help.. squeaky sound after installing tower strut bar

[Tubbyc]

I just installed the TRD tower strut bar into my 2001 Camry, however, when I turn the steering wheel to the left while turning (5-10km/h), I can hear some squeaky sound.. but not when I turn to the right.. can it be I have tighten the nut too tight or they are still loose?

[CrawlingEye]

your best bet is to use a torque wrench when tightening it and tighten them to their selected torque.

I'd say it's probably your springs though, but that's just a guess.

[_VVTi_]

the amount of tightening affects how the tower strut bar performs?

cuz i thought the tower bar u only tighten it period. haha

[ryuji16]

make sure its not rubbing your hood

[Tubbyc]

I loose the nut a bit, the noise went away.. time to get me an adjustable torque wrench

[amerikim]

or a new mount...

[ripley's99]

no the strut mounts need to be torqued to a specific amount...
think about it i mean the whole suspension could fall out

59 ft/lb torque for the strut mounts on a gen 4 to be exact from the toyota big green book i have for my '99

if its still sqeaking after that then it may be your springs.

Keri

[CamNub]

So Ripley's 99 is a GIRL?!

[nort0188]

I think he's judging by her name.... Keri...

Edit: Her title doesn't really give it away, eh?

[ripley's99]

^ yes i am a girl and i work on my car myself

i will have pics coming soon...its a work in progress with lots of work still to be done as seen in my signiture

Keri

[nort0188]

Pics of the car, or pics of you?

[Tubbyc]

Thanks Ripley! just wondering, how much do those big green Toyota books cost you? do they explain things clearly or you need to be a professional in order to understand it?

[ripley's99]

the factory big green book manuals are rather expensive thru toyota publications, about $100 each...there is a vol. 1 & vol. 2 for the camry. you can find them on ebay cheaper occasionally, i was lucky and picked mine up for $50 for both from a guy on ebay

they are pretty straightforward, they show nice large picture diagrams with the parts as well as the specific torque amounts out to the side, then they detail fairly well how to say replace your brakes etc w/step by step instructions.

its prolly a good thing if you have basic knowledge of your car to be able to understand the diagrams & instructions, otherwise you may be scratching your head a lot wondering what they are talking about.

if you want to do any serious work to your engine or want to do DIY regular services to your car like timing belt, brakes,suspension etc. i would highly recommend some kind of service manual whether the big green books or a haynes manual.

i really like having the manuals so i can do everything myself...it saves a lot of money and i know the job was done right by me

hope that helps,
Keri

[Tubbyc]

Thanks Keri! I am still deciding wheter to spend $100 on the green books or $15 on Hayne's manual. Because I haven't seen either of those books before, so does the greenbook offers much more detail, step by step instruction than the Hayne's manuak? is it more idiot-proof?
I didn't take any auto mechanic class throughout my school years so I really don't know if I am capable of doing those things wihtout screwing it up.

I just got a brand new adjustable torque wrench from Home Depot yesterday, it seems that the nuts can't withstand 59ft/lb of torque, since 3 of them were stripped and need to be replaced.. that's weird.

[ripley's99]

i can't believe the nuts got stripped at 59 ft/lb of torque
they must have been way overtorqued when you put the bar on the first time

as far as the manuals go the big green books are a bit more detailed, the diagrams are a bit more clear....but with your experience & trying to learn i think that the haynes manual would be just what you need. unless you want to tear the engine down or do a swap then you don't really need the big green book. the haynes will do its job for you just fine and you can't beat the $15 price tag.

you can get the haynes manual at like pepboys/autozone or i see it on ebay most of the time too. since you are just starting out learning about your engine there is really no need to spend $100+ for the toyota manuals, save that money for future mods

good luck,
Keri