricity flows through that core and into the plug wire -- or spark plug, if its direct ignition -- where it flows down the plugs central, metal core. From there, the electrons jump the gap in the form of a spark to the ground strap, grounded to the battery via the cylinder head and ground strap.

A Case for Lube

Anti-seize lubricants are usually some mixture of soft metals with high lubricity -- copper and aluminum, typically. They also generally contain some amount of graphite, which acts as a "dry" lubricant and helps to keep bolt threads from sticking to the threads of a bolt hole. Antiseize lubricants do their best work on bolts in high-temperature, mixed-media applications -- steel bolts into aluminum heads, chrome-moly exhaust manifold bolts into iron heads and so on. Anti-seize lubes can go a long way toward the prevention of stuck bolts, stripped threads, stripped bolt heads and broken spark plugs.

Electrical Conductivity

Contrary to popular belief, most anti-seize lubricants are fairly good conductors of electricity -- they just need to get hot to do it. Aluminum and copper are two of the best electrical conductors on Earth, and graphite is a fine conductor as well. But, unlike most materials, this crystalline form of coal has whats called a "negative coefficient of resistance," meaning that it works better when its hot. Very hot -- about 900 degrees Fahrenheit. So your ignition system wont work very well at startup or unless the engine runs consistently at very high temperatures. Thats why its often proscribed for use in aircraft engines, which require regular maintenance and run at high loads for hours at a time.

Galled Threads

Not all antiseize compounds contain graphite; some specialized compounds designed for use with electrical components contain nothing but copper, aluminum, nickel and other conductive elements. But that still does change the fact that antiseize lubricants are still lubricants, and that theyll reduce required torque by about 20 percent. Which means that, when you use an antiseize lube and torque the plugs to the factory setting, youre actually over-torquing by about 20 percent. When dealing with aluminum heads, an extra 20 percent is easily enough to rip the threads right out of your head, thus creating the very problem you were trying to avoid.