Strut replacement, 94 Camry-Hard?

[iggglesfan]

The spring on the top of the strut is broken in two places on my 94 Camry. I found this when it ripped through my tire on a left turn. It looks like it's pretty straight forward to change. However, I was looking for advice from someone who's had the pleasure of attempting this on a cold Jan day in the street.

[toyomoho]

Remove the tire then disconnect the ABS sensor wire (if you have one) and brake hose from the strut. Unbolt the lower shock from steering knuckle. You will need a socket and long handle or long handle wrench for this as the two bolts are torqued to 156 ft-lbs.

Unbolt the three bolts at the shock tower (59 ft-lbs) and remove strut. Find a warm spot to work on the strut.

You will need a spring compressor to remove and install the spring. You can rent these or buy a cheap one at places like Habor Freight.

When removing the upper shock rod attach nut use a bar wedged in between one of the upper shock mount support bolts and the support to prevent the shock from rotating at you turn the nut or use an impact wrench.

Once apart suggest checking items such as the upper shock mount bearing. Perhaps this was frozen and placed more torque on the spring causing it to break. The upper strut mount must allow for rotation of the strut for the cars steering.

Also check the rubber bushing mount in the upper mount as this tends to break down with age.

Reinstall the items in reverse order. Don't forget to reinstall the bumper that goes on the shock rod (if it was in place). Make sure the spring is seated correctly in the both lower and upper seats. Make sure the OUT mark on the upper spring seat is aligned with the OUT mark on the insulator and that both are facing outside the vehicle when the shock is installed.

Might need to play with releasing some of the spring clamp pressure to hold everything in place while you tighten the strut rod nut. Once tight (36 ft-lbs) release the spring clamp, then reinstall the strut. Put some oil on the two large bolt thread before installing the nuts. Then reinstall the other parts.

[dorifuto.boi]

as long as you have the right tools, it'll take you a few hours.
heres the DIY: http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/t86545.html
ah nvm, theres no pics in the link =[

[DarkMastyr]

"hard" depending on how skilled you are and how familiar you are around suspensions. For me, since I've ripped the suspension in and out at least half a dozen times now, it takes me 30min per corner from start to finish (from jacking up the car to lowering it back down), and I have the right tools. That being said, the macpherson strut suspension up front is about as simple as it gets these days versus say, multi-link suspensions.

If it's your first time, it might take a couple hours or more. You run into things like rusted bolts, torn boots, torn seats, etc. that require a run to the parts store. Plus you might have to repeat if you don't properly align the spring and spring seat to the mount and strut (you'll get odd clunking sounds as a result if this happens).

[Mike Gerber]

If you are still driving the car, I recommend taking off the tire and spraying every threaded fastener that has to be removed, with a good penetrating oil like PB Blaster (not WD-40 for this job), and then putting the tire back on and driving the car. Do this for 2 or 3 days straight before attempting to remove anything. The vibrations from drivng the car will help the penetrating oil work it's way in to rusty threads. It will make the job of unbolting everything a whole lot easier.

Mike