I'm fairly new to automotive maintenance and needed to know what kind of spark plugs would be best for a 2002 Xterra 4WD SC. I went to autozone and picked up Autolite Double Platinum Spark Plugs. Would these be the right choice for my vehicle? Tks!

in my opinion a spark plug is a spark plug i never thought a spark plug improved performance of a vehicle.

i could be wrong wait for other members to chime in.

and welcome to club x =D

welcome to the club....


i use NGK's standard plug.... alot of others use the iridium plugs but i dont see the point....

Use NGK and take back the Autolites....

Use the ones that your manual tells you to use. Spark plugs do make a difference; especially if they're cheap and not the right ones for your rig. Nothing wrong replacing the spark plugs with stock plugs that Nissan recommends. Same goes with wires. Unless, of course, you're racing or trying to squeeze every bit of power out of that truck that's possible to get ;)

Thanks for the info guys, would these be the spark plugs you guys are talking about?

http://www.autozone.com/selectedZip,36549/initialAction,partProductDetail/initialpartType,00033/initialR,486555/initialvehicleId,2740302/shopping/selectZip.htm

Yeah, NGK is the keu. The rest is up to you basically. Plugs such as Bosch are known to foul up quickly. Everyone says NGK, NGK, NGK, so that is why I used them. I first had Bosch Platinum +2 on mine

hey dave i know what you are saying but i have never put in any lower end plugs in any of my rides it has always been ngk ( my dad lives by them ) i was saying i didnt see the point of the iridium or the other types of ngk.... LOL

I hear ya. I was just more trying to say not to buy the cheap ones because they were less expensive than what the dealer or Nissan recommends. NGKs are good plugs, and I've used them in my other rigs when I couldn't find the ones the dealer recommends. My 88 Toyota has them; only because my dealership refuses to stock the ones made by Denso that Toyota recommends.

i had bosch and after 30,000 miles i got a miss fire then i got NGK and it fixed it the NGK cost me $13 a piece but worth it

yes i have to agree they are worth it...

I'll go with the NGK, thanks for the help on the spark plugs guys. I have a quick question though, for someone who is a novice at auto repair, is it difficult to change all of the spark plugs in the Xterra?

Haha, Change 1-5, drink a six pack then get six.

the number 6 in the back is a bitch :usuck:

I've heard, I may end up taking it to a shop and have them just change one then or just leave it in lol

i did it ones and then the second time i had big O do number 6 for me lol

If you take it somewhere I'd watch the guys as they do the hard plug just to make sure they actually change it, might even learn a trick or two how to do it yourself later.

If you do them yourself just watch that you don't cross thread them when you are putting them back in and be careful when cranking them down that you don't break the insulator by getting the socket/extension torqued to the side.

well why we are on plugs, how often should they be replaced?

It's not fun doing the 6th on. I had a long extension and a chair to stand on to make it easier. But yeah NGK always. I use nothing but NGKs in my jap cars. Iridiums last longer. Coppers tend to have better performance but need to be changed more often.

I work at an autoparts store and we usually say:

autolites - for american cars
ngk - for jap cars
bosch - for euro cars
champion - we don't even recommend them cause the suck.

haha you had a chair to stand on? dude when i changed mine i put a piece of cardboard on the engine and was laying on it, my ribs hurt for a week!

haha next time im gonna rig a cherry picker to have me hover over it.

hahaha that would work or those things they use to pull the engines out, i seriously thought about taking my hood off to do it but i ended up using an old spark plug wire and i got it

the first time i did my spark plugs i had to take the hood off cause i droped the plug.... that day turned into night before i was done... it took me 4hrs doing that one plug.... i was pissed... LOL

I know some of you know this, but maybe this would help him?
http://www.nissanoffroad.net/how_to/plugs/plug.asp


I also found this:
By the way- in your tire changing kit under the back seat is a hollow tube with a geometrical end. That's for taking off the plugs. I prefer using that over my socket set and it's my favorite way of getting plug #6.
*"I" is not me, but the person who wrote it.

and this:
It isn't an easy one to get to as you've already found out!
If you lay on the engine and position your head at the firewall passenger side (foam and fender covers or blanket make this more pleasant), you can actually see part of the spark plug if you shine a bright light in it's direction. I use a 6" 3/8 drive locking extension on a swivel spark plug socket, then once I get that in place I install an additional extension into the first one through the hard lines on the firewall to remove the plug. Starting the plug is by feel using a spark plug starter or very straight vacuum hose to twist it in.
Hope this helps you in your venture, it takes a lot of patience.


It appears this plug is famous.

i have seen that link floating around here about a yr or so ago....

another quick question, since some of the spark plugs are a pain to get to, does it hurt to change the ones you can and wait to take the rest to a shop?

another quick question, since some of the spark plugs are a pain to get to, does it hurt to change the ones you can and wait to take the rest to a shop?

IMHO, use the stock replacement NGKs that the owners manual calls for.

Yes, you can change the easy ones and then have the other ones done by a shop. If I were you, I wouldn't wait too long before having the rest of them changed, though.

In my old '01 2WD, I changed all but #6 (the hard to get at one). After struggling to reach #6, I gave up and brought it to my dad's neighbor (ASE Master Tech), and he changed it for me - and it only cost me a few beers! Totally worth it, in my opinion.

A few beers, heck yeah, I'll end up taking it to a shop though

what are the torque specs on those plugs

18 ft. lbs.

thanks a lot

thanks a lot

No prob!:)

ok, maybe a ignorant question...how often do you guys change these. My 02 has 71000 miles and I know I have not changed them. I have had it since it had 45000 miles. I bought it from a nissan dealer but i doubt they changed them. Its running great, but thought it might be time to change them.

I like the Iridium's myself but then I always go overboard. :)

ok, maybe a ignorant question...how often do you guys change these. My 02 has 71000 miles and I know I have not changed them. I have had it since it had 45000 miles. I bought it from a nissan dealer but i doubt they changed them. Its running great, but thought it might be time to change them.

I did mine at 75k and they still looked new.

so i know this has been asked and i may have over looked it but is there a definite answer as to how often they need to be changed? also has anyone heard anything about Pulse Plugs?

so i know this has been asked and i may have over looked it but is there a definite answer as to how often they need to be changed? also has anyone heard anything about Pulse Plugs?

On the Gen 1 Xterra's (00 - 04) the recommended change is 105k, same as the timing belt IIRC.