DIY: Poor Man's Torque Strut Mount Repair

[Yuko]

It is well known that the upper torque strut mount on many FWD vehicles fail easily. There are many options to fix this; install a new replacement or fill the area with urethane such as 3M window-weld. But walking through the hardware store, I piece together another method to repairing the mount. In my case, I’ll be replacing the worn bushing with the rubber from a mallet. I searched online and no one has done such thing but on my first attempt, it was successful. So I decided to create this DIY to help others.

Disclaimer: Sharp tools! I and NT are not reasonable for any injury or damage resulting form this task.

Total Time: ~2 hours on a 2002 Camry with the 2AZ-FE engine

Basic tools needed:
Knife
Hacksaw
14mm wrench

Level 2 tools:
Air grinder
Bench Vice
Drill Press

Parts needed:
2½” wide mallet (32oz. from ACE $8.49) Get a regular mallet; Dead-blow may be hollow inside or contain metal shots.
3/8” metal spacer (you might need wider one)
Varies washers
Paint (optional)


You can see here the cracked rubber on the OEM. That’s 157k miles.


Begin by pushing out as much or the rubber as possible. This is another worn mount I got for free to try out my new repair method.


Next, cut out the rest rubber with a good knife. Finish it off by sanding the inside.


Then, cut of the correct width needed of the rubber mallet. I find the hacksaw to do a quick good job.


Here’s the fun part. Begin trim down the diameter or the rubber until it’s a bit wider than the mount. A grinder works well here. Then press the rubber into the mount; bench vice for the win. Don’t worry if a bit of rubber is cut off at you press it in. Rubber cement may be use here.


After you are happy with the fit, drill out a hole in the center for the spacer. You should start with a pilot hole and work up to a larger hole. Be sure that hole is smaller than the metal spacer for a tight fit. The spacer should stick out a bit on both side.


You can tape and paint it any color you desire. You can see I changed my mind from silver to blue.

Here is the final product. Varies washer are needed to shim and hold the mount in place.




So for, shifting gear was improved. There's no clunk from park into reverse/drive. That could have been solved just with a new OEM mount. The only down side to this repair there a bit of increase of vibration at idle but the engine seems smoother when driving and taking off. Overall, a cheap alternative than buying a new mount in most cases. Cost under $15 and you still have half a mallet to use. It's also a quicker way for those who wanted a solid mount. Urethane filled can take up to a week to dry while this ready after install. The nice thing is this can be done on almost any motor mount.

This is a cheap method and I will test the durability of it.

[kenny1773]

That's great!

Any thoughts on if that will hold up for 100,000 miles? (or however long the original really lasted)

[ImJustMe55]

That's pretty sweet!! Good work!! That's similar to what I've seen people do with some FWD Nissan's Trailing arm bushings. If we knew the diameter and width of each bushing we could probably source polyurethane bushings that would fit perfectly from energy suspension or super pro (Tein by Fulcrum).

[2wickedtoyz]

very nice diy

[Yuko]

Originally Posted by kenny1773

That's great!

Any thoughts on if that will hold up for 100,000 miles? (or however long the original really lasted)

The OEM lasted about 120K mile before it started to tear.

The only REAL problem is when it's idling and the A/C compressor is running; it shakes very rough. I can feel it in the seatback. It's my grandmother's Camry and she asked me to check why it's shacking a lot now. Opps. Maybe I should drill some holes to soften it.

[FL_Dave]

You are the man! Love the innovation. I've replaced three of these things so far on my car (but i've got a couple hundred k miles).

If you want to soften it up a bit, I agree with the holes idea. From what the pictures show, make the holes on the sides of the center bolt that are in line with the strut shaft. The original had less rubber in that direction to soften the spring.

Dave