Toyota 4.0L (241 cu in) firing order — diagram & guide

Among Toyota’s sturdy V6 engines, one option that stands out from the bunch is the 4.0-liter engine. While it’s a pretty unique option, the engine lived through generations of different Toyota pickups and SUVs and has proved itself to be reliable.

However, it’s still handy to know the Toyota 4.0L (241 cu in) firing order just in case you need to do some quick servicing or check the spark plugs or coil packs. So, this guide will provide you with the essential details on the engine itself, as well as its firing order and cylinder configuration.

Toyota 4.0L firing order

Just like the other V6 engines of its time, Toyota’s 4.0-liter V6 had a unique distributor setup which made the cylinders fire in a straight sequence. So, the Toyota 4.0L firing order is 1-2-3-4-5-6 which is not something that you’ll commonly see with other similar engines.

Since the spark plug and ignition coil wires aren’t plugged into the distributor regularly, the firing order doesn’t depend on the way in which the wires are connected. So, we get the 1 to 6 sequence which is rare and it’s specific to this engine.

It also means you’ll have a much easier time checking the engine cylinders individually, so let’s get to the next key step – locating the cylinders.

Toyota 4.0L cylinder diagram

The 4.0-liter engine started production back in 2002 and it’s still going strong with the exact same cylinder reconfiguration. This means that it shares the classic Toyota V6 cylinder numbering with cylinders 1, 3, and 5 being on the left side.

Cylinders 2, 4, and 6 are on the opposite side (driver’s side) and it’s pretty easy to figure out the cylinder numbering. The first cylinder will therefore be the front-most cylinder on the passenger’s side, so you can move your way up from there.

Toyota 4.0L vehicle applications

To make things clear, even though the engine was produced in 2002 and is still ongoing with a few upgrades over time, it’s still the same base engine as back in the day.

So, the Toyota 4.0L firing order is the same for all the vehicles and engine generations over the years, and we’ve decided to provide you with a complete list:

• Toyota FJ Cruiser
• Toyota Land Cruiser
• Toyota Tacoma
• Toyota Tundra
• Toyota 4Runner
• Toyota Hilux
• Toyota Fortuner
• Toyota Land Cruiser Prado

The same engine was also used in a few Lexus models including the GX400 from 2002 and all these vehicles have the same firing order that we mentioned.

Our take

Even though the 4.0-liter V6 from Toyota is considered a reliable engine, you can now have the upper hand by knowing the firing order of the engine. You can use it to properly inspect the spark plugs, and ignition coils, and check for signs of misfires to make the engine last longer.

With proper maintenance, the engine should easily last over 300,000 miles with driver reports stating that the engine goes even more than 500,000 miles. So, we hope to have helped with that maintenance at least a tiny bit with this guide.