I have a 2011 xB and I'm wonder what the gap should be set to for the spark plugs, as well the torque.

I'm looking at torque wrenches and I'm stumped if I should use the in. lb wrench or ft. lb wrench.


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I think your car came with iridium long life plugs. The gap is 0.044, aka 44 thousandths. It's not a good idea to gap iridium because the center electrode is easy to break. Fortunately, pre-gapped plugs from the manufacturer are now very common. Denso and NGK are popular Toyota brands.

Torque is 13 foot pounds or 156 inch pounds. A 5 to 80 foot-pound torque wrench might not be accurate at 13 foot pounds. A 20 to 200 inch-pound wrench might be more appropriate. That said, I wouldn't risk aluminum sparkplug-well threads on a ~$20 wrench. Rather than spend a small fortune on a wrench you won't use often, finger tight plus an eighth or quarter turn should be fine.

Aluminum and steel expand at at different rates. Make sure your engine is COLD before you remove the existing plugs. Any heat risks damaging the well threads. I usually change plugs on an aluminum head in the morning, before the engine is first cranked.

 

I've seen photos of the damage done when a spark plug comes loose, not pretty.

So to ensure a good ground and be able to get the plug out next time I put anti-seize on the threads (motorcycle chain spray works) and tighten the plug until the gasket goes flat, then just a nip more.
To get the plug in and out you need an extension and a deep well socket (not a special spark plug socket??). Then I use a length of 5/16 fuel tube with a small slit at one end that fits over the insulator to fish the plug out of the hole and to put it back in. The hose will even turn the plug in a few threads.

I find the rubber insert in the special plug socket fails after a couple of uses and can get stuck on the end of the plug with it still in the hole. Now what to do?

Use an anti seize on any steel bolt or screw going into an aluminum thread

 

Yeah, anti-seize is good stuff. I use it on brake shims because shim grease is $$$$$$$.

Note to OP - If you use anti-seize AND a torque wrench, it's a good idea to reduce respective torque values by 15 to 25 percent.