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.
Just wanted to see if there are a lot of people from Los Angeles or SoCal on here and if any happen to know any good junk yards around here. I need a radiator tank because mine has 2 holes on the top edge of it.
I also just wanted to know if anyone knew any good mechanics around here because I'm going to get my struts down in a couple of weeks.
My '94 Coupe lives in Santa Monica. But my mechanic (who works on Toyotas parked at home) gets new parts and some used from the many yards in Sun Valley. His name is Haroldo. Speaks only Spanish but was trained at a Toyota Dealership. 213-324-8744
My mechanical work is over, so I got paint done at a shop in Gardena, and used wheel center caps from 5-Star used wheels on Alameda Blvd, South L.A. It is obvious that repair places must pay rent, and living on the Westside, we know that everyone has us in their gunsights. Therefore, I head East when it comes to anything auto.
My upholstery (leather) will be done by a shop at the corner of Normandy and El Segundo in Hawthorne.
My '94 Coupe lives in Santa Monica. But my mechanic (who works on Toyotas parked at home) gets new parts and some used from the many yards in Sun Valley. His name is Haroldo. Speaks only .
Yeah, I meant Sun Valley.. either ither, there definitely not the garden spots of L.A.
My mechanic will go to your home and work there and is fantastic at repairs.
...but I am pretty sure he is just in the valley.
Does your mechanic have good pricing or is his pricing only for you. I was wondering because I live in Northridge.
I plan to visit the Sun Valley location sometime next month with one of my friends just to check if they have a radiator overflow tank. I never been to a car junk yard before. Is it a fun experience?
Also I'm looking to get my struts done next month and from all the people I have talked to they keep saying its a pretty expensive job. At the moment I just want to do my rear struts.
I was wondering if I can just buy this part here or do I have to order more parts too.
Does your mechanic have good pricing or is his pricing only for you. I was wondering because I live in Northridge.
I plan to visit the Sun Valley location sometime next month with one of my friends just to check if they have a radiator overflow tank. I never been to a car junk yard before. Is it a fun experience?
Also I'm looking to get my struts done next month and from all the people I have talked to they keep saying its a pretty expensive job. At the moment I just want to do my rear struts.
I was wondering if I can just buy this part here or do I have to order more parts too.
I did a strut job myself years ago on my wife's 240Z. I put Bilstein (German) racing shocks in it to improve handling. Amazing results.
McPherson Struts are a design that combines the coil spring and the shockabsorber into one, small package. The challenge it creates, however, is that a highly compressed spring must be completely 'relaxed' or d-tensioned so you can remove the shock contained inside the coils. It wants to launch you into space.
I bought a cheapo spring compressor at Sears for about $20 and it woked ok. It is slow, because you must continually crank down on a ring of arms and tension nuts to squeeze the spring. The hardest part, though, is simply removing the strut unit from the car. So, you must 1) get the strut out, 2)compress the spring, 3)remove the shock and replace.
Then, put it all together again. It goes without saying that if you are working on front struts, after you finish, the wheels must be aligned.
On a difficulty scale of 1-10 I would say it is a six. Very dirty because you are under the car. A trained mechanic using air-powered spring compressors could do the job in about 4 hours. So, if they are getting $100/hr for labor, you are up to $400. Add to that the cost of new shocks and the wheel alignment, the total would be $800-900.
Definitely worth doing yourself. You can rent the spring compressors from parts stores. You'll never use them a second time.
Also how much do these struts typically cost to install/ Thanks.
Best thing to do is call some shops and dealerships on the phone and get a breakdown for the parts and labour. With the labour time you will know the time for the fellow who will do it at his place. I would guess 1-1.5hrs should do it.
I've dealt with RockAuto and have been pleased, their shipping is expensiofive because often for a large order their parts are coming from several warehouses so mean extra billing.
Price your parts here at www.autohausaz.com free shipping for orders greater than $50. Welcome.
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2000 Camry IL4 5S-FE 100,000mi or 171,000km
Anybody have any recommendations for me. Which is the less expensive route to go or which is the better route to go that will last me longer.
It's possible to replace just the struts, and not all the other parts (top & bottom spring isolators, strut mount, & bumper). Problem is, there's no way of knowing what needs to be replaced until the strut assemblies are removed. So if you're doing it yourself and you're trying to get by as cheaply as possible, and you're not in a rush, buying just the struts and then taking them out is the way to go. You might have to order more parts and wait for them, or call around town trying to find a place that has what you need in stock.
The quick struts are nice if you don't mind paying a little more replacing parts that are still OK. If you DO need to replace everything, they're a lot cheaper than buying the parts separately.
BTW, KYB is the OEM supplier to Toyota, so go with those if you want the original ride quality. The Monroes give a little softer ride, from what I've read.
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1992 Camry LE, V6 (3VZ-FE), ABS brakes, 330k miles, dark emerald pearl, owned since new.
1996 Avalon XLS, ABS brakes, moonroof, white, acquired w/ 139k miles, now at 261k.
2001 Yamaha FZ1, Ivan's jet kit, resprung all around, Ohlins in the rear, Race Tech cartridge emulators in the forks, 45k miles.
Price your parts here at www.autohausaz.com free shipping for orders greater than $50. Welcome.
I went their and they are pretty expensive. At lease $10-$20 more expensive than if I were to just by my struts from RockAuto. Plus they have a small selection.
It's possible to replace just the struts, and not all the other parts (top & bottom spring isolators, strut mount, & bumper). Problem is, there's no way of knowing what needs to be replaced until the strut assemblies are removed. So if you're doing it yourself and you're trying to get by as cheaply as possible, and you're not in a rush, buying just the struts and then taking them out is the way to go. You might have to order more parts and wait for them, or call around town trying to find a place that has what you need in stock.
The quick struts are nice if you don't mind paying a little more replacing parts that are still OK. If you DO need to replace everything, they're a lot cheaper than buying the parts separately.
BTW, KYB is the OEM supplier to Toyota, so go with those if you want the original ride quality. The Monroes give a little softer ride, from what I've read.
That's the thing I'm a college student going to school full time and working part time all the way across town.
I don't have the tools, garage, or even the time to be without my car for a couple of days.
I might have to just buy the Monroe Quick Strut Assembly so the Mechanic won't take that long.
Without a reliable hydraulic jack, and jackstands — at the minimum — best not to take it on yourself. If someone you know has the knowledge, he will have a cheap source for parts. It's a bad idea to be collecting parts in hope of a future cure on a car.
Get them when absolutely needed. To the other poster here, about my '71 240Z. It was one of the first we ever saw, so even here in kookie Jollywood, it got a lot of stares on the road.
I'm much older than you guys. You probably don't know that when Datsun decided to make a sports car, they chose the old 6-cylinder Austin Healy and roughly copied the body and suspension, but made an exact duplicate of the OHC engine. Even the Mikuni carbs were a direct rip-off of the old English Solex carbs. The original in Japan was sold as the 'Fair Lady Z'. It was a big hit with U.S. servicemen at bases over there. They brought them back home and generated enthusiasm for the model.
Having owned a few Porches, 3 Mercedes Benz and classic cars, I was troubled by the flimsy tinwork on the body and the cheesy, plastic interior. A very solid sports car, though, by many standards.
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