Tokico HP struts.... - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

frenum49 · 02-20-2009, 05:59 PM

Okay so I ordered the Tokico HP's for my Gen3 a few days ago. Just got home and had a message on my machine from the seller asking if I had the sealed or cartridge type struts on my Cam. If I am not mistaken the Gen3 is supposed to have the cartridge type, correct?. So I began to search the TN archives for more information and came across a few threads concerning this issue. There was quite a bit of incorrect or, at the least, conflicting information on the topic. So heres the deal. I know many TNers have the blues installed and I need to know what I will need to purchase aside from the struts themselves. I read something about needing spacers and another about needing some bearings. Could someone do us all a favor and write up a reply listing the parts that are needed for the Tokico swap? Thanks in advance.

***ASG14*** · 02-20-2009, 08:24 PM

What year?

solley · 02-20-2009, 08:43 PM

ok man here is the deal, from what i have heard i dont think the gen 3 model has a specific strut type. I have a a 1994 toyota camry v6 le, in the hanes manual, well at least in mine, it says my year and generation has serviceable or non sealed struts...

problem is some camrys have non serviceable (or the housing and strut all in one) and others have serviceable.

to make a long story short, i was in the same situation u are in, but i jumped the gun, i got the serviceable ones, so just the cartridges, and it turns out i need the non-serviceable ones

now i am not an expert at all when it comes to suspension, but this is what i have come up with, in my 2 days of frantically searching.

i was basically told if you can unscrew a piece on top of the housing where the shaft comes out then you have serviceable struts, if you can not unscrew then u have sealed or non-serviceable struts...

hope this helps a little.... and please if anyone see a problem with what i wrote please tell me im in the same situation lol

***ASG14*** · 02-20-2009, 08:48 PM

^ From what I know, the 92-93 is seviceable, the 95-96 is Non-serviceable, and 94 was scattered, lol.

***eyeball96*** · 02-20-2009, 09:08 PM

^^..and he would know!!

solley · 02-21-2009, 12:47 AM

lol well that explains it haha, does anyone have any idea if i can still use my serviceable tokicos i have already purchased or is it pretty much to late?

if i have to spend a couple more hundred to get it to work i think im just gonna go coilover and and sell what i got, even though i dont wanna start all over again lol

abew330 · 02-21-2009, 01:22 AM

mine were sealed...( the OG ones)

94 cam

frenum49 · 02-21-2009, 11:39 AM

Thanks for the info guys. I need to go out and look to be certain but it just snowed 5 inches last night and to be completely honest, I am a bit hung-over and suffering from a bad case of the "I don't wanna's". I will take care of it on Monday. My gen3 is a '93 thus it should have the cartridge type.

N35QU!K · 02-21-2009, 02:14 PM

Here's one I've been meaning to ask for a while...

Whats the difference between serviceable and non-serviceable?

5SlowFE · 02-21-2009, 03:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by N35QU!K

Here's one I've been meaning to ask for a while...

Whats the difference between serviceable and non-serviceable?

The difference is this: The non-serviceable struts are strut ( shock ), spring perch, and brackets all in one. When it fails, you keep your spring and upper mount and throw away the rest.

The serviceable have a big thin nut at the top of the cartridge, iirc around 2 1/2" ( guess, never measured, pipe wrench removes it ), that holds the actual shock absorber cartridge inside. Once you pull the cartridge out, it looks just like an old school shock that you'd find on a truck, except no mounts, just the end of the piston shaft is threaded ( for the upper mount of the strut assy ). When it fails, you keep the strut shell, spring and upper mount, and toss the cartridge.

It's cheaper to replace the cartridges than the whole assy, but they can be a bitch to change if the nut rusts to the threads, or the strut cartridge rusts to the body ( get your slidehammer ). Also, you can't heat them to help remove them, cuz they'll blow up if you make them too hot! I always re-assemble them with grease on the cartridge and anti-sieze on the nut threads to make sure they don't rust.

93XLEcamry · 02-21-2009, 06:54 PM

so if i looked on my mount under the hood...and i see a nut in the middle of the mount that means that mine is serviceable???

i swear someone needs to post some picss.....

pics=100000000000 words

***ASG14*** · 02-21-2009, 06:55 PM

Just go to a mechanic and have it done.

frenum49 · 03-01-2009, 08:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 5SlowFE

I always re-assemble them with grease on the cartridge and anti-sieze on the nut threads to make sure they don't rust.

Tokico recommends that their cartridges are immersed in an oil bath of light oil like 5w30 motor oil. However they warn that the assembly should not be filled to the top of the gland nut but that the tech should fill the tube to within 1.5"-2" of the top. Apparently this acts as a heat transfer medium. They go on further to write that this may not work on some struts.

5SlowFE · 03-01-2009, 09:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frenum49

Tokico recommends that their cartridges are immersed in an oil bath of light oil like 5w30 motor oil. However they warn that the assembly should not be filled to the top of the gland nut but that the tech should fill the tube to within 1.5"-2" of the top. Apparently this acts as a heat transfer medium. They go on further to write that this may not work on some struts.

Good to know. I'll try that next time. Thx.

***Eye8Pussies*** · 03-01-2009, 09:53 AM

here in canada, it seems that it's scattered serviceable / sealed throughout the entire gen3 production line.

whenever ppl ask me about serviceable or sealed, I just tell them to get the sealed replacements- just to be on the safe side, unless they have checked and know how to check for serviceable struts