3rd & 4th Generation (1992–1996 & 1997–2001)Toyota Camry Discussion for years: 1992-1996 & 1997-2001
Topics of discussion range from fuel economy, safety, modifications, performance all involving America's favorite family car, the Toyota Camry.
i am in need of a few suspension parts and wanted some insight for those who have done it already...
i am looking to buy front struts and coils, controls arms, ball joints, strut mounts, end links... anything i am missing?
on the strut mounts i was looking to "buy" new mounts but came across the issue with the strut mounts having a bearing within it...
looking at a few mounts i see some come with the new bearings and others dont... this is a dumb question but the old strut mount cant be reuse/ rebuilt?
looking at KYB SM5126 and i am wondering if that kit includes the mount? or coil seat? is the kit for one side only? if its the strut mount and bearing only??
the kit SM5173 would need to be purchase with SM5126? as well as SB117?
The strut mount on your car does not have a bearing, the bearing sits at the bottom of the spring under the spring seat. The bearing itself doesn't fail often you can likely reuse them. If you do need a bearing, don't buy a KYB they are terrible. Same goes for the strut mount, go Toyota on this part.
Take a look at the Toyota diagram, the bearing is not shown and not available from a dealer, it comes with the strut. So if you get everything shown as single items in the diagram (plus an aftermarket strut assembly) you will likely be able to re-use what you have including the bearing. Just be very careful when disassembling, the bearing can easily come apart and the balls will go everywhere.
edit - the bearing sits under the bearing seat (on the left) and on the strut, under the rubber boot/protector. KYB sells it as a set. Again, the bearing itself is likely fine, I needed one because a broken coil damaged it, I pulled one out of a Camry that had 200,000+ miles and it moved smoothly and silently, and works perfectly in my car.
edit - the bearing sits under the bearing seat (on the left) and on the strut, under the rubber boot/protector. KYB sells it as a set. Again, the bearing itself is likely fine, I needed one because a broken coil damaged it, I pulled one out of a Camry that had 200,000+ miles and it moved smoothly and silently, and works perfectly in my car.
Thank you for the reply / info.
the the second picture you referenced you mention the bearing sits the under the seat boot/protector pictured left.. and the other seat/boot pictured to the right covers the bearing?
would the above seat/boot be included in the kyb kit SM5126? or in the kit SM5173? wondering if SM5173 includes lower spring seat?
the kyb website does not give much info on whats included just want part number goes for what car...
anybody maybe know of a site to get complete kit for the mount, bearing, and upper and lower boot / seat / protector ???
the the second picture you referenced you mention the bearing sits the under the seat boot/protector pictured left.. and the other seat/boot pictured to the right covers the bearing?
The bearing sits right on top of the strut, on top of that goes the spring seat and the boot. There is also a rubber seal/gasket which is held by screws that goes under the bearing IIRC. The point is, that whole assembly is probably fine, no reason to start replacing it all. The only issue is taking it off the old strut, the bearing likes to stick, so you can end up pulling the bearing apart and having the balls fall on the ground, you just have to be careful.
So going by the diagram, get:
Suspension Upper support aka strut mount (Toyota original)
Upper insulator (Toyota or aftermarket)
Coil spring (if you're lowering, or yours are bad)
Bumper and lower insulator (Toyota or aftermarket)
Shock absorber aka strut assembly (Toyota or aftermarket)
The rest, only replace if they are not usable. When I did mine, I cleaned up and painted the spring seat, cleaned up the rubber, and made sure the bearing was fine. But that is not 100% necessary.
To answer your question, SM5173 is every part that makes up the spring seat/ bottom portion, 4 components. This is what you probably don't need to replace! And if you do, be warned the KYB bearing is poor quality, I know I ordered one and promptly returned it and got one from a wreckers instead, the used one was 1000 times smoother and much higher quality.
Not to say the KYB bearing won't work, but I was not going to put in a new bearing that didn't even move smoothly when new.
The bearing sits right on top of the strut, on top of that goes the spring seat and the boot. There is also a rubber seal/gasket which is held by screws that goes under the bearing IIRC. The point is, that whole assembly is probably fine, no reason to start replacing it all. The only issue is taking it off the old strut, the bearing likes to stick, so you can end up pulling the bearing apart and having the balls fall on the ground, you just have to be careful.
So going by the diagram, get:
Suspension Upper support aka strut mount (Toyota original)
Upper insulator (Toyota or aftermarket)
Coil spring (if you're lowering, or yours are bad)
Bumper and lower insulator (Toyota or aftermarket)
Shock absorber aka strut assembly (Toyota or aftermarket)
The rest, only replace if they are not usable. When I did mine, I cleaned up and painted the spring seat, cleaned up the rubber, and made sure the bearing was fine. But that is not 100% necessary.
reason im asking because my old strut mounts i sure are bad. i hear crap when i turn... the coil seat is gone... etc etc...
i found struts/coils already... looking for mounts and the insulators... as well as the bellows. but i still dont have an idea what brand to go with since kyb mounts are crap and im working with a budget..
How much are you finding the KYB strut mount for? IIRC you can get the Toyota one for about $75 per side.
I've taken quite a lot of struts apart at the wreckers I've yet to find one that had a bad bearing, but your experience may be different. edit - hope this link works
inexpensive but a little to much for my budget since it list everything separate...
i.e. upper seat sells 16 each left or right and lower left or right for 20.. and i would need 2 each for fronts thats what 50-60-70 some odd dollars on just the seats...
What do you consider a spring seat? There is only one, and it can't possibly wear out it's just a piece of steel. Unless the thing is completely rusted through, I can't see it every failing. The upper and lower insulators and the bumper, get those aftermarket they are just rubber. In fact the Toyota units are probably worse because they likely have been in a bag sitting in a warehouse for who knows how long.
The only two parts you must get original on are the strut mount, and the bearing if for some reason it has failed. Everything else aftermarket is fine.
still looking for misc parts... i came across a part listed below but cant find a picture of it
MONROE Part # 906937 Strut-Mate Spring Isolator Front Lower
it says front lower spring isolator and looks like Monroe discontinued the part
sounds stupid but im not 100% sure thats its the lower spring seat.
anybody seen/know if its the lower spring seat?
still looking for misc parts... i came across a part listed below but cant find a picture of it
MONROE Part # 906937 Strut-Mate Spring Isolator Front Lower
it says front lower spring isolator and looks like Monroe discontinued the part
sounds stupid but im not 100% sure thats its the lower spring seat.
anybody seen/know if its the lower spring seat?
Abe - That's the rubber ring that goes between the bottom of the spring and the strut's flange. I just ordered them from Rockauto.com, $12.60 for two. They show a cartoon-ish picture of it in their online catalog. See my thread here:
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