Strut/Spring Problems

[Luspher]

Hey guys,

I have a weird problem. I picked up the tokico sealed struts and H&R Sport Springs for my car. I finally have them installed and when I went to have the wheels aligned they said the springs weren't seated correctly. I went and check all of them and they were in fact seated properly however I hear an odd sound when i turn the wheel when I am stationary. Soundd kind of like a swing with the staggared creaks, but not sqeaks. Any ideas as to what the problem is? I'm really clueless. So were the guys at NTB. All they could tell me is that i needed to take this springs off and reseat them, but if i did that once already what is repeating the procedure going to do for me. What should I do?

Thanks for your time,
Robert HP

[CTCAMRY]

same happened to me. noise is in the front and only happens on stationary steering and full turns at slow speed.

has gotten progressively less noisy over the past 3 months. it bothered me too, and i removed and reinstalled the struts/springs at first as well.

when i brought it to toyota for an oil change and to diagnose the strut noise, they removed the struts and said the tokicos were the wrong year and they were for a 97 and up (not sure that they really knew). anyway i told them to re-install them as i wasn't going to pay for new Toyota parts.

i asked jdmworks (the ebay seller i bought them from) if they were in fact the correct struts for my 94 v6 xle, and he will not reply. even after 4 e-mails to him. that is pissing me off. cost me $300 for the struts noise to be diagnosed.

let me know if you figure out how to fix the noise.

[markman]

Why don't you go to Tokico's website and check the part numbers for your application?

http://www.tokicogasshocks.com/car/appguide.asp

[gaak]

I doubt it's the struts themselves. most likely it has to do with the compression of the spring on the strut body and how it sits in the strut mounts during those maneuvers. after the months of compression and expansion the spring will more thoroughly seat it self properly and the noise will diminish. at least that's been my experience and my theory as to why.

[CTCAMRY]

where did you get the struts from?

[RedPhoenix]

your signature is way too big btw. 500x150 max

[KerTiZ]

I have the EXACT same problem. I can actually get rid of the creaking by adjusting the strut plate(??) a little. You have to make sure its seating correctly and pointing the correct direction or else u will hear the creaking. The arror needs to point out. Took me alot of fine tunning to get the noises to stop, but it do does return after it rains, so what i do is lift the car again and shake the plate around and keep doing that till the creaking dissapears. Hopefully that help. Thats my only solution to the problem, and the sad thing is its not really a solution(a good one at least). If you learn anything lemme know.

[RedPhoenix]

Originally Posted by CTCAMRY

same happened to me. noise is in the front and only happens on stationary steering and full turns at slow speed.

has gotten progressively less noisy over the past 3 months. it bothered me too, and i removed and reinstalled the struts/springs at first as well.

when i brought it to toyota for an oil change and to diagnose the strut noise, they removed the struts and said the tokicos were the wrong year and they were for a 97 and up (not sure that they really knew). anyway i told them to re-install them as i wasn't going to pay for new Toyota parts.

i asked jdmworks (the ebay seller i bought them from) if they were in fact the correct struts for my 94 v6 xle, and he will not reply. even after 4 e-mails to him. that is pissing me off. cost me $300 for the struts noise to be diagnosed.

let me know if you figure out how to fix the noise.

Your supposed to call him not email him. BIG companies like that dont look at their email

[Zfreeman]

Did you try replacing the upper strut mounts? Most people don't!
You are supposed to replace the upper strut mounts when you fit new struts, to get the full life out of the strut. They fail particularly in the front. I made the mistake of not getting new ones, they're expensive. There are bearings inside the strut mounts that go bad over time.

When you refit the strut assembly you pack the bearing with MP grease. I experienced a lot of noise, sounded like the spring was banging against something, or slipping on full lock when reversing or at a slow speed. I thought it was the springs adjusting to the new struts but the noise didn't go away, until I fitted new upper strut mounts.

[2wickedtoyz]

also make sure the new springs sit on the same spot as the old ones. and yes replace the mounts.

i also have h&r's w tokicos on my gen3 wagon the struts are for a newer camry but they work fine.

[fox_prime]

where can you get these front upper strut mounts? i also have that noise when turning at slow speeds or going fast on straightaways. hopefully a decent price and brand would sound good...thx

[CTCAMRY]

cannot get the phone #. he doesn't list it on the auction. anyone know it??

Originally Posted by RedPhoenix

Your supposed to call him not email him. BIG companies like that dont look at their email

[Zfreeman]

fox_prime :: where can you get these front upper strut mounts?

You didn't mention what year/gen your Camry is, but the gen2 (and gen3 I think) use KYB strut mounts. You can get them from Toyota or from a KYB stockist. Getting from KYB will be cheaper. Like I said earlier they will be expensive, so don't have a heart attack when you're told the price. Your best bet would be to go online to one of the parts warehouses or keep an eye on Ebay.

CTCAMRY :: i asked jdmworks (the ebay seller i bought them from) if they were in fact the correct struts for my 94 v6 xle, and he will not reply. even after 4 e-mails to him. that is pissing me off. cost me $300 for the struts noise to be diagnosed.

That guy lives in Singapore, and only has a feedback rating of 1. Anyway if you go here you can request another user's contact information.