Installing Front Strut Tower Bar... - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

Cammy4U2NV · 08-21-2005, 04:00 PM

i can't seem to get the bolts off to install my front strut tower bar on my gen 3...do i need to jack up the front end or anything special? i sprayed some u wrench it to try and loosen them up but that did work...and a wrench/ratchet weren't strong enough to torque the bolts off...any do this and have any tips for me?

CDub LXi · 08-21-2005, 04:04 PM

They're just too tight.. just keep at it but don't force it.

You don't need to jack your car up.

RedPhoenix · 08-21-2005, 04:07 PM

Do what I did. Wrench on, hit the wrench with a rubber mallet. Do not jack up your car, it needs the weight of the car to hold the strut in place.

***Tercel GTS*** · 08-21-2005, 04:11 PM

You are talking about the small nuts/bolts right?

toyotaholic · 08-21-2005, 04:16 PM

spray some wd-40 and do what redphoenix said

Cammy4U2NV · 08-21-2005, 04:26 PM

alright...just spray WD-40 all over the nuts/bolts? and then attach the wrench and hit the wrench with a rubber mallet? how hard to hit it? just start wackin or controlled force?

Axel Kain · 08-21-2005, 04:38 PM

JUST DONT UNDO THE MIDDLE (BIG) ONE!!!!! its to the strut shaft itself!!

JetspeedCamry · 08-21-2005, 04:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Axel Kain

JUST DONT UNDO THE MIDDLE (BIG) ONE!!!!! its to the strut shaft itself!!

More like, the shock absorber top bolt.

RichieRichJP · 08-21-2005, 04:45 PM

Maybe try get a bar or pole and put it on the end of your wrench or whatever you're using for more torque.

***Tercel GTS*** · 08-21-2005, 04:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JetspeedCamry

More like, the shock absorber top bolt.

Gen3 camry's don't have shock absorbers, they have struts. And very correct, do not remove the middle nut!

atobe · 08-21-2005, 06:41 PM

that's kind of strange the torque spec on those nuts are only like 20ft/lb

JetspeedCamry · 08-21-2005, 07:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tercel GTS

Gen3 camry's don't have shock absorbers, they have struts. And very correct, do not remove the middle nut!

Really?

My car has struts too...and a shock absorber that goes through the middle of the spring...isnt that the way Gen 3's have it? I would assume they some sort of shock absorber!!!

EDIT: *Googled it, and yep..sorry my mistake, the shock absorber is part of the strut assembly, much like the rear ST162 struts.

RichieRichJP · 08-21-2005, 07:46 PM

Let us know how it it turns out as far as performance goes

HoboJoe · 08-21-2005, 11:04 PM

Where did you get it? I was thinking to steer clear of ebay, but I don't know.

touringcamry · 08-21-2005, 11:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by atobe

that's kind of strange the torque spec on those nuts are only like 20ft/lb

Weird, on Gen 4, they're spec'd to 54 lb/ft IIRC...

How big a wrench are you using? I put a strut bar in my Camry and it was hell trying to do it with an 8" long 3/8" ratchet. When tightening them down with the ratchet, I was only able to torque the nuts to about 35 lb/ft before my hands really started to hurt so I don't imagine that you can put that much torque when trying to remove the nuts either.

I ended up using an impact wrench for removal and a torque wrench to finish tightening.

Do you have a cheater bar or anything else you can use? The rubber mallet is a good idea also. A 6 pt wrench or or socket will be best to avoid rounding the nut. If you use a wrench, use a box wrench instead of an open one if you have it.