Changing Front Struts on 91

[91CamryAWD]

Hi all,

Could somebody give this newbie some tips on changing the front struts on a 91 awd Camry. I've changed my springs/struts/shocks on my 95 Talon AWD, not difficult but took a lot of time doing by myself. Is there anything on this Camry I should be worried about or is it pretty straight forward.

Thanks in advance!

[Phi]

If you've done it on a Talon, the majority of the job should be the same (removet, compress springs, reinstall) . The only thing "Camry specific" I can think of would be the fact that the struts are most likely "serviceable". Toyota uses replacable strut cartridges as opposed to replacing the entire strut. Essentially, when you remove the strut, you'll find a nut that hold this "cartridge" in the stut housing. Simply remove the old cartridge and replace it with a new one then bolt the entire strut assembly back onto the car. Visualize it like replacing dead batteries on a flash light.
I hope I made sense.

Note: I've never actually seen a Gen2 (19xx-1991) strut taken apart. I'm assuming they are servicable because I've never seen otherwise. Maybe somebody can confirm this.

[91CamryAWD]

Originally Posted by Phi

Toyota uses replacable strut cartridges as opposed to replacing the entire strut. Essentially, when you remove the strut, you'll find a nut that hold this "cartridge" in the stut housing. Simply remove the old cartridge and replace it with a new one then bolt the entire strut assembly back onto the car. Visualize it like replacing dead batteries on a flash light.
I hope I made sense.

Note: I've never actually seen a Gen2 (19xx-1991) strut taken apart. I'm assuming they are servicable because I've never seen otherwise. Maybe somebody can confirm this.

First of all thanks for the reply. So that means I should just purchase the cartridge, and where can I get these cartrideges? I saw on Carparts.com that they were selling the whole strut for $39.95 USD which seems pretty reasonable to me, correct me if I'm wrong?

[88 LE]

Find out if your struts are serviceable or sealed.

Jack up one corner of the car and look at the top of the strut housing where the piston shaft goes in. If its welded shut then your struts are sealed. If you see a big nut that threads into the housing your struts are serviceable.

Sealed struts - KYB GR2

Serviceable struts - Tokico (only come in cartridges for serviceable struts). I think Koni has cartridges to but, you'll have to check up on that.

What struts did you find on carparts.com for $40?

[Phi]

As 88LE mentioned, the most common choices incl.;
KYB- economical (relatively speaking) not too harsh a ride.
Tokico- slightly more expensive with a firmer ride
Koni- force you to live off Mac and Cheese and give you a sore bum

Most guys get their shocks from shox.com. The cartridges are fairly inexpensive. I paid about $110 Cdn which is around $70 US.

[91CamryAWD]

Originally Posted by 88 LE

What struts did you find on carparts.com for $40?

I was "shocked" too when I so the price. They are Monro-Matic Plus. I'm not looking for performance struts/shocks, just replacements for the the OEMs that are still on the car 230,000 kms :o. Here is the link http://www.carparts.com/parts/sample.asp?reflink=0-0-0-0-0&SegmentId=1&parttypeid=27017&vehicle id=51572&catalogid=&partnum=NONE&dc=

Thanks!

[Phi]

If you're looking for a OE/"comfortable" ride, go ahead with the Monroes, but give Shox.com a shout and see what KYBs would run you just for comparison.

[wiccanferret]

I ressurect this dead thread to say "Thank you" to Phi for the info on Shox.com and the struts.