# Spark plug change, Intake manifold gasket question



## AMB0084 (Mar 26, 2017)

I am getting ready to change out the plugs in a 2007 Frontier XE. Since I have to remove the intake manifold to get to them I obviously need to replace the intake manifold gaskets as well. I am looking at the part and I only see two options; the Fel-Pro and the Mahle. The Mahle which is the OEM part seems to cost 4 times as much as the Fel-Pro (about $20 for the Fel-Pro set verses about $60-90 for the Mahle). The gaskets appear to be nothing more then silicone rings. Why the discrepancy in pricing? Is the Mahle just overpriced or are the Fel-Pros crap? Given the amount of time and work it takes to change these plugs, I don't want to have any issues and I am willing to spend the money if it is really necessary (but $$ being as tight as it is these days, I would rather not). Any thoughts (preferably based on experience) on this?


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## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

Assuming you have the 4.0L-V6, technically, since they are silicone gaskets, you could re-use them if you wanted to, but I would replace them if it was my vehicle. The Fel-pro gaskets will work fine; I have used them personally. As far as the price difference, I can't tell you. Parts pricing is all over the place for a lot of different parts and not always because of a difference in quality. 
NGK calls for #93759 OE Laser Iridiums for you Nissan, which can be hard to find at the local auto parts stores and are expensive. If you want, you can use NGK #6240 Laser Platinums; both have 105,000 miles service intervals and the Laser Platinums are pretty easy to find locally. They are actually the plug Nissan used in 2006-2006 models and I get them for $58/set when I purchase them online at Advance Auto Parts and use discount code "TRT30T." You will not notice any difference in performance or gas mileage between the OE Laser Iridiums and the Laser Platinums. I have 2006 and 2008 Pathfinder V6's and use the 6240's in both of them. 
Another thing is that you don't have to remove the upper intake plenum to change the spark plugs. It's tight and a little tricky, but can be done. Without removing the upper plenum, I can replace a set of plugs in about 40 minutes. Plug #5 and left bank plugs #2 , 4 and 6 are no-brainers. It's plugs #1 and #3 that are the difficult ones because of the plenum being in the way. If you notice, there is a "hole" in the plenum where you can see the #1 coil. The trick here is that when you are removing the coil pack, you need to separate the coil and it's boot and remove each through the hole individually (be careful not to lose the spring). Once the coil pack is out of the way, it isn't hard at all to R&R the plug. When you reinstall the coil, you have to install the boot and spring through the hole in the plenum first and then the upper part of the coil pack. I usually use a little spray silicone on the boot top to make assembly easier. You have to install the boot and spring into the #1 spark plug well partially to have enough room to assemble the coil pack and then you can put the coil pack assembly all the way into the well. 
For #3 , you need to use a mix of 1/4" and 3/8" extensions/universals/reducers to R&R the plug. The coil pack will actually come out in one piece with a little bending of the boot to clear the plenum. It's a tight squeeze, but it does come out. I should have mentioned, I use a 10MM ratcheting combination wrench to remove the 10MM head bolts that bolt down the coils. The wrench will break the bolts loose and unscrew them partially, but the clearance will get tight and you will have to remove the bolts and use your fingers to finish removing the bolts. 
My recommendation is that if you are going to remove the upper plenum, you should consider installing an XTP intake spacer. They really do work well and do improve mid-range power a bit. It also raises the plenum, which makes spark plug replacement in the future easier without pulling off the plenum.

eXtreme Truck Performance ? XTP IMS intake manifold spacers for Nissan, Toyota & Suzuki with 4.0 engines for performance gains! | XTP Bolt-on Torque for your Truck or SUV!


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## AMB0084 (Mar 26, 2017)

I have the 2.5 liter 4 cyl XE so I will have to take the intake off as it completely covers 3 of the plugs. I have seen that you do not have to disconnect all the hoses and wires or remove the MAP sensor but the manifold covers everything and will have to come off. I will be replacing the gaskets and my concern was for the large discrepancy in the price between them. Looking at the part my inclination was to use the cheaper one but I wanted to make sure t here were no horror stories out there. Already have the correct NGK plugs and yes, they were expensive. Hopefully they last another 90,000 miles as I don't want to have to do this again anytime soon.


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## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

Okay...next time specify your engine because there are a lot more V6 Frontiers of that model series than I-4's. Yes, you'll have to remove the upper intake in this case, but I wouldn't worry about going with the Fel-pro gaskets.


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