Strut mounts and Struts

[Crowbar911]

So my rear struts are leaking oil. (secretly happy)

This means that its new suspension time!!!!


I already have the eibach prokit I bought off TN for cheap. I plan on getting tokico struts to match up with them, and hope my butt doesn't fall asleep.

around 2 weeks ago, I did a friends suspension on his e46. (koni struts and hotchkiss springs)

His install went GREAT. It was fairly straightforward, so I am going to attempt my own. Worse comes to worse I use my AAA and tow it to my mechanic.

My biggest question is about the strut mounts. Can I reuse the old ones or should I get new ones?

My local dealer wants $450 for oem ones, and frankly, I'm not willing to spend that much, when KYB has them for 160ish.

on rockauto.com and tire rack, the kyb mounts have 2 models. A performance, and a non performance. I emailed KYB, and they said that its listed wrong by the retailer. Has anybody else had any experience with these, or could give any insight?


My current set of strut covers are shredded, and I plan on replacing them.

[fishexpo101]

That should be pretty nice match - Eibach springs + Tokico struts. Retain a decent ride and but still be able to "feel" the road more. Body movement will be reduced, but dive and squat (pitching of the car) will be greatly reduced. Front bumper no longer dives for the ground when I stand on the brakes - braking feel is also improved because of this feature.

As for strut mounts - how many miles on the car? Strut mounts could still be OK - just pry off the dust cap on the top and see if they are still packed with grease. I got 160K miles on mine, they are still tight.

But if you noticed that your alignment tends to get out of whack often or there is unsual tire wear - I might be tempted to replace the upper mounts.

As for performance and non-performance - I don't I've seen non-adjustable ones that were considered performance mounts (note here you are trading adjustability for longevity). Maybe heavy duty ones can be found, but I have not run across them.

[Crowbar911]

Car has 87000 miles.
The strut mount has tons of grease left inside of both of them.

Should I refill them with grease is I decide to reuse them?
What is the purpose of the grease? My fiance's saturn and a friends BMW dont have it.

[Chinsan]

Usually only the rear strut mount is reusable. The fronts should be replaced as it has a bearing which is usually seized by now. I would go with KYB as they are cheaper and are good quality. DO NOT use the Monroe mounts as the studs are larger than the oem ones and as such the holes will have to be bored out.
It sucks to find that out in the middle of the install when you are by yourself and you just realized that you loaned out your drill to your friend who lives an hour away.

[Crowbar911]

OUCH!!!


I think I may be better off replacing all 4 of them, as im already there to do it.


What about the strut boot? My current ones are shredded. Are they something I should replace while im there, or are they not needed?

[PushnFords]

I just ordered KYB strut boots & bumpers off of eBay from Summit. KYB makes them one piece. There is also a rubber/plastic spring seat that goes between the spring and the saddle on the strut. It would be reusable unless it has been pinched through or torn. Might not be able to tell without removing it first. Same with the strut mount - if the bearing turns smooth and easy and the rubber isn't cracked then you can reuse them. I'd repack them with grease to keep moisture out. If you'd rather spend a few bucks extra and make sure you have everything you need I'd order all of the mounts, the spring seat isolator, and the boot kits.

Page 142 has the Corolla. Image search the part numbers on Google if you want to see what they look like: http://www.kyb.com/pdf/kyb_catalog.pdf

[Crowbar911]

that pdf file shows the 2 different parts. The perfomance, and non performance.

Does that even make sense.

[fishexpo101]

Yeah, I just repacked the grease in mine - all was good to go. If they are obviously worn out, then replace them.

Same with mine - the strut bellows, that keep the dust and debris away from the strut are shredded as well. Been that way for some time. When it comes time to replace mine, I plan on picking up some KYB bellows (Moog is another source, but I've heard they are a different material).

As for the performance vs standard part - don't read too much into the KYB listing. Think of the standard as exact OEM parts (black colored struts) - the "performance and S" variant is the silver colored strut (aftermarket replacement). Basically KYB Toyota OEM vs KYB-GR2. The performance intended ones have a slightly stiff valving than the standard ones - but both are softer than the Tokico struts.

[Crowbar911]

I see now.

I was confusing the listing.

I was lookin at it that there was a performance strut mount. Alrighty.

Tonight, Ill order the 4 mounts and the struts! Hope this install goes right.


Now if i can figure out how to bleed brakes I will be ok.

[fishexpo101]

A pressure bleeder makes it a breeze. Other than that - the old two person, one stomps the pedal and one wrenching works well too.

Rear struts - you'll have to disconnect the brake line anyways, unless you want to try and slot the bracket and slid the brake line out.

[PushnFords]

Originally Posted by Crowbar911

Now if i can figure out how to bleed brakes I will be ok.

Brake fluid is hygroscopic meaning it absorbs moisture over time...if you open the rear part of the system to install the struts it would be a good time to flush out all of the old brake fluid. Check a Haynes/Chiltons manual for which wheel to start with. On older cars you just started at the right rear, then left rear, then right front, then left front...doing the wheel furthest from the master cylinder and working closer. Some cars have their lines routed differently so you need to do the right rear, left front, left rear, then right front. Empty as much fluid as you can out of your master cylinder (if possible I usually remove the reservoir and clean it out) and refill it with clean fluid. Get an old can or container to hold your old brake fluid and slip a clear piece of hose over the bleeder running to your container. I bought some clear tubing at a hardware store for a couple of bucks. Open the bleeder screw, have someone press the pedal down, tighten the bleeder screw, and then have them lift off the pedal. Repeat this until you have clean fluid coming out through the hose with no bubbles. Keep an eye on the master cylinder so you don't suck it dry and have to start all over again.